TAIS Shipyards of Turkey has signed a $1-billion procurement agreement with Qatar’s Barzan Holding for the construction of two frigates destined for the Indonesian Navy.
The contract, covering two Istanbul-class frigates, was signed during the DIMDEX 2026 maritime defence exhibition in Doha. It builds on an initial agreement reached between TAIS and Indonesia in July, marking the Istanbul-class frigate’s first confirmed export order.
Rather than a conventional buyer-supplier arrangement, reports suggest the deal operates under a broader cooperative framework that includes shared risk, tailored financing solutions, and coordinated industrial involvement.
The acquisition is part of Indonesia’s ongoing naval renewal program, focused on boosting surface warfare capabilities while expanding collaboration with global defence shipbuilders.
Indonesia has already taken delivery of the first of four Thaon di Revel-class frigates built by Fincantieri of Italy and is concurrently developing two locally constructed frigates based on Babcock’s Arrowhead 140 design.
Originating from Turkey’s MİLGEM initiative, the Istanbul-class frigate represents a stretched and more capable variant of the Ada-class corvette and is intended to succeed the Turkish Navy’s legacy Yavuz-class frigates.
The platform measures 113.2 meters in length with a beam of 14.4 meters and displaces roughly 3,150 tons. Its CODAG propulsion system enables top speeds above 29 knots and provides a range of approximately 5,700 nautical miles at economical cruising speed.
Built at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard, the ships will be fitted with Turkish-developed combat systems, including ATMACA anti-ship missiles, the MİDLAS VLS, ASELSAN’s Gökdeniz close-in weapon system and CENK-S AESA radar, along with HAVELSAN’s ADVENT CMS.
The frigates are optimized for missions such as maritime domain awareness, patrol and inspection operations, EEZ security, and the identification and deterrence of maritime threats.
