According to a press release published by Babcock on September 16, 2021, the aerospace, defence and security company has secured the first export contract for its Arrowhead 140 (AH140) frigate through a design licence agreement with PT PAL Indonesia (Persero), a state-owned enterprise that builds and maintains ships for military and commercial use from its facilities in Surabaya, Indonesia.
The breakthrough deal comes two years since Babcock’s AH140 design was first announced as the preferred bidder for the UK Type 31 frigate programme at DSEI 2019, with the contract confirmed in November of the same year.
The design licence will enable PAL to build two Arrowhead 140 frigates in Indonesia with bespoke design modifications for the Indonesian Navy.
The baseline Arrowhead 140 design can be configured to meet a broad range of naval requirements and, with Babcock’s support PAL will now engineer the required modifications to configure the Arrowhead 140 for the Indonesian customer.
The Arrowhead 140 is a global white and blue water frigate. Scaled for adaptability and capability, this fully exportable British ship design complies with all relevant naval standards and delivers the ability to rapidly re-role the ship based on arising operational needs. It’s a vessel, built to deliver and support optimized operational effects while up-skilling the UK’s maritime enterprise.