The Philippine navy has weakened in recent decades, even retaining American warships from World War II
until the administration of President Benigno Aquino began a modernization program in 2010
The Philippines has ordered two new warships from South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries
to modernize its navy in the face of threats in the South China Sea, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on December 28
The $556 million deal with the South Korean shipbuilder was signed five years after Hyundai won a contract to build two frigates for the Philippine Navy
Two new corvettes are expected to be delivered in 2026
"This project will give the Philippine Navy two modern corvettes that are capable of anti-ship, anti-submarine and anti-air warfare missions,"
Lorenzana said in a speech at the signing ceremony in Manila
For Southeast Asian countries, small-sized corvettes and frigates are quite suitable
It is cheaper to operate than destroyers, flexible, mainly used to protect other ships when attacked
The South Korean shipbuilder's corvettes designed specifically for the Southeast Asian nation
are set to be multi-purpose surface combatant with a displacement of about 3,200 tons, a length of 116 meters and a beam of 14.8 meters
With a maximum speed of 25 knots and cruising speed of 15 knots, the corvettes will have a 16-cell vertical launching system
eight anti-ship missile launchers, a 35mm close-in weapon system (CIWS), a 76mm main gun
two three-tube torpedo launchers and Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana added, the deal "will ensure commonality and interoperability with our existing assets,"
as well as "ease of maintenance and repairs."
Manila has acquired two former U.S. Coast Guard cutters and three landing craft from Australia
as well as coast guard patrol vessels from Japan, in an effort to bolster its presence in the South China Sea, where it faces a dispute with Beijing
China claims almost all of the waterway, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually
with competing claims from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam
The addition of two new warships will give the Philippine Navy more power to deal with potential threats