Indonesia’s Merah Putih-class Frigate: What You Need to Know

A newly released infographic of the under-construction 140-meter frigate for the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL)—known as the Red White Frigate (Fregat Merah Putih)—reveals key details of its combat system configuration. The Merah Putih-class frigate, a variant of Babcock’s Arrowhead 140 design, which itself is derived from the Royal Danish Navy’s Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate, is being built by PT PAL Indonesia in Surabaya. Construction of the first ship-in-class began with the steel-cutting ceremony on December 9, 2022. The ship’s keel was laid down on 25 August 2025. Variants of the Arrowhead 140 are also being developed for other navies, including the United Kingdom’s Inspiration-class (Type 31) and Poland’s Miecznik program. The frigate’s equipment is categorized as “Fitted For, But Not With” (FFBNW) and “Main Contract Equipment”, with most weapons and sensors supplied by Turkish firms (Aselsan, Meteksan, Roketsan, and Havelsan) as well as Italian defense companies (Leonardo and ELT Group). My story (with additional reporting by Tayfun Ozberk) for Naval News, here.