Indonesian Defence Ministry orders new frigates from Turkish builder

The Indonesian Ministry of Defence has selected Turkey's TAIS Shipyards for the construction of two new warships that will be based on the Turkish Navy's Istif-class frigates.

As variants of the Turkish-designed MILGEM family of warships, the future Indonesian Navy frigates will each utilise a modified Ada-class corvette hull with greater dimensions to accommodate greater fuel capacity (for extended range), a larger battery of missiles, and a vertical launch system for surface-to-air missiles.

The frigates will each have a length of 113 metres, a beam of 14 metres, a draught of four metres, a displacement of 3,100 tonnes, and a crew complement of 125.

Each ship's armament will include a 76mm naval gun, a 35mm close-in weapon system, two 25mm remotely controlled stabilised autocannon, anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missiles, and torpedoes.

The vessels will be capable of achieving a maximum speed of over 29 knots, and a range of 5,700 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 14 knots, thanks to combined diesel and gas propulsion setups.