Situasi di Laut China Selatan yang terus memanas ditambah sikap China yang terus mengganggu Indonesia di perairan Natuna, Kepulauan Riau, membuat pemerintah Indonesia harus menyiapkan contingency plan, untuk menghadapinya.

Forum militer Indonesia ikut membahas hal tersebut dan mulai muncul rumors Indonesia akan memperkuat armada kapal perangnya, dengan penambahan kapal perusak kawal rudal (light frigate sigma 10514), ditambah Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) serta heavy frigate. Forum militer Indonesia di Defence.PK menyebutkan, untuk kelas heavy frigate, calon kontraktornya dari Denmark dan India.

Mendengar dua nama negara tersebut, Denmark terlihat lebih akrab dengan militer Indonesia. Apalagi pada 13 Januari 2016, para pejabat industri pertahanan dari Denmark mengadakan pertemuan di Jakarta dengan rekan-rekan dari Indonesia, termasuk menteri pertahanan Ryamizard Ryacudu.

Pertemuan itu membahas kerjasama industri pertahanan yang berdasarkan transfer teknologi untuk industri Indonesia. Produknya sedang dipertimbangan, termasuk kapal angkatan laut, radar, dan sistem elektronik lainnya untuk mendukung operasi angkatan laut. Duta Besar Denmark untuk Indonesia Casper Klynge, mengatakan, “Ini lebih dari sekedar menjual dan membeli”.

Sementara untuk India, belum ada kerjasama sejauh itu.

Terlepas dari itu, berbicara heavy frigate dari kedua negara, maka akan hadir frigate Iver Huitfeldt-class dari Denmark dan Shivalik class dari India.

Mana dari kedua frigate ini yang lebih powerfull ?. Berikut Spesifikasinya :

Shivalik class – India

Strength: Anti-Submarine Warfare

Propulsion:

• Combined Diesel or Gas (CODAG) propulsion. Using only diesel engines for low speed cruise and using only gas turbines for high speed cruise.
• 2 x Pielstick diesel engines, each producing 11,300 kW for a total of 22,600 kW for low speed cruise at up to 22 knots.
• 2 x LM 2500+ gas turbines, each producing 25,100 kW for a total of 50,200 kW for high speed cruise at 32+ knots (59+ km/hr) 

Sensors:

• E-band Fregat-ME 3D radar as its primary radar for surface and air search
• The secondary radar is the Elta EL/M-2238 STAR operating in the S-band. It is a multi-role radar with a range of 350+ km.
• 2 Elta EL/M 2221 fire control radars are used for Barak-1 SAM guidance
• 4 Orekh fire control radars are used for Shtil SAM guidance
• 1 BEL Aparna radar for 2D surface search and providing targeting data for Klub/BrahMosanti-ship missiles
• HUMSA-NG( Indian Hull Mounted Sonar Array- New Gen) and ATAS towed array sonar system

Persenjataan :

• 8 Universal VLS cells for Klub/BrahMos anti-ship cruise missiles. They can also be used for land attack roles.
• 1 x Single arm reloadable launcher for 24 Shtil-1 Surface to Air Missiles. They are semi-active radar homing and have a 40 km range.
• 32 Barak-1 SAMs in VLS to act as Close in Weapons System (CIWS) and provide defense against sea-skimming cruise missiles.
• 1 x 76 mm Oto Melara Super rapid Gun Mount (SRGM) with 120 rds/min rate of fire up to a range of 17 km. It is highly effective against surface and aerial threats.
• 2 x Ak-630 30 mm Gatling guns as CIWS for last ditch defense against anti-ship missiles
• 2 x RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launchers. Each launcher has 12 barrels and 96 reloadable rockets below the deck.
• 2 x Twin 533 mm heavyweight torpedo tubes for engaging sub-surface threats.

Cons:

• It uses an outdated single-arm launcher for its primary Shtil-1 Surface to Air Missiles. It takes 6 seconds for the missile to reload and the firing arc is limited to the front of the ship. All other ships in this list have vertical launch systems for their primary SAM.
• Older generation primary radar with mechanically scanning illuminators limit the number of aerial targets engaged simultaneously to 6 (4 can be targeted).

Frigate Iver Huitfeldt class Denmark

Strength: Anti-Air Warfare

Propulsion: It is powered by 4 MTU diesel engines which generate 8.2 MW each for a total of 32.8 MW of power.

Sensors:

• The main sensor is the 4-faced APAR (Advanced Phased Array Radar). This multi-function AESA radar works in the X-band and provides target detection, tracking and engagement in 360°. It has a major advantage over the SPY-1 search and SPG-62 illumination radar combination used in the Alvaro de Bazan class as the APAR can detect the incoming targets as well as provide guidance for 32 SAMs simultaneously including terminal illumination for 16 of them.
• The Thales SMART-L radar provides long range aerial surveillance and the ability to detect and track ballistic missiles at distances of 400+ km. This AESA radar operating in the L-band is capable of tracking 1500 targets simultaneously and provides early warning.
• There are 2 Saab CEROS 200 fire control radars to provide fire control for the 76 mm and 35 mm guns on board.
• The Atlas ASO 94 hull mounted sonar provides submarine detection capability.

Persenjataan:

• 32 Mk 41 VLS cells for a total of 32 SM-2 IIIA surface-to-air missiles (100+ km range)
• Mk 56 VLS cells for 24 RIM-162 ESSM ( 50 km range)
• 2 quad launchers for 8 Harpoon anti-ship missiles
• 1 × Oerlikon Millennium 35 mm CIWS. This a highly advanced revolver gun with a 1000 rpm rate of fire. It uses special air-burst ammunition to destroy incoming threats.
• 2 × OTO Melara 76 mm guns ( Will be replaced by 127 mm and 35 mm guns)
• 2 × Dual MU90 ASW torpedo launchers

Cons:

• Diesel-only propulsion system when compared to the cutting edge CODOG/CODELAG systems on board the other top frigates.
• No towed array sonar

HDMS Esbern Snare

Selain itu Denmark juga memiliki kapal HDMS Esbern Snare (L17).

HDMS Esbern Snare (L17), Denmark : Frigate + command and support roles + large ro-ro deck. Persenjataan : 1 × 5 inch (127 mm)/54 Mark 45 mod 4 gun ; 7 × 12.7 mm Heavy machine gun; VLS with up to 36 cells; RIM-162 ESSM/RIM-7 Sea Sparrow (Mk 56/Mk 48 VLS; ) 8 × Harpoon Block II SSM Later; 2 × Oerlikon Millennium 35 mm Naval Revolver Gun Systems CIWS MU90 Impact ASW torpedoes ; 4 × Stinger Point-defence SAM.

HDMS Absalon (L16). Absalon class are support ships of the Royal Danish Navy

Kapal perang Absalon Class adalah sejenis frigate ++ yang dilengkapi Command and Support roles dan Ro-Ro deck yang luas. Kapal ini dilengkapi Persenjataan : 1 × 5 inch (127 mm)/54 Mark 45 mod 4 gun ; 7 × 12.7 mm Heavy machine gun; VLS with up to 36 cells; RIM-162 ESSM/RIM-7 Sea Sparrow (Mk 56/Mk 48 VLS; ) 8 × Harpoon Block II SSM Later; 2 × Oerlikon Millennium 35 mm Naval Revolver Gun Systems CIWS MU90 Impact ASW torpedoes ; 4 × Stinger Point-defence SAM.

Melihat Australia telah memiliki LHD Canberra class yang canggih, bisa jadi Indonesia ingin mengadopsi Makassar Class Landing Platform Docks, menjadi seperti Absalon Class.

Kita menunggu perkembangan dari rumors ini, apakah resonansinya semakin menguat atau melemah.