British Babcock and Dutch Damen Look to Offer Their Frigates to The Royal Thai Navy

20 November 2023

Babcock Arrowhead 140 at Defense & Security 2023 (photo : AAG)

Babcock Arrowhead 140

Babcock International Company of the United Kingdom and the Dutch company Damen are interested in finding a partner in Thailand to offer their light frigate designs to the Royal Thai Navy for their new frigate needs in the near term. Both companies spoke to the author at the Defense & Security 2023 defense equipment exhibition at Challenger Hall 9-12, Impact Exhibition Center, Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok, Thailand, between 6-9 November 2023.

Babcock International representative The UK said it is interested in offering its Arrowhead 140 frigate design for the Royal Thai Navy's long-term need for one of four new light frigates. It is expected that the project will be set up in the year 2024.

Babcock Arrowhead 140 at Defense & Security 2023 (photo : AAG)

The Arrowhead 140 has been selected by the United Kingdom's Royal Navy as the Type 31 Inspiration class multi-purpose frigate. Babcock is currently building five ships on order.

The Arrowhead 140 model has also been successfully exported to the Polish Navy under the project for three Miecznik class frigates, which has begun construction of the first ship in Poland in August 2023 and exported to the Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL) as two Merah Putih class frigates, the first of which begin construction in Indonesia in August 2023 as well.

A representative for Babcock told the author: The company is looking for industrial partners within Thailand to support boat building in Thailand, as well as transferring technology (to Remontowa Shipbuilding Company in Poland, and PT PAL Indonesia, the Indonesian naval industry state enterprise). She said the Arrowhead 140 frigate design is highly flexible in customization to meet the needs of the Royal Thai Navy and will also create jobs for the Thai naval industry. However, there will be more clarity. This is when the Thai Navy issued a competition request.

Damen Sigma 10514 at Defense & Security 2023 (photo : AAG)

Damen Sigma class

A Damen representative from the Netherlands said it was interested in presenting its SIGMA multirole frigate model for the Royal Thai Navy's new light frigate needs. Damen displayed the frigate model Lightweight SIGMA 10514, its new model at Defense & Security 2023. Damen's SIGMA line includes warships ranging in size from fast attack boats to corvettes and light frigates. which has been successfully exported to many countries including Indonesia, Morocco (SIGMA 9813 and Sigma 10513), and Mexico (SIGMA 10514). 

Specifically, the Indonesian Navy, Damen has built four SIGMA 9113 corvettes named Diponegoro class corvettes and transferred technology and production patents to build the SIGMA 10514 frigates,  2 Martadinata class ships in the country to PT PAL Indonesia. A Damen representative said the company is looking for Thai industrial partners to invest in the development of a site in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) to support shipbuilding in Thailand.

BAE Systems Krabi class OPV at Defense & Security 2023 (photo : AAG)

BAE Systems

However, the company BAE Systems, United Kingdom has granted a patent for the production of its 90m OPV (Offshore Patrol Vessel) to the Bangkok Dock Company to build two offshore patrol vessels of the HTMS Krabi series in Thailand. The offshore patrol boat of the HMS Krabi series is the HTMS Krabi and the Royal Ship Prachuap Khiri Khan. Both ships were built at the Mahidol Adulyadej Navy Yard a Royal Thai Naval Dockyard and were brought into service in 2013 and 2019 respectively.

A BAE Systems representative told the author: that He will not submit his light frigate design to the Royal Thai Navy's new procurement project competition. She said the company viewed its ship design as not meeting the needs of the Royal Thai Navy and supported Babcock from the same country in the project. While the representative of Bangkok Dock Thailand told the author that The company is not currently looking to join the new frigate race which may wait for clarity after the Thai Navy sets up the project first and may be looking for a new ship design that is not from BAE Systems.

(AAG)