The Philippine Navy (PN) has deployed two newly commissioned fast-attack interdictor crafts (FAICs) to boost its presence in the Visayas and Mindanao waters.
In a statement Thursday, PN Fleet spokesman Lt. Giovanni Badidles said send-off rites were held for the two Acero-class gunboats BRP Gener Tinangag (PG-903) and BRP Domingo Deluana (PG-905) at the Naval Shipyard, Naval Station Pascual Ledesma in Fort San Felipe, Cavite City.
“These two new patrol gunboats are en route to the area of operations of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) Unified Commands in Visayas and in Western Mindanao,” he said.
The vessels were also known as the Acero-class patrol gunboats and are based on Israel’s Shaldag Mark V missile boats.
They were delivered to the country last April 11 and were commissioned on May 26.
They were named after two members of the Philippine Marine Corps who were recipients of the Medal of Valor, similar the first two missile boats who were commissioned into service in November 2022.
These fast attack interdictor craft-missiles (FAIC-M’s) are the BRP Nestor Acero (PG-901) and BRP Lolinato To-Ong.
The PN has an outstanding nine-ship order with Israel Shipyards Limited.
Littoral Combat Force commander Commodore Carlo Lagasca, in the same statement, gave assurance on the readiness for deployment of these vessels following the successful completion of their operational readiness evaluation.
“To all the personnel of PG-903 and PG-905, I admire you all for being ready and brave to be at the forefront against terrorism, insurgency, traditional threats, and maritime law violators,” he added.
Lt. Badidles said that the deployment of the brand-new assets will bolster the Navy’s conduct of maritime patrol, internal security and logistics support operations.
“It likewise fulfills the Fleet’s mission to deploy assets and personnel in support of the Unified Commands’ respective areas of responsibility in the maritime waters of the Philippine archipelago,” he added.
Four of the FAIC-M’s will be armed with non-line-of-sight (NLOS) missiles with pinpoint accuracy and a range of 25 kilometers while the other five will be armed with typhoon-mounted 30mm main cannons and .50-caliber heavy machine guns.
The acquisition of these FAIC-Ms is among the 2019 projects approved by former President Rodrigo Duterte under the AFP Modernization Program.
The notice of award for the FAIC-M project, amounting to around 10 billion pesos, was issued on the 5th of January 2021.
These are expected to replace PN’s medium-sized patrol craft. Once deliveries of the FAIC-Ms are completed, these vessels can interdict surface threats and launch NLOS missiles safely using the surrounding littoral areas as maneuver space and cover.
Earlier, Navy chief Vice Admiral Toribio Adaci Jr. said that the Philippine Navy is planning to acquire at least 15 more Israel-made Shaldag Mark V missile boats.
He said the additional Acero-class gunboats would help them meet their requirements in “patrolling the seas of the country”.