As a general purpose frigate, Aradu has capabilities for anti-air, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare effectively, and participated in the 200th anniversary celebrations of the Battle of Trafalgar.

[a] The ship is powered by a CODOG system made up of two Rolls-Royce Olympus TM3B gas turbines rated at 50,000 shaft horsepower (37,000 kW) giving the ship a maximum speed of 30.5 knots (56.5 km/h; 35.1 mph) during use and two MTU Type V 956 TH92 diesel engines rated at 10,420 brake horsepower (7,770 kW) with a maximum speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) under use.

This gives the frigate a range of 6,500 nautical miles (12,000 km; 7,500 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph), with an endurance of 90 days.

Aradu also has six STWS-13 324 mm (13 in) torpedo tubes in two triple mounts located amidships on either side of the ship and one depth charge rack.

The Nigerian Navy needed to reach blue waters with the appropriate ships in terms of firepower, extended operational range and enhanced surveillance capability.

[1] The frigate underwent a significant refit in 1991 at Wilmont Point, Lagos with Blohm + Voss aid, lasting until 1994.

The ship proved it was still seaworthy by taking part in celebrations commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar by sailing to Great Britain in August 2005 to join 100 warships from 36 navies.

In a bid to strengthen Nigeria/Brazil military cooperation, two naval ships, Aradu and Nwamba, departed Nigeria on 3 August 2007 to take part in Brazil BiCentenary Celebrations.

[7] By 2017, the condition of Aradu was reported as "deplorable" and the Nigerian Navy stated that over 250 million dollars were required to make the ship seaworthy.

[8] In late 2019, photographs of Aradu surfaced online which showed the frigate was undergoing a refit at the Naval Dockyard limited in Victoria Island, Lagos.

[9] Furthermore, the report also suggests that Aradu would not be fully refitted for combat operations due to the age and obsolescence of its weapons, fire control and navigational systems, but would undertake a new mission as a combat training ship for Nigeria's new general-purpose frigate valued at $350 million, expected to be delivered in the coming years.