Indonesia Officially Purchases Offshore Patrol Vessels from Italy

Jakarta, MINA – The Ministry of Defense of Indonesia has officially purchased two offshore patrol vessels (OPV) made by the Italian shipyard, Fincantieri. The two patrol boats, which can be upgraded to become frigates, are scheduled to arrive in Indonesia in October 2024 and April 2025.

Head of the Public Relations Bureau of the Secretariat General of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense, Brigadier General Edwin Adrian Sumantha, said that the procurement of the two patrol boats was part of the modernization of the Indonesian Navy’s defense equipment to strengthen the ability to protect Indonesian sovereignty at maritime borders. The purchase contract for these two boats was signed on March 28, 2024.

“The procurement of this ship is also accompanied by a comprehensive offset package, which includes various aspects such as shipyard development consultation, long-term business strategy, physical improvements to the shipyard, delivery of didactic material, as well as a six-month training course in Italy,” said Edwin as quoted from SoloposNews on Sunday.

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Edwin added that the technology transfer cooperation also includes management of shipyard modernization assets, management training, simulator training centers, development of training pathways at the Defense University, and the formation of expert teams to develop direct and indirect opportunities.

During the purchase process, Edwin explained that the contract to purchase the two ships made by Fincantieri was effective as per the validity period of the contract.

“Fincantieri has also obtained approval from the Italian OCCAR (Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation) and the Italian Navy for the sale of the ship to Indonesia,” he said.

The two OPV/PPA ships that Indonesia purchased from Fincantieri were originally intended for the Italian Navy, so approval from the Italian Navy was required to purchase these ships.

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“It is hoped that the arrival of these ships will further increase the Indonesian Navy’s ability to maintain regional sovereignty and make a significant contribution to regional security stability,” said Edwin.

Meanwhile, Fincantieri in its official broadcast last month stated that the contract value for the purchase of the two OPV vessels reached €1.18 billion or around $2.25 billion.

Reporting from the official website of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense, Ficantieri S.p.A., is a well-known shipbuilding company from Italy. his company has also been trusted as the provider and is carrying out the construction of the two frigates at the Trieste shipyard, Italy.

The ship ordered is the Pattugliatore Polivalente d’Altura (PPA) type which has multi-mission capabilities and is equipped with the latest technology.

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The ship has a length of 143 meters and a width of around 16.5 meters. Meanwhile, the displacement is 6,250 tons (full load) with a maximum speed of around 30 knots, endurance 5000 NM and armed with an Aster 15 surface to air missile (SAM) system along with a DCNS Sylver A43 vertical launcher. The Aster 15 SAM missile system can be installed on various types of warships, such as frigates, destroyers or aircraft carriers.

Apart from that, this ship is also armed with a 127mm Vulcano cannon, a 76mm Strales cannon, a 25mm light cannon equipped with a Fire-Control Radar (FCR) RTN 10X Dardo system, Electronic Warfare RECM, RESM and CESM, Tactical Data Link-Y and Multifunction Radar Leonardo Kronos. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)