Indo Defence 2025: PT PAL unveils final design of Red White frigate

A model of the Red White frigate on display for the first time at Indo Defence 2025. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)

Indonesian shipbuilder PT PAL has unveiled the final design of the country's ‘Red White' frigate, which is derived from Babcock's Arrowhead 140 design.

A model of the frigate was on display for the first time at the Indo Defence exhibition, which began in Jakarta on 11 June.

Indonesia's Ministry of Defense (MoD) signed a contract for two Red White frigates with PT PAL in April 2020.

Prior to the unveiling of the model at Indo Defence 2025, PT PAL had previously disclosed that the frigates will each displace about 5,996 tonnes at full load with an overall length of 140 m.

In an interview with Janes at the exhibition, a representative from PT PAL highlighted the vessel's 64-cell vertical launching system (VLS), which is located amidships, as a centrepiece of the frigate's weapon systems.

This is the Midlas VLS that will be supplied by Turkish company Roketsan, and it will be able to deploy a mix of medium-range anti-air missiles and medium- and long-range anti-ship missiles, said the representative.

Besides the VLS, the Red White frigate will be equipped with two Leonardo 76 mm guns in the forward section, one of which is located just ahead of the wheelhouse, with the other located further ahead in the forecastle.

To protect the ship from low-flying aircraft and precision-guided munitions, the frigate is equipped with one 35 mm Millennium gun from Rheinmetall as its close-in weapon system (CIWS), and this is located in the stern section.

For point defence, the frigate is equipped with four 12.7 mm guns mounted on remote-controlled weapon stations.