Indonesian Navy Launches Locally-made Patrol Vessel

The Indonesian Ministry of Defense held the official launch ceremony for the first Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) 90M, constructed by local shipbuilder PT Daya Radar Utama (PT DRU), today.

The ministry has placed an order for two vessels of the 90-meter class.

The OPV 90M project began with the steel-cutting ceremony for the first vessel in August 2021. The vessels are designed to enhance Indonesia's maritime defense capabilities, particularly in anti-submarine and anti-ship operations. Both vessels will feature a Turkish combat management system (CMS), which integrates various weapons systems, including a 76/62 Super Rapid naval gun, likely sourced from Italian defense manufacturer Leonardo.

The OPVs are also equipped with a range of weaponry. The CMS will connect to provisions for a 35 mm naval gun system, two 20 mm cannons, anti-surface missiles, a variable-depth sonar system, decoy launchers, and an electronic warfare radar. According to a computer-generated image released by PT DRU, the navy intends to fit the OPVs with four anti-surface missile launchers mounted amidships and a 35 mm gun system on the aft section, near the flight deck. However, the exact positioning of the 20 mm guns remains unclear.

Each vessel will be 90 meters long with a beam of 13.5 meters. They are powered by four 7,280 KW diesel engines, enabling a top speed of 28 knots. One of the two vessels is expected to feature a helideck and hangar to accommodate a helicopter, while the other will lack these facilities, as per reports.

PT DRU also released a design video showing the OPV equipped with a Rheinmetall Millennium Gun of 35 mm caliber mounted on the hangar, two sets of four anti-ship missile launchers—likely MM40 Exocet—and an OTO Melara 76 mm Super Rapid Gun located forward. For visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) missions, the vessels will include two rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) launch ramps at the stern.