Second major order for Turkey during the IDEF 2025 defense trade fair in Istanbul: Following the sale of 48 Kaan fighter jets to Indonesiathe Southeast Asian country has now also signed a contract with the Turkish shipbuilding consortium TAIS for the procurement of two I-class frigates (Istif-class/Istanbul-class) for the Indonesian Navy TNI AL.
The signing of the contract was first announced via the social media of the Turkish Defense Industry Secretariat SSB. It said: “At IDEF 2025, TAIS shipyards signed contracts with the Indonesian Ministry of Defense for two MİLGEM Istif-class frigates with the participation of the President of Defense Industry, Haluk Görgün. This is the first export of the new MİLGEM vessels and marks a significant milestone in maritime cooperation – a project that makes our nations proud.”
Detour to Indonesia?
Little is yet known about the details of the implementation of the agreement. Although PT PAL and TAIS had already signed a letter of intent for cooperation in June during the Indo Defense 2025 trade fair in Jakarta, Turkish media report that the ships that have now been ordered are already under construction in Turkey – and may be delivered directly to Indonesia instead of the Turkish Navy. This process is similar to Fincantieri’s approach, which handed over two PPA frigates originally intended for the Italian Navy to Indonesia. Advantage: faster delivery. Disadvantage: delayed fleet renewal in the country of manufacture.
Background: The I-Class at a glance
The Istanbul-class frigates were designed as part of the Turkish MİLGEM program as a further development of the Ada-class corvettes and are intended to replace older Yavuz frigates. The I-class has around 50 percent more fuel capacity and a greater operational range.
The type ship “TCG Istanbul” (F-515) was laid down on January 19, 2017 and commissioned on January 19, 2024. According to official figures, more than 75 percent of the systems installed come from national Turkish production. Over 220 companies are involved in the program, including around 80 as system suppliers.
The originally planned four ships of the class have now been doubled to eight – with one type ship already in service, two more under construction and several in preparation.
State-of-the-art Indonesian navy under construction
In the near future, the TNI AL fleet will consist of a mix of modern platforms – mostly small series with two units each. The current (and planned) line-up includes:
- 2× PKR frigates (design by Damen/Netherlands)
- 2× Merah Putih frigates (designed by Babcock/UK, built locally, with Turkish systems)
- 2× PPA frigates (from Fincantieri/Italy)
- 2× I-class frigates (from TAIS/Turkey)
- 2× KCR-70M missile boats (also Turkey)
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1× trimaran speedboat KRI Golok (local design by North Sea Boats)
Indonesia also operates submarines from South Korea and is planning to integrate French systems. The takeover of a used aircraft carrier from Italy is also under discussion – This involves the amphibious helicopter carrier “ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi” (C-551), which was decommissioned in Italy in 2024 and replaced by the LHD “ITS Trieste” in 1985. In March, the Chief of Staff of the TNI-AL, Admiral Muhammad Ali, underlined the urgent need for such a ship, signaling a possible expansion of Indonesia’s maritime ambitions.
However, it is still too early to say whether the project will also include some of the 30 or so Italian AV-8B Harrier IIs that previously operated from this ship. It is more likely that the world’s largest island state will use the platform for supply and disaster relief operations with helicopters and as a floating military hospital.
At the same time, the question of operational integration, logistics, training and maintenance arises in view of this technologically heterogeneous fleet structure. With regard to the Chinese presence near the Natuna Islands (around 1,500 kilometers south of China), Jakarta continues to emphasize its concern about the situation in the South China Sea. At the same time, however, Indonesia is also striving for diplomatic balance – in April, for example, it announced an intensification of “maritime cooperation” together with Beijing.
Here for more news about the Indonesian armed forces.
