KRI Brawijaya-320 and KRI Prabu Siliwangi-321, Repeating the Greatness of the Indonesian Navy

The Indonesian Navy will soon receive two new warships, namely KRI Brawijaya-320 and KRI Prabu Siliwangi-321. These two ships are touted to be the largest vessels operated by the Indonesian Navy.

KRI Brawijaya-320 and KRI Prabu Siliwangi-321 are two Italian-made ships of the Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) type. The two ships are the result of a ship purchase contract between the Indonesian Government and Fincantieri worth 1.18 billion euros signed in March 2024.

To expedite delivery to Indonesia, Fincantieri took two completed vessels built for the Italian Navy, namely the fifth and sixth units. The ships were launched in November 2022 and named "Marcantonio Colonna" and "Ruggiero di Lauria."

This ship has a length of 143 meters, a width of 16.5 meters, a draft of 5.2 meters, and a maximum speed of 32 knots, powered by a combination of diesel engines, electricity, and gas turbines. The ship is armed with SAM: 16 VL System, SSM: 8 Teseo Mk-2E, a 127 mm cannon, a 76 mm cannon, and torpedoes. Although it is equipped with a vertical launch system, the type of missile to be installed on the ship remains unclear as the ship's purchase contract does not include missile procurement.

The ship is designed for offshore patrol and carries out various combat tasks (multipurpose combat ship), including border surveillance, maritime security, anti-smuggling, frontline combat, and disaster relief. Both ships are scheduled to be handed over to the Indonesian Navy this year.

In the ranks of Indonesian Navy ships, both are assigned hull numbers beginning with 3. This indicates that the two ships will serve in the escort ship or warship task force. Ships with hull numbers starting with 3 are typically comprised of frigates or corvettes.

During the renaming ceremony of ships at the end of January 2025, held at the Fincantieri shipyard in Muggiano (La Spezia), the Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy, Admiral Muhammad Ali, stated that the names KRI Brawijaya and KRI Prabu Siliwangi were inspired by Nusantara kings. These names were chosen with the hope that these ships would one day become new legends, significantly contributing to the nation's glory.

"Naming a ship is not just a formality, but a strategic step in building the ship's identity. The names chosen are symbols of hope, prayer, and determination to uphold the sovereignty and honor of the nation throughout the world's oceans," said Ali. (Kompas.id, 1/30/2025)

At the time of the contract signing, Fincantieri's Director, Pierroroberto Folgiero, stated that this contract marks the starting point of a strategic partnership between the company and Indonesia. This contract is the first of many opportunities for collaboration with Indonesia's Ministry of Defense. Southeast Asia is a region that has become the center of global geopolitics today, and Fincantieri aims to establish its presence there.

Speaking of the names assigned, namely Brawijaya and Prabu Siliwangi, these names are not entirely new. During the Old Order era, the Indonesian Navy once operated Skory-class destroyers made by the Soviet Union. The first ship operated by the Indonesian Navy was named Siliwangi with hull number 201, thus referred to as the Siliwangi class.

Indonesia is said to have operated up to 8 Skory-class ships, one of the most compared to other countries outside the Soviet Union. In addition to Indonesia, countries that have operated post-World War II warships are Egypt and Poland.

Likewise, the Indonesian Navy once had a warship named Brawidjaja with hull number 307. Before being acquired by the Indonesian Navy, Brawidjaja 307 was named Bezzhalostny. In the Soviet Navy, this ship was launched in December 1950 and assigned to the Black Sea Fleet in 1951.

After operating for about 14 years, the ship was decommissioned by the Soviet Navy and sold to the Indonesian Navy in 1964. In the Indonesian Navy, the ship was renamed Brawidjaja-307. After operating to strengthen the Indonesian Navy for several years, Brawidjaja-307 was retired in the early 70s.

The Skory or Siliwangi class ship has a length of 120.5 meters, a width of 12 meters, and a draft of 3.9 meters. This ship can be driven up to a speed of 36.5 knots. In terms of ship size, KRI Brawijaya-320 and KRI Prabu Siliwangi-321 are larger than their predecessors.

The biggest ship

At that time, Indonesia's heavy weaponry was largely supplied by the Soviet Union. The book History of West Irian Liberation Operations by M Cholil published by the Department of Defense and Security, ABRI History Center, noted that in late 1960, the Minister of National Security, General A.H. Nasution, visited the Soviet Union to sign an agreement to purchase weapons through a long-term credit scheme that would not burden Indonesia's economic growth.

"The arms purchase was the largest in Indonesia's history ever made with foreign countries," the book quoted him as saying.

In the article The World Maritime Axis as an Approach to Indonesia's Maritime Strategy: Between Change or Continuity of Strategy? in the Journal Global & Strategic, Year 11, No. 2 written by Probo Darono Yakti and Joko Susanto, it is noted that in the 1960s, the most memorable thing at that time was the purchase of the cruiser KRI Irian-201. A purchase of war equipment whose value was said to be 1 billion US dollars.

KRI Irian-201 arrived in Indonesia in 1962 and became the largest cruiser ever owned by Indonesia. The ship was 210 meters long, 22 meters wide, and had a draft of 6.9 meters. The ship was armed with various ship guns and anti-aircraft guns, as well as torpedoes for anti-submarine warfare.

Apart from the KRI Irian-201, Indonesia purchased many destroyers and frigates from the Soviet Union, making the Indonesian Navy the second strongest navy in Asia at that time.

Back to the purchase of warships from Italy, it was previously reported that Fincantieri has agreed with the Indonesian Ministry of Defense to purchase six FREMM-class frigates and two used ships, the Maestrale-class frigates. If all can be realized, then the ranks of the Indonesian Navy will be increasingly filled with modern and sophisticated defense equipment.

Now, the arrival of KRI Brawijaya-320 and KRI Prabu Siliwangi-321 reminds us that Indonesia once had large warships. As the names of the great kings they bear, great hopes are pinned on both.