The Philippines intends to purchase two new corvettes and eight rocket boats

The President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, approved plans to acquire two new corvettes and eight rocket boats. New corvettes are to have more combat capabilities than Jose Rizal (HDF-3000) frigates built in South Korea.

The planned corvettes are to be the most important element of the US$669 million arms and equipment purchase program. Their construction is expected to cost US$535 million, which confirms their potential for more combat capabilities compared to the aforementioned frigates, which cost "only" USD 344 million.Use is expectedanti-aircraft and anti-shipping systems with better capabilities than those used on frigates.

These units are to carry a weapon set consisting of: the Melara 76 mm Super Rapid cannon, the ASELSAN SMASH 30 mm artillery system, four large-caliber machine guns of 12.7 mm S&T Motiv K6, the artillery direct defense system, two double-gun MBDA Simbad RC Mistral anti-aircraft missiles, an 8-chamber VLS launcher dedicated to anti-aircraft missiles, two twin LIGNex1 SSM-700K C-Star anti-shipcraft missile launchers, two triple ZOP torpedo launchers, and an AW-159 Wildcat deck helicopter.The second element of the ship programThe Philippines is to purchase eight fast rocket boats worth a total of $191 million, armed with guided anti-ship missiles.

The Philippine fleet commander, Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad, also announced further ship programs for the purchase of two sea patrols, two submarines and coastal missile launchers systems. Thus, building a modern Filipino fleet seems to be an important priority for the current authorities.

This is all the more important as it currently uses outdated patrolmen and corvettes being demobilized USCG or trawlers, and other smaller units of Korean, British and Japanese origin.The Filipino fleet is valuablea tool in the fight against communist guerrillas for 50 years. The process of upgrading it continues all the time, as evidenced by the introduction of the two AW-159 aircraft and two AAV-7 aircraft.

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