PH Navy to get 25-30 more warships - Navy chief

Good things are really coming Philippine navy’s way.

Philippine Navy (PN) flag officer-in-command Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad made it public that the Navy is planning to acquire 25-30 warships of various types within the next 5-10 years as part of the organizations long delayed modernization.

"We have plans to acquire 25 to 30 in the next five to 10 years. (This) includes corvettes, OPVs (offshore patrol vessels), and even submarines," PN flag officer-in-command Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad told reporters shortly after the keel-laying ceremony for the second missile frigate, BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151), at Dock 4 of Hyundai Heavy Industries' (HHI) shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea last week.

(photo credit to PH Navy)

BRP Antonio Luna is the sister ship of the BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150), it is the second missile frigate for the country, which was formally launched in the same facility last week.

Empedrad said these projects are open to all shipbuilding firms with naval construction capabilities worldwide.

"I think there is a need to beef up the PN because we have vast maritime (territories) and we need to protect it," the PN chief said.

The delivery date for BRP Jose Rizal is in 2020,while BRP Antonio Luna will be in 2012. Both will be armed with an Oto Melara 76mm Super Rapid main gun, an Aselsan SMASH 30mm remote-controlled secondary cannon, anti-submarine torpedoes and anti-air and ship missiles along with sensors and surveillance systems capable of detecting and neutralizing air, surface, and sub-surface threats.

Both missile frigates will be equipped with Hanwha Systems' Naval Shield combat management system (CMS), which integrates all shipboard sensors and weapons and decides on the ideal way to deal with any incoming threat.

It can also detect and track about 4,000 targets and is used in various configurations by the Republic of Korea Navy, the Royal Malaysian Navy, and the Indonesian Navy.

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Report from PNA