Thales has struck a deal with state-owned defence electronics specialist PT Len Industri to deliver a series of C4ISR enhancements to the Indonesian Navy’s (TNI-AL) four Diponegoro-class guided-missile frigates, among other work announced on 4 November.
The company said the ships will be refurbished with “integrated mission systems including the TACTICOS battle management system and the latest software-driven radar technology capable of combating the highest level threats.”
It added that the modernisation work will take place over the next five years, with after-sales support provided by a highly trained team at Thales Naval Service Centre in Surabaya. This latest upgrade follows a similar plan for the Bung Tomo-class frigate KRI Usman-Harun l in service in 2020.
“As the main partner of the Indonesian Navy for the past 40 years and the designated combat system supplier for most Indonesian warships currently in service, Thales is delivering its best capabilities to help extend the life cycle of the Navy’s fleet and ensure ships remain on track. Running. Equipped with peak performance,” the company said in a statement.
TNI-AL’s four Diponegoro-class frigates were commissioned between 2007 and 2009.
Earlier in October 2021, Terma was awarded a contract to upgrade the existing C-Guard decoy launch system on Diponegoro-class frigates with anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities.
The ships are currently equipped with two six-barreled DL-6T decoy launchers from Terma as part of their C-Guard ship self-protection kit. The launcher can fire mortars and rocket-propelled decoys to defeat precision-guided munitions.
The frigates could also benefit further from the planned mid-term upgrade (MLU) if the foreign loan funds sought by the Ministry of National Development Planning (BAPPENAS) are approved by the Ministry of Finance.
by Jr Ng
