(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) today launched the corvette “BRP Miguel Malvar,” constructed for the Philippine Navy, at its shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea attended by senior naval officers from both nations.
The Philippines Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro was also present to witness the event.
The BRP Miguel Malvar is an advanced surface combatant with an overall length of 118 meters, capable of cruising at 15 knots and reaching speeds of up to 28 knots.
It boasts an operational range of 4,500 nautical miles (8,300 km).
The corvette is equipped with a range of weapon systems, including anti-ship missiles, a Vertical Launch System (VLS), and a 3D Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, enabling it to simultaneously detect multiple enemy targets.
Named after the Filipino independence fighter General Miguel Malvar, the frigate will undergo various port and sea trials before being handed over to the Philippine Navy in 2025.
A second corvette, expected to be launched later this year and delivered next year, will be named BRP Diego Silang.
The two corvettes, valued at USD 550 million (RM2.6 billion) and constructed based on the HDC-3100 design, are capable of executing three-dimensional warfare missions—surface, sub-surface, and aerial.
Each will be outfitted with 16 VLS cells, eight anti-ship missiles, a 35mm close-in weapon system, and a 76mm main gun.
Previous media reports indicate that the corvettes will utilize VL Mica anti-air missiles and C-Star anti-ship missiles developed by LIG Nex1, the same systems employed by the country’s frigates.
In 2020 and 2021, HHI delivered two Jose Rizal-class frigates to the Philippine Navy, which are currently in operation.
As part of its efforts to modernize its navy, the Philippine government launched the AFP Modernization Program, under which it has ordered a total of 10 warships from the South Korean shipbuilder.
These orders include two frigates (ordered in 2016), two corvettes (ordered in 2021), and six offshore patrol vessels (ordered in 2022).
Interestingly, although corvettes are generally lighter and smaller than frigates, the BRP Miguel Malvar, weighing 3,200 tons, is larger and heavier than the Philippine Navy’s two frigates, BRP Jose Rizal and BRP Antonio Luna, each weighing 2,600 tons.
These naval acquisitions aim to bolster the Philippines’ presence in the South China Sea, where Manila faces aggressive actions from Beijing. — DSA