Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff, Admiral Muhammad Ali, has confirmed the arrival of the first unit of the Pattugliatore Polivalente d’Altura (PPA) multipurpose offshore patrol ship from Italy in early 2025.
This ship is expected to strengthen Indonesia’s maritime defense with advanced technology and multifunctional capabilities for various operations.
“Perhaps, one of the PPAs can arrive early next year,” Admiral Ali told the media at the Indonesian Marine Corps’ headquarters in Cilandak, South Jakarta, on Tuesday, November 12, 2024.
He cited that the signing phase for the ship purchase downpayment had been completed and approved by the Indonesian Minister of Finance, paving the way for the delivery of the first unit to Indonesia in the near future.
“If I’m not mistaken, it has been signed by the Minister of Finance and hopefully in the near future (the first unit will arrive),” he said.
The two PPA units have been named after great figures from the Archipelago, namely KRI Brawijaya and KRI Siliwangi, which are taken from the names of the King of Majapahit and the King of Pajajaran. The two nameswere chosen to honor the history of the leadership of the two great kingdoms on the island of Java, namely East Java and West Java respectively.
The procurement of PPA, similar to a frigate, is expected to strengthen the Indonesian naval fleet and increase the country’s defense capabilities to face various threats in territorial waters.
Military analyst Alman Helvas Ali said that strengthening the Indonesian Navy is urgent, considering that many of the country’s warships are obsolete, such as the Fatahillah-class vessel, which no longer meets modern combat standards.
“President Prabowo Subianto’s move as then Minister of Defense is to accelerate the procurement of ships through shortcuts, one of which is by bringing in frigates from Italy which were originally allocated for the Italian Navy,” Alman said.
This acceleration was carried out as an effort to meet the immediate needs of the Indonesian Navy in facing security threats in the region. With the condition of several ships that have passed their optimal operational period, this policy is expected to immediately renew Indonesia’s naval arsenal to be more ready to maintain the sovereignty of the waters.
