PT PAL launches Indonesia's first Red White frigate
Indonesia's first Red White frigate, the future KRI Balaputradewa , seen here at its launch ceremony on 18 December 2025. (PT PAL)
Indonesian shipbuilder PT PAL has launched the first Red White frigate on order for the country's navy.
The vessel, which will be in service as KRI Balaputradewa once it is commissioned, was launched on 18 December at PT PAL's shipyard in Surabaya, the company announced on the same day.
Balaputradewa is the first of two Red White frigates on order for the Indonesian Navy.
The class is based on Babcock's Arrowhead 140 design. It displaces approximately 5,996 tonnes at full load and measures 140 m in length.
Armament that will go on the frigate includes a 64-cell vertical launching system (VLS) supplied by Turkish company Roketsan, which is capable of deploying a mix of medium-range anti-air missiles and medium- to long-range anti-ship missiles.
The frigate will also be equipped with two Leonardo 76 mm guns in the forward section, a 35 mm Millennium gun from Rheinmetall as its close-in weapon system, and four 12.7 mm remote-controlled guns for point defence.
For anti-submarine warfare, the warship will have two Leonardo B515/3 triple torpedo tubes and a Fersah 100-N/MF hull-mounted sonar from Aselsan.
Other main sensors onboard include the Cenk 400-N 2D AESA radar, Mete Han multifunction radar, MAR-D helicopter control radar, and Akrep fire-control radar, all integrated into the Advent combat management system (CMS) from Havelsan.
The frigate is powered by four diesel engines in a combined diesel and diesel (CODAD) configuration, enabling a top speed of 28 kt and a maximum range of 9,000 n miles at 15 kt.
PT PAL was initially scheduled to hand over Balaputradewa
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