Philippines To Buy 2 Maestrale Frigates From Italy

The Philippines is set to buy two Maestrale-class frigates from Italy, a defense official said Wednesday, as the Asian nation races to upgrade its military amid mounting territorial disputes with China.

The frigates, along with 12 FA-50 fighter aircraft, are the most significant items on the government’s 75 billion peso (US $1.7 billion) military modernization budget over the next five years, Defense Undersecretary Fernando Manalo said.

“We are modernizing not because we want to go to war with China,” he told a news conference.

He said the government had a sworn obligation to defend the “West Philippine Sea,” using the government’s preferred term for Philippine-claimed areas in the South China Sea.

“We are not saying that this is part of our preparations to assert our sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea. What we are saying is that we cannot just give them up.”

The frigates would add to two refurbished Hamilton-class cutters formerly used by the US Coast Guard that the Philippines acquired from its US ally to upgrade its aging navy fleet, which includes some vessels that first saw action in World War II.

Manalo said the navy had already decided to acquire two new Maestrale-class frigates instead of buying used ones from the Italian navy, and had budgeted 18 billion pesos for them.

The Philippines could be ready to tender by the end of the year, he added.

Meanwhile, the government had alloted 18.9 billion pesos to acquire the fighter aircraft, which are built by South Korea, he added.

The modernization budget also provides for building or improving facilities to berth and provide maintenance to the vessels on the military’s shopping list, Manalo said.

New Phl warship to have anti-submarine gizmos

 

In this May 20, 2012 file photo, the BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF16) of the Philippine Navy leaves the pier at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in North Charleston, South Carolina. The vessel, the second high-endurance cutter the Philippines acquired from the United States, is expected to set sail for Manila in June.

The country's newly acquired Hamilton class-cutter warship BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16) will be equipped with an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability that can track and destroy enemy submarines, a Philippine Navy official said Wednesday.

Navy spokesperson Lieutenant Commander Gregory Fabic said that plans have been drawn to equip the Alcaraz, which recently completed sea trials off North Charleston, South Carolina, with weapons and technology against submersible warships.

"ASW capability will be installed on the ship and (a) helicopter will be assigned to it," Fabic said, explaining that a chopper will widen the warship's monitoring and detection coverage.

The anti-submarine technology in modern warfare typically includes different types of sensors, depth charges, mines, torpedoes and missiles.

The Alcaraz, formerly known as USCGC Dallas (WHEC-716) of the United States Coast Guard since 1968, was acquired by the Philippines in March and is being refurbished to set sail for its new home in mid-June.

Fabic added that the Alcaraz will boost the Navy's maritime domain awareness, or the effective understanding of things, vessels and areas within the country's coastal borders.

 

"As an additional asset, (the warship) will greatly improve our maritime domain or situational awareness (capability) because it is capable of long-range deployment," the Navy official added.

Besides these given capabilities, Fabic said  the watercraft's platform can also be mounted with radar equipment for wider range data-gathering.

"All of these will be linked in a shore facility for better command and control for effective decision making," he added.

The new combat ship is also believed to be carrying a 76mm Oto Melara automatic cannon, two 25 Bushmaster guns and assorted machine guns.

Besides having defense against submarines, the Alcaraz may also be carrying a harpoon anti-ship missile system designed to defend it from enemy surface vessels, according to previous reports.

Together, the Alcaraz and another newly commissioned warship, the BRP Gregorio del Pilar which arrived late last year, comprise the country's "first step" toward having the ability to detect and engage intruders in high seas, Fabic said.

Upon arrival, the Alcaraz will already be "fully mission capable," he concluded.

BRP Ramon Alcaraz outfitted with ASW capabilities

The Philippine Navy's (PN) second Hamilton Class cutter, the BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16), will be fitted with anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability, a military spokesman said.

Alcaraz, now undergoing sea trial off the waters off South Carolina, is  expected to leave the US and sail to the Philippines first week June. The ship is scheduled to arrive in the country by August.

Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Fabic, the PN spokesman, said the ASW capability will be installed on the Alcaraz and a helicopter that will be assigned to her. ASW or Anti-submarine warfare capability refers to the capability to detect, track and destroy submarines.

"As an additional asset it will greatly improve our maritime domain/situational awareness (capability) because of its capable of long range deployment," said Fabic.

At present, the Filipino warship is believed to be carrying an 76mm Oto Melara automatic cannon, two 25 Bushmaster guns and assorted machine guns.

It is also reported to be carrying a Harpoon anti-ship missile system.

Also, since the ship is fitted with hangar facilities, the BRP Ramon Alcaraz can embark a naval helicopter that can further extend its monitoring and detection capability.

"A helicopter can be launched from the vessel allowing wider and further coverage," said Fabic, who also disclosed that additional surveillance equipment like radar can also be installed on the ship.

"As a platform, radar equipment like that of the littoral observation stations (coast watch stations) can be mounted for wider range data gathering. All of these will be linked in a shore facility for better command and control for effective decision making," the PN spokesman stressed.

According to Fabic, Alcaraz  is "fully mission capable" on her arrival.

Philippines earmarks P18 billion for two new warships

The government has allocated P18 billion for the purchase of two brand new frigates as the Department of the National Defense (DND) has opted to ditch its original plan of purchasing second-hand war ships. 

Fernando Manalo, DND Undersecretary for Finance, Munitions, Installations and Materiel, said the original allocation for the second-hand frigate is P6 billion each to maximize what the budget that the government has.

“We realized that it will be expensive in the long run if we are going to buy second hand,” said Manalo.

Manalo did not discuss the specifications of the frigate but said the two planned procurement war ships would be of big help in guarding the territorial waters of the country.

Unlike second-hand frigates wherein spare parts and efficiency are usually the problems, Manalo said the brand new ones assures good running condition for some 20 to 30 years.

The DND is planning to bid out the procurement of two frigates, with Spain, Singapore and South Korea reportedly planning to join.

The government earlier revealed that it may also buy fighter jets from South Korea.

He said they are now expediting the procurement process to make sure that all the procedures would be completed within the second quarter of this year.

Aside from fighter jets and frigates, the second Hamilton-class war ship that the Philippines bought from the United States is expected to arrive in July this year.

The Philippines has embarked on a modernization program for its Armed Forces after it was locked in a territorial dispute with China over the South China Sea which is locally referred to as West Philippine Sea. 

New Equipment For Navy Ships

A top defense official said the Hamilton-class cutters of the Philippine Navy (PN) will get sophisticated radars and an anti-ship missile system to make the vessels more capable of engaging intruders to Philippine territorial waters.

According to the official, the BRP Gregorio Del Pilar and the soon-to-arrive BRP Ramon Alcaraz, will be equipped with Harpoon, an anti-ship missile system, and will also be fitted with more sophisticated radars capable of detecting and tracking incoming surface threats and anti-missile and torpedo decoying systems.

The official said the Harpoon is the ideal missile system for Del Pilar and Alcaraz, noting that a sister-ship of the vessels, the USCGC Mellon (WHEC-717), has been fitted with the Harpoon missile launchers and test fired the weapons in January, 1990. Both Del Pilar and Alcaraz were acquired from the United States Coast Guard (USCG).

“These upgrades will make our Hamilton-class cutters more capable vessels. It will definitely satisfy our minimum deterrent capability as far as naval defense is concern,” the official emphasized.

Del Pilar is currently the biggest ship of the Philippine Navy, while Alcaraz is due to arrive before the end of the year.

The vessels were originally equipped with an AN/SPS-40 air-search radar Mark 92 Fire Control System, and armed with one Oto Melara Mark-75 76mm gun, two Mark K-38 25mm machinegun systems, two Mark 36 SRBOC systems,

one Phalanx CIWS missile defense gun, along with multiple mounted M2HB .50 caliber machineguns, and M240 7.62mm machineguns.

But under the PN service, the weapons and sensor systems were removed with the exception of the Oto Melara Mark-75 76mm main gun.

“With the Harpoon, we will not be getting an unproven weapon system as the missile has been successfully test fired from the USCGC Mellon,” said the defense official.

He added that the weapons refit might be done in the United States under a government-to-government deal.

Navy studying if Philippines needs to buy submarine

President Benigno Aquino III said the Philippine Navy is now conducting a study on whether or not it would be practical for the country to acquire its first submarine.

“That is being studied by our Navy – whether or not it is practical and whether or not it meets our needs,” Aquino said in an interview after touring the Navy’s latest and fastest surface combat-ready vessel, BRP Gregorio del Pilar.

Aquino noted that in 1998, a regional neighbor bought submarines from the Eastern bloc only to find out the vessels were not fit for tropical weather.

Submarines are equipped with sensors and radars that can monitor movement on the surface, and even identify nearby ships using propeller signatures.

The Philippine Navy is reportedly planning to acquire its first submarine, which can cost billions of dollars, not later than 2020.