Philippine Air Force to Receive All 12 FA-50PH by May 2017, Plans More FA-50s

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), through its spokesman BGen. Restituto Padilla, confirmed in an interview on March 22, 2017, that Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) will be completing the delivery of all FA-50PH Fighting Eagle lead-in fighter trainer / light combat aircraft by May 2017. 

Two of the PAF's FA-50s are seen here on display at Clark Air Base, Pampanga.
Photo taken from Youtube Video posted by Kin Enriquez.

This is far earlier than the agreed delivery date based on the contract signed between the Philippine Air Force (PAF) and KAI, which stated that the delivery will be completed by December 2017. Originally, the contract stated that the first 2 units will be delivered before end of 2015, another 2 before end of 2016, and 2 units every 3 months from thereafter. The second batch was delivered on November 2016, so 3 months for the 3rd batch is February 2017 (which already happened), while the 4th batch was supposed to be on May 2017, and so forth.

Fortunately, KAI is indeed delivering the aircraft faster than expect, as it intends to clear its production line to start the assembly of new orders coming from the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) and the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF), which ordered four (4) T-50s for its lead-in fighter training requirements.

The Philippines is said to be the first country to use the T-50 family in combat strike missions, using Mk. 82 500lb free fall bombs against terrorists in Mindanao.

Aside from the information on the advanced deliveries, BGen. Padilla also mentioned that there is interest from the Philippine Air Force to acquire more FA-50s from KAI, particularly six (6) units, subject to approval from the government.

While this appears to be good news, the plan to acquire more FA-50s, originally dubbed as the Fighter/Surface Attack Aircraft/Lead-in Fighter Trainer (F/SAA/LIFT) project, was already in the works since the Philippine Air Force started planning for their Horizons 2 & 3 phases of the AFP Modernization Program.

Based on the latest versions of the PAF's Horizon 2 phase request submitted to the Department of National Defense for approval and funding, the PAF is actually looking to acquire at least six (6) units more, but preferably wanted twelve (12) more units to bring the total FA-50s to twenty four (24) units by the end of Horizon 2 phase. This would enable the PAF to have at least two (2) squadrons of FA-50PH Fighting Eagles which could be used for interdiction, ground attack, and lead-in fighter training for future Multi-Role Fighters.

Based on the PAF/AFP's Revised Modernization Program proposal submitted to the DND, the PAF is actually requesting up to 12 additional F/SAA/LIFT aircraft for the Horizon 2 (H2) phase. The recently reported possibility of requesting 6 aircraft could be the minimum that the PAF can find acceptable.

Speaking of which, any request for additional F/SAA/LIFT aircraft (FA-50PH) is SEPARATE from any acquisition plan for Multi-Role Fighter aircraft, which the PAF wanted to have in its fleet in the near future. 

While the FA-50 acts as the country's only jet fighter aircraft at the moment, they were acquired with the future in mind - to train PAF pilots for the eventual multi-role fighter which the PAF plans to acquire in addition to the FA-50.
Photo of JAS-39 Gripen for reference only.

MaxDefense will be posting more on the FA-50PH deliveries, with quick updates to be made on our MaxDefense Philippines @ Facebook community page, similar to what we had before when FA-50 batches 1 to 3 were delivered to the PAF.

Read More

Philippine Navy's Naval Air Group receives 2nd Robinson R-22 Training Helicopter

A small success is still a success, and every small success in the Armed Forces of the Philippines' effort to modernize, MaxDefense Philippines tries to cover it.

We received information from reliable community members / contributors that the Philippine Navy's Naval Air Group (PN-NAG) already received its second Robinson R-22 training helicopter, which the service has been trying to acquire since 2014. MaxDefense Philippines posted about this acquisition on our Facebook community page on January 2015. The Approved Budget for Contract (ABC) for the project was Php 19.5 million. If the project was completed via tender, we expect the contract price to be lower than the ABC. It is still unknown who won the contract, or if the Philippine Navy was able to acquire it directly from the manufacturer, Robinson Helicopters.

Finally, we now have a photo of the second Robinson R22 helicopter of the PN-NAG, courtesy of one of our contributor community members who wish to remain anonymous. The photo was posted on the International Plastic Modelers Society (IPMS) Philippines - Bert Anido group.

As far as MaxDefense knows, the bidding for the project took a long time due to bid failures, thanks to the lack of flexibility of the Philippine government's procurement process as dictated by Republic Act 9184.

The helicopter, with tail number PNH-423, was reported as painted white as opposed to the earlier R-22 helicopter of the Philippine Navy which is painted with the old blue paint scheme of the the Naval Air Group, although MaxDefense expects that the older R-22 could also be sporting a different paint scheme by now since the NAG started changing the paint scheme of its assets, including the remaining BO-105 and N-22B Islanders, which were spotted as sporting a grey and black paint scheme very similar to those used by the newer AgustaWestland AW-109E Power naval helicopters.

As small as the helicopter can be, this enables the Philippine Navy to train its corps of pilots on basic helicopter operations before moving up the ladder on the larger BO-105 and AW-109. It has a very affordable purchase price, easy to maintain and operate, and is budget friendly for such purpose.

The PN-NAG's first Robinson R-22 helicopter, with tail number PNH-421, as seen in the original blue paint scheme applied on the PN-NAG air assets before they started using a new grey-black paint scheme. 

Currently we do not have a photo available but we are hoping that community members who has one might be able to share at least one for proof of existence, especially for people who do not trust our sources.

Edit (23/03/17): Thanks to one of our community member contributor, who wish to remain anonymous, we now have a photo of the PN-NAG's second Robinson R22 helicopter PNH-423.

Anyway, MaxDefense welcomes this new addition to the Philippine Navy's Naval Air Group. Cheers!

Read More

MaxDefense Philippines @ Facebook will be back on March 24, 2017

As you may noticed, MaxDefense has not posted anything on our Facebook page since Tuesday morning (March 21, 2017). That is because Facebook has banned Max Montero and MaxDefense Philippines from posting on Facebook.

So to those missing our posts, be patient, MaxDefense expects the ban to be lifted by Friday morning (March 24, 2017, 9;00am +11 GST). Till then, feel free to comment on our Facebook page posts, or read our Facebook posts and blog entries, and make yourself knowledgeable of defense news by reading the news (also, check the sources of your news, go legit rather than questionable sources).

See you all guys on Friday! Happy reading and thanks for your continued support of MaxDefense Philippines! Cheers!

MaxDefense Philippines @ Facebook is on a 72-hour holiday from Tuesday to Friday.

Note: Can someone post this blog entry into our community page's visitor page and on the latest wall post replies? Thanks.

Read More

Philippine Navy Expecting 4 New Mk. 38 Mod. 3 Gun Systems from 2 Contracts

Based on information made public by the US Department of Defense through its website as of September 29, 2016, the US Navy's Naval Surface Warfare Center awarded a US$25.4 million contract to BAE Systems Land & Armaments LP for the production of Mk. 38 Mod. 3 Machine Gun System (MGS), which will be installed on US Navy ships as well as Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to friendly countries.

Among those scheduled to receive from FMS is the Philippine Navy, whose share on the contract is around 8%, or roughly US$2.03 million.

This is in addition to an earlier contract, which the US Navy's Naval Surface Warfare Center also awarded to BAE Systems Land & Armaments LP in October 2015 for US$30.556 million, wherein the Philippine Navy shares around 6.24% of the contract amount.

The Mk. 38 Mod. 3 MGS with a 30mm ATK cannon. The Philippine Navy opted to use the 25mm M242 Bushmaster cannon instead, based on the DoD's information.
Photo taken from DefenseMediaNetwork.com.

Quantity:

Based on previous information gathered by MaxDefense Philippines using publicly available sources and confirmation from our sources, a Mk. 38 Mod. 3 system costs a little less than US$1 million as of mid 2016.

Thus it would be safe to assume that in each of the two contracts, the Philippine Navy stands to get two (2) brand new Mk. 38 Mod. 3 MGS, for a total of four (4) systems.

Each DPCF are expected to have two (2) Mk.38 guns, one each on its port and starboard sides in the midship. The photo above shows the Mk.38 Mod.2 of the BRP Ramon Alcaraz.
Photo taken from the former Timawa.net forum c/o geminirecon. 

Allocation:

MaxDefense sources previously confirmed that the machine gun systems covered by the 2015 contract was meant to be installed on the Del Pilar-class frigate (DPCF) BRP Gregorio del Pilar (FF-15), so it is highly possible that the MGS covered by the 2016 contract was meant for the only other DPCF left without an allocation, the BRP Andres Bonifacio (FF-17).

But MaxDefense would still put some caution on this information.

Currently, aside from the DPCFs, the Tarlac-class Landing Platform Docks are also in need for self-defense weapon systems to defend itself from fast moving surface threats and slow moving aircraft. Also, based on the acquisition plans of the Philippine Navy for the LPD's weapon systems, they are also recommending the acquisition of MGS systems like the Mk. 38 Mod. 3 for the class, at least two (2) units for each ship.

It now boils down to the latest threat assessments made by the Philippine Navy. Which ships are in need of these Mk. 38s first? While MaxDefense has no information yet on that, the possibility of the Philippine Navy making changes on the installation plans is present. So while we can assume that the four upcoming Mk. 38 Mod. 3 MGS are for the the FF-15 and FF-17, this is not yet 100% final.

Despite being in service and used in naval operations for several months now, the BRP Tarlac (LD-601) still do not have any of its planned weapon systems. The PN decided to go for a "Fitted For But Not With" (FFBNW) scheme with the Tarlac-class, so it is highly possible that the Mk.38 Mod.3 might find its way to the LPDs if the PN decides so.

Difference of Mk. 38 Mod. 2 and Mk. 38 Mod. 3

Currently the only ship in the Philippine Navy armed with the Mk. 38 Mod. 2 is the DPCF BRP Ramon Alcaraz (FF-16), which received its MGS in late 2014. The Philippine Navy also has several Mk. 38 Mod. 1 units, which are not remote-operated systems.

The Mk. 38 Mod. 3 is a newer product, developed by Rafael Advance Defense Systems Ltd. of Israel, for BAE Systems.  Both the Mod. 2 and Mod. 3 variants are based on Rafael's Typhoon weapons station, and are capable of remote operation from inside the ship.

The Mk. 38 Mod. 3 is being introduced to the Philippine Navy at almost the same time as the US Navy, and has significant improvement over the older Mod. 2. The main difference is the Mod. 3 has the option to use a larger 30mm autocannon from ATK, compared to the Mod. 2 that uses the 25mm M242 Bushmaster cannon. The Mod. 3 still can use the 25mm M242 depending on customer choice, and based on the reports from the US Deparment of Defense, the Philippine Navy chose the 25mm option, possibly for compatibility with current calibres used by the service

The Mod. 3 variant also has a co-axial .50 caliber M2 heavy machine gun. It also holds 3 times more ammunition than the Mod. 2 (500+ vs 165 25mm ammo), has a stealth cupola that doubles as protection from weather, and also has improved accessibility to internal components for maintenance.

The Mod. 3 also allows for a greater range elevation than the Mod. 2 (-20 to +70 degrees vs -20 to +40 degrees), improving its capability to shoot slow moving aerial threats like helicopters and drones.

Port side of BRP Ramon Alcaraz (FF-16) showing one of its Mk.38 Mod.2 MGS.
Photo taken by a MaxDefense community member who wished to remain anonymous.

Delivery:

The Mk. 38 Mod. 3 covered by the 2015 contract is expected to complete the delivery to all end users by April 2017, while those covered by the 2016 contract has a delivery completion deadline by May 2018. MaxDefense sources confirmed that the Philippine Navy will be getting theirs sometime near those dates, so MaxDefense is expecting 2 units delivered probably by this month or next month, as covered by the 2015 contract.




More information will be provided by MaxDefense as the project progresses.

Read More

Philippine Army Expecting Delivery of Sniper Rifles from Barrett USA

The Philippine Army's commanding general, LGen. Glorioso Miranda, and the Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana recently announced that the Philippine Army will be receiving sniper rifles from US arms manufacturer Barrett.

MaxDefense Philippines readers and community members may have already heard of such acquisition plan before, which is actually called the "Long Range Sniper Rifle" acquisition project which is among those included in the list of projects that replaced the Shore Based Missile System (SBMS) during the time of former Philippine Army and AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Hernando Iriberri (ret.).

It is still unclear which model did the Philippine Army choose to acquire from Barrett, although MaxDefense believes that it could either be the original M82A1 / M107 (top) already in service with the Philippine Army, or the more compact M95 (bottom) in service with the Philippine Marine Corps. Barrett also as a newer version of the M107 called the M107A1 which is lighter and better used with a suppressor.

Quantity & Delivery Date:

Based on our previous blog entry "Philippine Army's Horizon 1 Reprioritized List Explained" dated October 10, 2016, the Philippine Army is to procure 60 Long Range Sniper Rifles with an Approved Budget for Contract (ABC) worth Php 32.822 million.

Also coming from the CGPA and SND's statements, the long range sniper rifles will be arriving by May this year, and MaxDefense believes that units from the Army's Special Operations Command will be receiving these specialized rifles.



Model:

The Philippine Army already operates a number of 50-caliber sniper rifles from Barrett, specifically the M82 anti-materiel sniper rifle, and the addition of 60 more rifles, which MaxDefense is still determining which exact Barrett rifle model, is something to look forward to.

MaxDefense is not yet sure which model was chosen to be acquired by the Philippine Army, but based on Barrett's current line-up and the Philippine Army's own requirements, they could have either picked the M82 / M107 which it currently has, or the compact M95 which the Philippine Marine Corps and the Philippine Air Force's 710th Special Operations Wing uses.

Both the Philippine Marine Corps (above) and Philippine Air Force 710th Special Operations Wing (below) uses the compact Barrett M95 sniper rifle.

It is also highly possible that they picked the newest version of the M82 / M107 called the M107A1, which is lighter than the original model, and is better used with a suppressor. But it would be best to see first from sources what they really got.


Relations to Other Projects:

The Philippine Army and Department of National Defense mentioned before that they are also looking for sniper rifles from Russia and other sources. These projects are separate projects that the Philippine Army will be acquiring as part of the Horizon 2 phase of their Modernization Program. As Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana mentioned in his recent statements, the acquisition of sniper rifles will still undergo the usual acquisition progress, including undergoing evaluation and price negotiation, as well as comparing it to other sniper rifle products and offers. This process will take several months, or even a year or more especially if budget approval becomes an issue.

Another project that might be confused with the Long Range Sniper Rifle project is the 7.62mm Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR) project which is also ongoing and among the projects that were given priority in exchange with the SBMS. As previously mentioned in MaxDefense's older blog entries and notes, 832 units will be acquired.


MaxDefense will be updating this blog entry as more information becomes available.


Note: To those unfamiliar with MaxDefense blogs, the green underlined captions are clickable links to sources. You may find more information there to increase your understanding of the discussion. Thank you and enjoy reading MaxDefense Philippines blogs.

Read More

Acquisition of a 4th Batch of 3 MPACs for the Philippine Navy Underway

Note (March 7, 2017): Starting today, some of the future blog entries of MaxDefense Philippines will be shorter than usual. This would be an experimental system, in which a blog entry would be used if the discussion would be considered too long to post in the MaxDefense Philippines' Facebook community page post. Updates would be made on this same blog entry as more information comes in, but in the meantime, initial information would start as a short blog entry.


In line with the new administration's policy to give importance on defeating internal security threats including terrorism, insurgency, piracy, and narcotics, the Philippine Navy has also adjusted its procurement plans as part of its modernization efforts.

Based on the Armed Forces of the Philippines' Revised AFP Modernization Program Horizon (2013-2017) 2nd List of Horizon 1, the Philippine Navy is scheduled to acquire another three (3) Multi-Purpose Attack Crafts (MPAC), with an Approved Budget for Contract (ABC) worth Php 270 million. The ABC is very much similar to the ABCs of previous MPAC acquisition projects (without the weapons systems), which means that we could be expecting a design that is very close to the MPAC Mk.3 which was awarded to Propmech Corporation based on a design from Lung Teh Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. of Taiwan and currently under construction.

One of the MPAC Mk.2, which is currently the latest MPAC class in service with the Philippine Navy. The Mk.3 which is still under construction is larger and has design changes that allow it to carry RCWS and Spike-ER missile launchers.

Purpose:

The MPACs are currently among the fastest and nimblest assets of the Littoral Combat Force, the unit in charge of littoral operations within the Philippine Fleet. Originally planned as assault boats for fast insertion and extraction of special operation troopers in coastal areas, the boats are now used for a variety of missions including littoral patrol, ship-boarding operations, search & rescue, and with the MPAC Mk. 3 armed with Spike-ER missiles, they are now also being prepped for littoral surface warfare operations using "swarm tactics" against larger ships like corvettes or frigates, or individual combat assets against similar or slightly larger naval targets like terrorist-carrying or suicide bomber boats, or enemy fast attack crafts and patrol boats.

The MPACs, specifically the Mk. 3, are also being groomed to be carried by the Tarlac-class Landing Platform Dock, and any other future large amphibious platforms that the Philippine Navy will acquire in the future. Aside from the size and capacity to carry RCWS and missiles, the MPAC Mk. 3 were designed to allow its mast to fit into the LPD/SSV's well deck. It is expected that the Batch 4 will also be designed with that in mind.

It remains to be seen, but based on information gathered by MaxDefense in the past several months, it appears now that the Philippine Navy will be focusing on the acquisition of larger fast boats, which will be equipped with short range missile systems and will be classified as Fast Attack Crafts rather than using the MPAC design which is too small and cramped for operations further out to sea. MPACs are limited by its lack of living quarters, poor seakeeping on higher sea states, smaller provisions for fuel and food/water for the crew, and the troop carrying compartment which is useless during patrol operations.

MaxDefense believes that MPACs can be used on inner littorals, especially in the southern corridors in Mindanao near the borders of Indonesia and Malaysia, while larger FACs can be used for outer littoral patrols in support of larger ships of the Philippine Fleet's Offshore Combat Force.



Funding the Batch 4 MPACs:

This 4th batch of MPAC was actually approved for acquisition during the term of former Pres. Benigno Aquino III, but was among those projects that did not see the light of day as their Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) has expired without the project moving forward. But it was forwarded again by the Philippine Navy to the Department of National Defense (DND) for re-funding for 2017. With a stroke of luck, the current administration, through Budget Sec. Benjamin Diokno made changes in the SARO system, which allowed the Department of Budget Managent (DBM) to allow for the SARO to be extended instead of doing the process of getting a new SARO which takes months, if not years to approve.



MPAC Mk. 4?

Since the project is still in its inception, it is still unclear if the MPAC Batch 4 will be similar in design to the MPAC Mk.3, or will it be another design in the making as MPAC Mk.4. But MaxDefense believes that it would be close to the design parameters of the MPAC Mk.3 which is able to mount remote-controlled weapon stations (RCWS) and Spike-ER missile launchers.

The MPAC Mk.3 as it appear in a description poster during the anniversary of the Philippine Fleet last 2015.
Photo taken from the former Timawa.net defense forum website.

Expected Weapons Systems:

Based on the proposal submitted by the Department of National Defense for the acquisition as part of the Php 25 billion AFP Modernization Program budget for 2017, the Philippine Navy was able to include the acquisition of  Combat Systems for 3 MPACs in their request for funding. This is still being pushed for approval from Malacanang, although it is already confirmed that the Php 25 billion funding for the AFP Modernization Program for 2017 will be made available by the national government. So if the Navy fails to get funding for the MPAC Combat Systems, they can still use the money for other naval projects.

But aside from the inclusion of the MPAC Combat System in the proposal for approval, MaxDefense sources already confirmed that the Philippine Navy is expected to award a contract within this year to a weapon systems manufacturer which won't name for now, to supply remote-control weapons stations for machine guns, and missile systems. Common sense shows who the supplier is.

The MPAC Batch 4 are expected to be equipped with short-range surface-to-surface missile system, just like the MPAC Mk.3. MaxDefense won't confirm the expected supplier just yet, but everyone is free to guess who it is.
Photo from NavyRecognition.com.

More information will be provided by MaxDefense as the project progresses and gets awarded. 


First edit and release: March 7, 2017 
Copyright MaxDefense Philippines

Read More

Used Warships as Stop Gap Measures to Replace World War 2 Assets of the Philippine Navy

As part of its plans to improve and renew its fleet of ships at the fastest possible time, the Philippine Navy is embarking on the possible acquisition of used naval warships from friendly countries. These has been happening for some time now, starting with the acquisition of three Hamilton-class high endurance cutters from the US Coast Guard, and five Balikpapan-class heavy landing crafts from the Royal Australian Navy.

Recently, MaxDefense discussed that the Philippine Navy is planning to acquire a new fleet of Multi-Purpose Patrol Vessels which would eventually replace all World War 2-era warships of the fleet, while be able to conduct patrols even on offshore territorial and exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the country. But because of time to plan, formulate, tender, award, and construct the new ships, it is expected that the first ships can only enter service with the Philippine Fleet by 2019 at the earliest.

With the need for new ships immediately needed, the Philippine Navy will have to adjust and acquire assets that can be used in the short-medium term to improve its capabilities, while also allowing to have more assets to train with as the Philippine Navy schedules the arrival of new assets in the next several years.

Aside from the Hamilton-class cutters from the US (which are now known collectively as the Del Pilar-class frigates), the other options are smaller in size but with comparable capabilities in some way or another. Those already made known to MaxDefense and clear for public knowledge will be the only ones discussed here.


Background:

Based on the Philippine Navy's own Sail Plan 2020, the organization intends to retire all warships from the World War 2-era by 2020. But by law, only when new assets to replace the old ones are available can the Navy retire their assets.

Originally the plan is to acquire brand new Multi-Purpose Patrol Vessels, which was among those new directions provided by the Armed Forces of the Philippines in line with the new policies of Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

As of 2017, MaxDefense was informed by its sources that the Philippine Navy has not yet made concrete moves to solidify its plan to acquire brand new patrol vessels, except for a formal offer made by Israel Shipyard last August 2016. wherein they proposed to sell an Offshore Patrol Vessel variant of their Sa'ar 72 design.

Even if the Philippine Navy approves the acquisition of a couple of ships, it would take around 3 years for them to receive the ships, which is too late if they intend to follow their plan of retiring all 9 WW2 warships currently in service by 2020.

Thus, the Philippine Navy has opened the possibilities of acquiring used but still capable warships from friendly countries to speed-up the retirement process, as this is the fastest option available to bring in newer ships into the fleet.




Philippine Navy's Parameters:

Based on the information and records obtained by MaxDefense, an analysis can be made to determine the parameters in which the Philippine Navy will be considering any proposal to acquire used warships from other countries.

First and foremost are the age and the general condition of the ship/s. The PN would like the ships to only require minimal refurbishing works for the hull and superstructure, as well as for the mechanical and electrical systems of the ship. The less time at drydock and less expenses, the better.

Another main consideration is cost. How much will the ship's overall cost be, including acquiring the ship itself, refurbishing and rehabilitation cost, replacement of obsolete or damaged systems, and logistics and support concerns. At this point, the PN has very limited funds that they can use for this, and is also facing funding problems for any other upgrade it wishes to conduct for these ships.

Time to bring to full operation is another factor, that is also related to the general condition of the ships, and the amount of money to be spent. The lesser the needed for dockwork means lesser costs too. The support of the vendor country's government is also important especially in providing the training with the vendor country's navy allows for ease of transfer at less time possible.

Another important factor is the presence of anti-submarine warfare capability, specifically more on having the detection capability using Sonar. These ships are expected to be training platforms too for personnel to be assigned on the PN's future frigate, which are equipped with anti-submarine warfare capabilities. Currently, it was made known to MaxDefense that the PN has almost nill ASW capability and experience to say off, with most of its officers and men previously rated for sonar and ASW already retired from the service for years.

The Philippine Navy is eyeing at least two ships as an initial requirement, with a follow-on third or even fourth unit being considered should funding become available.



Choices of the Philippine Navy:

Based on costs, it appears that there are only a few choices for the Philippine Navy to pick, even though there are many countries who appear to have excess warships that could be available for sale. Italy, for example, are selling their warships at a price way above the allocated budget of the PN, so their warships are out of the possible options.

So far, only 2 options were made known to MaxDefense as of late, although it is highly doubtful that there are any other options at the moment aside from these.


1. Joao Coutinho-class and Baptista de Andrade-class patrol corvettes from Portugal

Discussed on MaxDefense as early as December of last year, we reported that the Portuguese government has offered to sell some of their Joao Coutinho-class and Baptista de Andrade-class patrol corvettes to the Philippine Navy.

Both classes are retired, or being progressively retired from the Portuguese Navy, and will be available for transfer to any interested buyer very soon. In the Philippine context, both ship classes were inspected by officers from the Philippine Navy to determine their actual condition, and their viability for transfer. There are currently 3 Baptista de Andrade-class ships and at least 4 Joao Coutinho-class ships that are available according to MaxDefense sources. Both ship classes are not in service with the Portuguese Navy anymore, being retired a few years ago and are maintained in port while waiting for a buyer.

The Joao Countinho-class (top) and the Baptista de Andrade-class (above) were both evaluated by the Philippine Navy for suitability to their needs for patrol vessels that can immediately replace World War 2-era assets still used by the fleet.

Based on the reports from the Joint Visual Inspection team that were sent to Portugal, the Baptista de Andrade-class are in less favourable condition than the older Joao Coutinho-class ships, and the recommendation is to forego the Baptista de Andrade-class in favour of the Joao Coutinho-class.

The ships will need refurbishing and some repair work before the actual transfer to the Philippine Navy, should it proceed with the acquisition. Among those that will require overhaul and repair works include the hull, the diesel engines, several mechanical system, and the guns and weapons mount itself.

Other works need to be done including installing a new generator and power management systems, navigation radar system, and several other electrical and electronic systems that are already beyond their lifespans or are obsolete.

The offer made by the Portuguese government for the ships are reasonable enough, since it will also include the education and training of Philippine Navy crewmembers and maintenance teams, spare parts and logistics support, and billeting in Portugal. MaxDefense won't mention the amount, but we can guarantee that it is affordable for the Philippine Navy.

The helicopter landing deck on the Joao Coutinho-class, small as it seems, is still an added feature and will be sufficient enough to allow the ship to operate PN's AW-109 Power naval helicopters, as well as ship-launched drones that allows an increase in its visual surveillance range.

The Joao Coutinho-class have been in service with the Portuguese Navy since 1970, only a few years younger than the Hamilton-class cutters acquired from the US. They were designed in Portugal and built in Spain and Germany.

They are armed with mostly similar weapons systems as the Philippine Navy's World War 2 assets, including Mk. 33 twin 76mm guns, and Bofors L70 40mm twin AA guns.  The Philippine Navy has no problem operating and maintaining these weapons systems due to being familiar with them. The ships currently do not have any anti-submarine warfare system which were removed due to obsolescence and were not replaced.

The ships are powered by OEW Pielstick diesel engines, which is not new to the Philippine Navy either. The ships also do not possess advanced electronic machinery control systems, and any other advanced electronic systems that control much of the ship's operation. This means that there is nothing new for the Philippine Navy to learn much from.

The presence of a helicopter deck is also an added plus, which will allow the ship to limitedly operate PN aviation assets like the AW-109 Power naval helicopters that can increase the ship's capability.

In short, these ships are primarily newer replacements for the older World War 2-era ships, and are good force additions to a depleted fleet, and short-term replacements while new ships are being prepared for delivery to the Philippine Navy.

Based on the reports made by the PN JVI team, the ship hulls are being offered for free by the Portuguese government, and any other refurbishing, repair and rehabilitation work will be done in Portugal. The ships are found to still be good for use for at least 15 years, which complies to the procurement laws of the government which applies to military assets too. Should the Philippine Navy give a go-signal to acquire the ships by March 2017, they stand to bring these ships into active duty by 3rd or 4th quarter of 2017 at the earliest.

2. Pohang-class combat corvettes from South Korea

This appears to be our latest entry regarding the status of the offers made by South Korea for Pohang-class corvettes for the Philippine Navy.

As many MaxDefense readers already know, this class has been among the most talked-about among defense enthusiasts and navy officials, and was already made known to public as early as 2014. Previously it was also made known in several sources that the Philippine Navy will be getting the former ROKS Mokpo, a Flight II Pohang-class corvette retired from the Republic of Korea Navy some years ago.

As of the latest information received by MaxDefense, the former ROKS Mokpo is out of the running in the Philippine Navy, after the ship was evaluated by officials to be in very poor condition, and will not be feasible for refurbishing and rehabilitation back into service. It was also found to lack the anti-submarine warfare capability that the PN needs to train its personnel in preparation for the upcoming future frigates it will be receiving from Hyundai Heavy Industries. It was made known to MaxDefense that the former ROKS Mokpo is now being offered to other countries, which mentioned Peru as among the possible takers.

Instead, the Korean government has a renewed offering to the Philippines, which now involves the proposed transfer of at least three Flight III or newer Pohang-class corvettes, with an initial 2 units readily available for refurbishing works at any notice, and a third unit to be made available should the option be accepted by the Philippine Navy.

Based on these information alone, it appears that the ships being offered are already retired from service and are just awaiting for any eventuality. The Republic of Korea Navy's records mention that at least three Flight III ships were retired from service in the past few months, namely ROKS Gimcheon (PCC-761), ROKS Chungju (PCC-762) and ROKS Jinju (PCC-763). All others Flight III ships or newer are still in service with the ROKN but are also expected to be retired soon with the arrival of new FFX-2 frigates to replace them.

ROKS Jinju (PCC-763), a Pohang-class Flight III corvette of the South Korean Navy, was recently retired and is among those possibly offered to the Philippine Navy.
Photo credited to ShipSpotting.com website.

These were later backed by information from MaxDefense sources, although it would be best not to be very specific, for now, on the ships being offered, as it might affect any discussions ongoing between the Philippine and South Korean governments.

The Flight III ships are not yet inspected by the Philippine Navy as of this writing, but it was disclosed by sources that the ships are in far better condition than the former ROKS Mokpo. The ships also have working ASW capability, although it was recommended that replacement of the systems be made in the long run. The ships won't be armed with missiles as many expect, but the ships can be easily be installed with better sensors, guidance, and weapons systems in the future. It is also expected that the ship's weapons and sensors systems will remain, although some will require replacement soon. It is still up to the PN's joint visual inspection team to submit a report and recommendation on their findings of the ship's overall condition, so nothing can be finalized for now.

It is strongly expected that the hulls itself will be offered to the Philippine Navy for free, but any refurbishing, repair and rehabilitation work will be paid for, and will be done in Korean shipyards and using Korean subsystems.

The Flight III Pohang-class are armed with two Oto Melara 76mm Compact naval gun, two Breda 40mm twin guns. It is also equipped with two triple trainable Mk. 32 lightweight torpedo launchers, which are expected to remain should the ship be transferred to the PN.

The ships are also powered by a LM2500 gas turbine, which is more powerful and newer than the Del Pilar-class' P&W FT4A gas turbines. Operating and maintaining this could be an issue, although it is expected that personnel with gas turbine ratings on the FT4A will be given the slot to train for the LM2500 since they already have the base knowledge needed.

They are built in the late 1980s and are far younger than many of the PN's major naval assets. It is expected that the PN will need more transition training to operate the Pohang-class compared to

Overall, the Pohang-class are much newer, more capable, and more advanced than the Joao Coutinho-class, and can fill-in a lot of gaps in the PN's capability. They are also more complicated that will require more attention in terms of preparation, training, and maintenance. These ships are not just good replacements for the World War 2-era assets of the PN, but can also be used as force multipliers to also bridge the PN to future advanced warships.


Note: MaxDefense has a previous blog entry discussing the entire Pohang-class, including the differences between Flights, and their fit and capabilities. You can access it on the link provided below:

"Overview on ROKN's Pohang-class Corvettes, and Transfer of 1 ship to the PN" - dated June 8, 2014.

The Pohang-class' twin 40mm guns and mount are something new to the Philippine Navy, but he mount apparently uses the same technology as the Oto Melara 76mm Compact gun already in service with the PN. 

Problems Faced by the Philippine Navy on the Proposals:

It was made known to MaxDefense that there are delays hampering the proposal of the Philippine Navy's JVI, which recommends the acquisition of the ships as a stop gap measure. According to sources, the recommendation is still stuck in the Philippine Navy due to a request by a certain high command official (which MaxDefense prefers not to disclose) for further analysis even though it was a very much obvious to not need such requirement. This is due to the fact that the ships are being compared to the much older, much harder to maintain World War 2-era ships.

It remains to be seen now if the Philippine Navy will get these requirements in the next weeks, before the recommendation can be forwarded to the Armed Forces of the Philippines GHQ, and to the Department of National Defense for funding request. This sickness of red tape and delays within the Philippine Navy continues to linger on, which is a surprise for MaxDefense considering the huge improvement strides made by the organization to improve itself compared to when yours truly is still with the service more than a decade ago.

Isn't it a no-brainer that the Joao Coutinho-class from the 1970s is a more practical choice compared to the likes of BRP Rajah Humabon (above) from the 1940s? Come on Philippine Navy.
Photo taken from US Navy.

The Korean offer is also not without problems, this time regarding the possibility of using the offer as a hedge to push the Philippine Navy to give them an edge on ongoing and future modernization projects.

The Koreans are known to use grant of excess defense articles to create new markets for their wares. This was shown when South Korea sold SSM-700K Haeseong C-Star anti-ship missiles to Colombia, after being promised to be granted a Donghae-class corvette. Even members of the AFP are expecting the Koreans to provide a "freebie" for the acquisition of FA-50PH Fighting Eagle aircraft from Korea Aerospace Industries.

If the offer proves to be something of a hedge in nature, it would not only be something that is difficult to approve, but will also mean the approval may likely affect other matters negatively with regards to the procurement laws and specified requirements. MaxDefense prefers that this offer by South Korea to have no strings attached on other projects, since the offer already benefits the Korean defense industry by having the ship refurbished in Korea, and paid for by the Philippine government.

While MaxDefense is not concluding anything yet regarding the revised Pohang-class offer from South Korea, but it is expected that the Philippine Navy stay true to it form, and allow compromise only without sacrificing anything.




MaxDefense's Recommendation:

Since the PN's JVI for the Joao Coutinho-class already was recommended for acquisition, MaxDefense supports this move. Based on price and availability alone, these are good additions to the ageing fleet, even as a short-term solution.

MaxDefense also recommends that the Philippine Navy immediately send visual inspection team to South Korea to check on the overall conditions of the latest Pohang-class ships offered to them. This would immediately allow them to decide, and not linger on a proposal that turns out to be impractical. If they find the ships not feasible for acquisition, it then further supports the acquisition of the Joao Coutinho-class, and allows the PN to look further in other markets for alternatives for the Pohang-class.

Should the PN find the revised offer acceptable, and strings are not attached, MaxDefense recommends their acquisition as well. Why? Because these ships are sure assets that can be obtained, compared to newer ships that remain as plans up to this day. The culture of planning in the AFP is a well-known fact among international and local defense suppliers and manufacturers, wherein the AFP, as whole, have a lot of good plans for its modernization, but fail miserably in implementation and actual acquisition.  The Pohangs, if found to be OK, can make sure that the PN has the necessary assets it needs even when the government fails to provide funding to order new ships, a reality compared to an aspired dream.


============
UPDATES:
============
April 9, 2017:

We received information that another team from the Philippine Navy are scheduled to depart of Lisbon, Portugal very soon. They will be doing inspections on the Joao Coutinho-class and possibly the Baptista de Andrade-class ships as well. MaxDefense hopes that this inspection will finally give the Philippine Navy the answer it needs and finalize a decision if it is going to acquire the ships from Portugal or not. Delaying it further may not be good for the Philippine Navy and the Philippines as well, since Portugal might have some other plans for these ships if the PN is not really interested in getting them. Decisiveness is key.

More updates coming as we get more information from our sources.

Read More