BRP Jose Rizal and Antonio Luna first real combat ships for PH

The Armed Forces of the Philippines have been always praying for the time they can relive the time when they were considered the second modern and sophisticated armed force in Asia next to Japan-that was in the 1960’s from there on we were on a steady decline.

The booting out of the US Bases in the 1990’s left the country in a dilemma, because we cannot fill the very big gap in terms military equipment that can defend our nation.

Thankfully, after decades of neglect, the AFP is slowly picking up and arming itself with sophisticated and modern weaponry.

The first of the HDF-2600 frigate for the Philippine Navy, which will be named BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150)
(photo credit to Maxdefense)

The much awaited missile-armed frigate BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150), is scheduled to be launched at the shipyard of Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in South Korea's southeastern city of Ulsan on Thursday, is the first combat vessel to be designed and purposely acquired for the Philippine Navy (PN), whose fleet is mostly composed of second-hand ships acquired from allies.

"She (BRP Jose Rizal) is the first combat ship to be designed and acquired for the PN along with her sister-ship, the BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151) whose steel-cutting is also scheduled for this week," said Navy spokesperson Captain Jonathan Zata in an interview with the Philippine News Agency(PNA).

The two ships are expected to be commissioned into Philippine Navy service by 2020 and 2021, and as per Zata the ships will be will be armed with a variety of sensors and weapons capable of detecting and neutralizing surface, sub-surface and air threats.

And will help securing the country's maritime chokepoints or primary sea routes used for trade, logistics, and naval operations from the above-mentioned threats.

The two frigates are worth PHP16 billion with another PHP2 billion set aside for its weapon systems and munition.

The brand new AugustaWestland AW-159 anti-submarine helicopters once integrated with the operations of the two missile-armed frigates will extend the range of the ships in detecting and neutralizing surface and sub-surface threats, he added.

The two anti-submarine helicopters will be commissioned this May 27, coinciding with the PN’s 121^st anniversary.

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Report from PNA