I'd like to ask If anyone from Indonesia can explain me what happened to the FREMM procurement...Was it canceled?
Technically it is still going, question now on negotiation on final packages and payment financing schedulles. There's no official information on result of final negotiation yet. So I just put some rumours:
1. Financing scheddule being set in 2023 or 2024. Thus means work commencing in Fincantieri yard by next year as the soonest.
2. Final packages being rumoures either still 6 or become 4. The later come from Rumours that the 2 FREMM that plan to be build by PAL going to be switch to 2nd batch of 2 Arrowhead 140 based frigates. This as PAL going to commence work with 1st batch of 2 Arrowhead 140, thus it will be more difficult for them to work on two types of Frigattes.
3. Final propulsion design still being discussed. As Indonesian Navy want to explore changes on FREMM propulsions from CODAG to CODAD or CODADe. Indonesian Navy so far still not keen much on operating Gas Turbine due to operational costs concern.
So, It is not cancelled (yet), and there's enough rumours there's enough support from Indonesian MinDef and Finance Peoples to sort out financing payment packages with Fincantieri. The questions remain is the # still 6 or become 4.
There's also rumours that I heard from SOE ministry colleagues that PAL will used Babcock as partner on their Frigate program, and Fincantieri for Corvettes program. Actually Fincantieri and PAL already work in previous administrations on Indonesian Nasional Corvette program (call Kornas in Indonesian).
Thus this make potential for either 4 or 6 FREMM being build all in Italia, while Fincantieri will help tech transfer to PAL for corvettes design and manufacturing process in PAL yard.
Still this is Indonesia, and as I have point out several times Indonesian threads, anything can change until payment effectives and work being done. Even then, it is still can change. One thing for sure for Indonesian Bureaucracies, they like 'projects' and keep changing/adjusts them.