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South Korea launches BRP Rajah Humabon patrol vessel to expand Philippine operations in South China Sea.
South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries launched the third Rajah Sulayman-class offshore patrol vessel, the future BRP Rajah Humabon (PS-22), at its Ulsan shipyard for the Philippine Navy. Scheduled for delivery in February 2027, the 2,400-tonne combatant expands Manila's maritime surveillance capabilities in the South China Sea. The acquisition supports ongoing fleet modernization under the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program.
On October 13, 2026, South Korea launched BRP Rajah Humabon, the third of six Rajah Sulayman-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) ordered by the Philippine Navy to strengthen maritime surveillance and naval presence in the South China Sea. (Picture source: HD HHI)
On October 13, 2026, the South Korean HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) launched the BRP Rajah Humabon (PS-22), the third of six Rajah Sulayman-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) ordered by the Philippine Navy, at its Ulsan shipyard. Scheduled for delivery in February 2027, the 2,400-tonne ship follows the BRP Rajah Sulayman (PS-20) and the BRP Rajah Lakandula (PS-21), commissioned on February 24 and June 9, 2026, respectively. The PHP 30 billion ($500 million) contract, signed on June 27, 2022, covers six vessels measuring 94.4 meters, armed with 76 mm and 30 mm guns, capable of reaching 22 knots and operating for 30 days with a 5,500-nautical-mile (10,186 km) range. The final three ships are scheduled for delivery through 2028, expanding Philippine naval operations in the South China Sea, between Luzon, Palawan, and disputed maritime areas, including Scarborough Shoal, Second Thomas Shoal, and the Spratly Islands, where Philippine vessels regularly encounter Chinese coast guard and maritime militia ships.
The acquisition originated under Horizon 2 of the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program, covering 2018 to 2022. Australian shipbuilder Austal initially proposed six 83-meter OPVs for domestic construction, but projected costs reached PHP 42 billion, exceeding the budget by PHP 12 billion (40%). HD HHI subsequently defeated Türkiye's ASFAT with its enlarged HDP-2200+ design, derived from the HDP-1500 Neo concept. The lead ship's keel was laid on February 5, 2025, followed by launching on June 11 and commissioning on February 24, 2026. The second ship entered service on June 9, while the BRP Sultan Kudarat (PS-23), BRP Datu Marikudo (PS-24), and BRP Datu Sikatuna (PS-25) are scheduled to follow the Rajah Humabon through 2028, allowing crews, maintenance personnel, and support facilities to be prepared progressively.
The HDP-2200+ measures 94.4 to 94.5 meters in length, with a 14.3-meter beam, a 3.6 to 3.7-meter draft, and a displacement of 2,400 to 2,450 tonnes. Through a combined diesel and diesel arrangement, two Hyundai HiMSEN 18H25/33V 18-cylinder diesel engines drive Kongsberg Kamewa 86 A/5 D-B controllable-pitch propellers, providing 22 knots (40.7 km/h) maximum speed and 15 knots (27.8 km/h) cruising speed. Its 5,500-nautical-mile range corresponds to 366.7 hours, or 15.3 days, of continuous steaming at 15 knots, while 30-day endurance requires reduced-speed operations and time on station. Each ship carries 72 personnel, meaning the complete class requires 432 embarked sailors when all six are fully crewed, excluding relief crews, maintenance specialists, and shore-based support.
These characteristics allow the Philippine Navy to maintain ships at distant patrol stations for longer periods, although actual availability depends on maintenance intervals, crew rotations, weather, and replenishment arrangements. The primary weapon is a Leonardo/OTO Melara 76 mm Super Rapid gun firing up to 120 rounds per minute, with conventional ammunition reaching 16 km. Two Aselsan SMASH 200/30 remotely controlled weapon stations mount 30 mm automatic cannons for engagements against small surface vessels, while two 12.7 mm machine guns provide close-range protection during boarding and interdiction operations. Two Terma C-Guard DL-6T launchers provide 12 ready 130 mm infrared and radio-frequency decoys, while two Sitep Italia MASS CS-524 acoustic hailer and laser-dazzler systems enable non-lethal warnings when vessels approach at close distances.
The OPVs carry no anti-ship missiles, vertical-launch air defense missiles, or anti-submarine torpedoes, leaving the 76 mm gun as their longest-range installed offensive weapon and restricting engagements against missile-armed combatants. The surveillance suite combines a Leonardo SPS-732 X-band two-dimensional radar for air and surface contacts, a Hensoldt UK SharpEye Mk.11 I-band navigation radar, a Safran PASEO XLR electro-optical system for visual identification, infrared observation, and target tracking, and an Anschütz Synapsis NX bridge system. Hanwha Systems received $29.5 million for six combat management systems and $5 million for tactical data links in May 2023, equivalent to $4.92 million and $833,000 per ship.
Three of the six OPVs are planned to receive Canadian GeoSpectrum TRAPS active-passive towed sonars, a system that can both listen for underwater acoustic signatures and transmit acoustic signals to detect submerged contacts. Detected submarine contacts would therefore require coordination with armed helicopters or other warships for engagement. Each Rajah Sulayman-class ship accommodates a helicopter weighing up to 10 tonnes, together with provisions for unmanned aircraft, as well as a 9.5-meter stern-launched RHIB, and a separate 7.3-meter boat. For a radar antenna 20 meters above sea level observing a vessel with a target height of 10 meters, the geometric radar horizon is approximately 28 km, before accounting for atmospheric refraction and sensor performance.
Raising the observation point to an aircraft flying at 300 meters increases the geometric line-of-sight distance to that same target height to approximately 73 km, illustrating the surveillance benefit of embarked aviation. The two boats enable boarding, inspections, and personnel transfers near shallow reefs inaccessible to the ship's 3.7-meter draft. At a distance of 500 nautical miles from Subic, a patrol ship cruising at 15 knots requires 33.3 hours for the outward journey and the same duration to return, before accounting for time spent maneuvering in the patrol area. In the South China Sea, the six OPVs will increase the Philippine Navy's ability to patrol Scarborough Shoal, roughly 220 km west of Luzon, and Second Thomas Shoal, roughly 194 km west of Palawan, while supporting surveillance of the Spratly Islands, where Chinese Coast Guard and maritime militia vessels operate alongside fishing and survey ships.
Their 30-day endurance permits multiweek deployments to monitor those ships, while helicopters and tactical data links extend surveillance and contact sharing beyond shipboard sensors. During resupply operations toward BRP Sierra Madre at Second Thomas Shoal, OPVs could track approaching vessels, monitor interference, and deploy RHIBs for personnel transfers, subject to sea conditions and security requirements. During close encounters, acoustic hailers and laser dazzlers provide warning options before any escalation to the 30 mm or 76 mm guns, although the ships cannot physically prevent obstruction by larger vessels without accepting collision and escalation risks. The six-ship acquisition is also intended to expand the Philippine Navy's Offshore Patrol Force from 11 to 17 vessels, a 54.5% increase, while releasing Jose Rizal-class and Miguel Malvar-class frigates for missions requiring anti-ship, anti-submarine, and air defense weapons.
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Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.