The Philippine Navy (PN) on Tuesday commissioned two brand new missile capable Shaldag Mk V fast attack interdiction craft meant to boost the command’s maritime security patrol throughout the archipelago.
Navy chief Vice Admiral Adeluis Bordado also disclosed plans to acquire more anti-submarine helicopters to complement their incoming major surface naval assets.
The new vessels were christened as BRP Lolinato To-ong and BRP Nestor Acero, in ceremony held at the Naval Station Jose Andrada on Roxas Boulevard, Manila.
Bordado said that the newly acquired boats were procured from Israel.
“This is just the first tranche because we have seven more of these Shaldag Mk V high speed vessels coming (which) we have acquired through our Revised AFP Modernization Program,” Bordado said.
According to him, the new fast attack craft interdiction missile is designed to enhance the Navy’s capability in addressing threats and protecting the maritime interest of the country.
“As we are all aware, the Philippine geographic configuration is characterized by its proximity to regional major sea lanes and contested waters in its complex archipelagic and porous nature, this archipelagic nature of the country presents both opportunities and challenges to our maritime security,” Bordado said.
Armed Forces chief Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro, who was the keynote speaker at the event, said the new naval assets would boost efforts to secure the country’s maritime borders against foreign intrusions.
They would also provide naval warfare support to ground troops during the conduct of joint operations, he added.
“The procurement of these naval warfare assets through the government to government or ‘G-to G’ mode between the Philippines and Israel demonstrates our robust diplomatic and defense relationship with other countries grounded with our shared goal of ensuring security, ensuring stability within our countries and common areas of interest,” Bacarro said.
Bordado said the envisioned anti-submarine helicopters were meant for the two incoming corvettes from South Hyundai Heavy Industries.
“Yes, there are plans actually (to acquire more because), we only have two anti-submarine helicopters, so of course, the ideal is to have one on each, so these ships will be four so we need two more, our two new incoming ships are a lot bigger than FF-150 and FF-151, so there are plans to acquire more anti-submarine helicopters because the ideal ratio is one ship, one helicopter,” Bacarro said.
Production of the two corvettes is expected to start in the last quarter of this year.
At present, the PN has two Agusta Westland “Wildcat” AW-159 anti-submarine helicopters which were assigned to BRP Jose Rizal and BRP Antonio Luna.
These helicopters arrived in May 2019 and were commissioned the following month.
The contract for the helicopters’ munition, mission essential equipment, and integrated logistic support is worth P5.4 billion.
The helicopters can be armed with rockets, machine guns, missiles, torpedoes, and depth charges and fitted with modern sonar systems for tracking down submarines.
The Navy’s first two FAIC-Ms were loaded aboard a cargo ship and departed Haifa, Israel in late August. These vessels were formally launched last June 26.
Three more vessels are scheduled to be delivered starting this year while the remaining four units will be constructed at the PN shipyard in Naval Station Pascual Ledesma in Cavite City.
These 32-meter high-speed vessels are equipped with quick intercept ability, remote stabilized weapons, and short-range missiles that are capable to deliver precision strikes against larger hostiles and high-value targets on land and sea.
Four of the FAIC-Ms will be armed with non-line-of-sight (NLOS) missiles with pinpoint accuracy and a range of 25 kilometers while the other four will be armed with machine guns and light automatic cannons.
Once deliveries of the FAIC-Ms are completed, these vessels can interdict surface threats and launch non-line-of-sight missiles safely using the surrounding littoral areas as maneuver space and cover.