Janes reported that Indonesian shipbuilder PT PAL will implement the Arrowhead 140 design on a contract it secured from Jakarta in April 2020 for two Iver Huitfeldt class-variant frigates. PT PAL’s public affairs office confirmed that the two-ship contract worth USD720 million is officially in force, and work is under way in Surabaya, Indonesia, to prepare for the first build. On 16 September 2021, Babcock announced that it had signed an agreement with PT PAL Indonesia allowing it to design two Type 31 derivatives for the Indonesian Navy. Designed by Babcock International, it is also marketed under the name Arrowhead 140 and was based on the hull of the Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate.
The Iver Huitfeldt class is a three-ship class of air defence frigates that entered service with the Royal Danish Navy in 2012 and 2013.The class is built on the experience gained from the Absalon-class frigates, and by reusing the basic hull design of the Absalon class the Royal Danish Navy have been able to construct the Iver Huitfeldt class considerably cheaper than comparable ships. The frigates are compatible with the Royal Danish Navy’s StanFlex modular mission payload system used in the Absalons, and are designed with slots for six modules. The ships were constructed in blocks in Estonia and Lithuania. These blocks were then towed to the Odense Steel Shipyard where they were assembled.
In March 2019 a variant of Denmark’s Iver Huitfeldt class emerged as a front-runner for the Indonesian Navy’s US$720 million two-frigate acquisition programme according to Jane’s. The Indonesian Navy expected to purchase two Iver Huitfeldt-class frigates with a budget plan of US$ 720 million for its MEF Phase 3 in 2020–2024. Indonesian officials and Ministry of Defense officials held multiple meetings about the ships. By 14 March 2019 there were advanced discussion between the Indonesian Ministry of Defense and Odense Maritime Technology about the technical issues and potential cooperation. Denmark offered a scheme of “transfer of technology” (ToT) to Indonesia, such as modular frigate building designed by BUMN PT PAL.
In February 2020, a defense delegation from Indonesia visited Denmark, and toured Niels Juel. According to Indonesian media, the deputy of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said in March that Indonesia’s PT PAL was tasked to develop a design for two ships over five years, for Rp1.1 trillion (or USD720 million) in collaboration with Denmark, for the Indonesian Navy. On 30 April, representatives from the Indonesian Ministry of Defense, PT PAL shipbuilders and PT Sinar Kokoh Persada, an Indonesian agent for the Danish Odense Maritime Technology (OMT) company, had agreed to an opening contract for the procurement of the Danish frigate. Points in the contract include workshare arrangements that will be made after the effective (actual) contract can be realized.
