Indonesia‘s Naval Modernization: Two Indigenous Fregats to Replace Aging Classes
The Indonesian Navy is set to bolster its fleet with the construction of two indigenous red and white frigates by state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL Indonesia. These new vessels will gradually replace the aging Fregat Klasse Van Speijk or Ahmad Yani, currently in service.
Initially, there were talks about acquiring two Patrol Boat Multipurpose (PPA) units from Italy to replace the aging Ahmad Yani-class frigates. However, the Indonesian Navy has decided to also produce frigates domestically, preserving the Ahmad Yani-class frigates as part of their naval arsenal.
"The Ahmd Yani class will not be completely replaced by the PPAs from Italy. Instead, we will have both the PPAs and our own indigenous frigates," said Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff, Admiral Muhammad Ali, on Friday, January 3rd.
Currently, out of the six Ahmad Yani-class frigates initially in service, only five remain operational. The KRI Slamet Riyadi-352 has been decommissioned, while the other operational frigates are the KRI Ahmad Yani-351, KRI Yos Sudarso-353, KRI Oswald Siahaan-354, KRI Abdul Halim Perdana Kusuma-355, and KRI Karel Satsuitubun-356.
Not all Ahmad Yani-class frigates will be decommissioned, however. Some will continue to serve as drone carriers, reflecting their crucial role in naval warfare strategy. As intermediate-sized vessels, frigates serve as mobile airbases, launching platforms for surface-to-surface and surface-to-underwater missiles, intelligence gathering, special forces insertion, and as a strategic presence in territorial waters.
The introduction of these new indigenous frigates signifies Indonesia’s ongoing commitment to modernize and strengthen its naval capabilities, ensuring effective protection of its vast maritime territory.
