SHAH ALAM: The Joneses. The Philippines Navy(PN) is set to buy more ships – 19, according to the Inquirer newspaper. Eleven of these ships will be the Israeli-made Shaldag Mk. V missile boats, nine of which will be built there with another four to be built in the Philippines. The US$188 million deal for the 11 boats include the missiles which is likely be the Spike NLOS capable of hitting land and sea targets. The PN already operate a number of smaller patrol boats armed with the missiles.
According to the Inquirer:
the Department of National Defense (DND) is expected to soon sign contracts for two landing docks and six offshore patrol vessels costing an estimated P35 billion (US$660 million, RM2.9 billion).
The Navy is looking at the secondhand vessels while waiting for these new ships.
The new vessels, including those whose contracts were signed earlier, are expected in three to five years—quite late as replacements for the World War II-era ships that the Navy has been retiring since 2020.
An Indonesian shipbuilder has been chosen to supply the two landing docks, or landing platforms, for the Navy for P5.56 billion, according to a June 5 notice of award from the DND to PT Pal Persero. The contract is expected to be signed in the coming days or weeks
These ships would be used by the Navy for its amphibious landing missions and transport tasks.They are expected to be improved versions of the Navy’s two Tarlac-class strategic sealift vessels—the BRP Tarlac (LD-601) and BRP Davao del Sur (LD-602)—which were also built by PT Pal Persero.
he Navy is also looking at secondhand vessels as it awaits the deliveries of the new ships.A Navy inspection team was recently in Bahrain to look at the US Navy’s offer of two used Cyclone-class patrol boats for transfer, or donation, to the Philippines, an official told the Inquirer.The Navy is also expecting the transfer of a decommissioned Pohang-class corvette from South Korea in September, at the earliest. Seoul donated a similar ship three years ago, the former ROKS Chungu (PCC-672), now called the BRP Conrado Yap (PS-39).
The government will spend for the refurbishing of donated ships.
The Navy said it will receive the first of two new corvettes amounting to P25 billion ordered last December from South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries in 2024.
The same shipbuilder was chosen to build six offshore patrol vessels for the Navy for P30 billion. A notice of award and contract signing are expected to follow.
Note the two LPD are basically the same design as the MRSS as offered by PT PAL to Malaysia, though the ones offered to us is a bit longer and higher tonnage. According to a Google check, the cost of the two LPD will be around $105 million or RM661 million. As for the six OPV it will be P30 billion (US$566 million or RM2.4 billion). This means this ships, will be much cheaper than our own LMS Batch II.
— Malaysian Defence
View Comments (28)
They are making up for lost time after decades and decades of neglecting the needs of the PNP. The Shaldags makes sense given the PN can't afford the number of frigates and corvettes it needs and that a lot of the waters they operate in are very shallow.
The order for LPDs is expected given the country is a large archipelago which has a lot of areas which [unlike here] are not easily accessible by road during natural disasters.
Good for PH Navy as the govt agreed and put monies to replace old vessels with new.
which brings us to the point,
how can we have a better plan when compared to the original 15/5?
Why do we still need 8x LMS batch 2 at RM833 million per ship? When now the LCS Gowind is officially a go? Why not more OPVs instead for APMM at just RM246 million per ship?
Do we really need a landing dock ship? Or what we actually need are fast transport RORO ships for logistics between east and west malaysia?
Spanish navy recently bought this for just 7.5 million euro
http://pbs.twimg.com/media/FRbBXSdX0AAC7BD.jpg
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52035120182_188b9cc1f7_b.jpg
Something that is not expected
Norway has terminated its contract for the NH90, and will return all helicopters while demanding full refund.
This comes after Australia to retire all their NH90 and replace them with new Blackhawks.
If currency exchange is correct, their new LPD only cost RM 230mil each. Well within our budget if we order for 3-4 ships.
I think we made the right move not to arm our fast attack crafts with missiles. Cannot fathom under what scenario they are going to be effective against state actors. There is no maritime threat from non state actors. How do you maintain a line of sight from a fast moving craft to fire that Spike NLOS missile at another moving target?
It has automatic tracking once you lock on target, the missile will go to that target only. Of course the boat driver must maintain the optimum course to ensure that the missile hit the target. Its like an Air to Air missile which will go to the locked target despite its manoeuvring. Also the missile operator has the option to disengage if need be
Hasnan - ''I think we made the right move not to arm our fast attack crafts with missiles. Cannot fathom under what scenario they are going to be effective against state actors. ''
Different operational requirements and threat perceptions...
Hasnan - ''Cannot fathom under what scenario they are going to be effective against state actors.''
In a littoral setting they can be very effective.
vader - ''we have a better plan when compared to the original 15/5?''
A ''better'' plan would need cabinet approval and would require the government to spend more [as likely as the sun not rising tomorrow]. The 5/15 was approved because it was politically expedient; as has been explained before elsewhere here; it governed by its times and anything more ambitious would not have been approved by a government which is extremely reluctant to spend cash.
vader - ''Why not more OPVs instead for APMM at just RM246 million per ship?''
Someone else also mentioned/asked this. OPVs are for the MMEA [a non military entity] to perform peacetime constabulary roles. LMSs are for the RMN [a military entity] to perform specific roles in operational conditions which don't require a LCS and are not an overkill for the LMS. As such the requirement for RMN LMSs and MMA OPVs should not be conflated.
vader - ''Why do we still need 8x LMS batch 2 at RM833 million per ship? When now the LCS Gowind is officially a go?''
Both ships are for different purposes; both for different operational setting; same reason why the RMAF needs both MRCAs and LCAs - not to be conflated. Having the LCS does not do away with the LMS; just like having a GPMG does not do away with the need for an assault rifle.
vader - ''Do we really need a landing dock ship? Or what we actually need are fast transport RORO ships for logistics between east and west malaysia?''
The ''multi role supply ship'' as its name implies is intended to perform a variety of tasks : transport men and material [amphib transport and not so amphib assault' which is different]; act as tenders, HADR, etc. A ''fast transport Ro/Ro' will obviously be good for ''transport'' but not other roles.
@vader Despite official approval from the government, can we and the navy be certain all 6 ships are completed? And even then the original plan calls for 12 frigates, does the government have the cash and will to purchase 6 more gowinds? It seems to me that the navy plans to beef up the fleet with the 8 missile armed lms batch II incase we only get 6, and even then 6 is already a miracle, we needed 12.
Jason - ''And even then the original plan calls for 12 frigates, does the government have the cash and will to purchase 6 more gowinds? ''
As was explained previously it's still very early days to talk about LCS Batch 2s. Very early days. Priority for the next few years will be the initial batch of 6 LCSs and LMS Batch 2s; as well as stuff like the ASW configured helos.
The Philippine now is entering on their Horizon 3 modernization.They will acquired 4 to 6 Frigate 4,000 to 4,500 tons...Submarine and MRF