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Philippine Navy Plans to build 50-Ship Maritime Force to strengthen its fleet.
In a news release published by One NEWS, on May 25 2020, the report said, the Philippine Navy is planning to spend an initial P75 billion to build a 50-ship maritime force to have a credible force and catch up with neighbours, and also revealed upcoming and future acquisitions of the Philippine Navy in the next few years.
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The Philippine Navy’s first missile-capable warship Jose Rizal (Picture source: Philippine Navy)
According to the Navy Flag Officer, he said, “These are modest upgrades to build a credible force to catch up with other neighbours in Southeast Asia.” “We are not competing with anyone. We are only trying to regain some respect from other countries in the region, show the flag and protect our own interests in the South China Sea.”
About 100 other support vessels and more than 30 fixed-wing and rotary aircraft are also being considered in the Philippine Navy’s force mix that could cost the government more than P100 billion in the long term.
For the record, the two Jose Rizal-missile frigates, constructed by HHI for PHP18 billion, including its weapon systems and munition, were recently unveiled, with the lead ship, BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150) and the second ship, BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151).
Armada of the Philippine Navy (Picture source: Philippine Navy)
The report also revealed upcoming and future acquisitions of the Philippine Navy:
- 6 OPVs are expected to be acquired for the Navy once the contract is approved. Austal plans to build the ships in its Balamban, Cebu shipyard.
- 4 more frigates will be acquired until 2028 under the Navy’s force-mix plan.
- 12 missile-capable corvettes will be acquired for anti-submarine warfare and are planned to be procured until 2023.
- 8 Fast Attack Interdiction Craft armed with short-range missiles will be acquired from Israel.
- 42 smaller Multi-Purpose Attack Craft will be acquired from Taiwan.
- 2 strategic sealift vessels will be acquired from an Indonesian supplier.