Analyst: PPA Vessels the Right Choice for Indonesia's Defence Needs

A defence analyst has stated that the Ministry of Defence’s decision to procure Pattugliatore Polivalente d’Altura (PPA) vessels is highly appropriate for Indonesia’s defence needs. Alman Helvas Ali said the PPA ships currently owned by Indonesia are capable of meeting the Indonesian Navy’s requirements to defend both maritime and air territories. “We are now on the right track. It is just a matter of the Ministry of Defence promptly equipping the PPA with the necessary weaponry, including Aster missiles,” Alman said in an official press release received in Jakarta on Thursday. This defence concept has led the government to select naval defence equipment whose function leans more towards conducting operations within territorial waters or maritime surveillance. However, he continued, Indonesia requires naval assets equipped with long-range weaponry and radar to be able to defend its airspace. “We have focused more on operations in territorial waters, so medium-range air defence capability has not yet been a priority,” he explained. He added that the presence of the Indonesian Navy’s PPA vessels, KRI Brawijaya-320 and KRI Prabu Siliwangi-321, is expected to address Indonesia’s air and maritime defence needs. He assessed that the military must build an integrated communication system between defence equipment so that maritime and airspace surveillance can be carried out optimally. “To build an integration system, we must inevitably develop our own data link that can connect frigates of different classes. Without our own data link, it is difficult for us to integrate,” he explained. By using this data link system, all defence equipment from radars and PPA-type ships to aircraft will be connected within a single dedicated data stream, making coordination far more effective compared to using voice communication channels. He expressed hope that the modernisation of defence equipment and the data link system will receive government support so that the Indonesian Military can better uphold the sovereignty of Indonesian territory.