According to information published by the "Borneo Bulletin" on December 30, 2021, the Philippines has confirmed the order of two new corvettes from South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), Philippines Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on December 28, 2021.
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HHI's HDF-2500 frigate design, which is the basis of the PN's Jose Rizal-class frigates, and could be used also as the basis for the Philippines' future corvettes. (Picture source Wikimedia)
Under the Philippine Navy (PN) Corvette Lot 1 Acquisition Project contract, the navy will receive two warships that can undertake anti-ship, anti-submarine, and anti-air warfare (AAW) missions.
This is not the first contract for the South Korean naval industry with The Philippines. In May 2013, the Philippines Department of National Defense opened the "Frigate Acquisition Project", calling for the acquisition of two brand new frigates for the Philippine Navy with the contract price around US$437 million.
On 24 October 2016, the contract to supply two brand new general purpose stealth Jose Rizal-Class frigates was signed between the Department of National Defense, represented by Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana, and Hyundai Heavy Industries, represented by its Senior Vice President Mr. Ki Sun Chung, under the presence of officials from the DND, AFP, PN, HHI, and the South Korean Ambassador to the Philippines.
The two Jose Rizal-Class frigates for the Philippine Navy were delivered during the year 2021.
Citing the Daily Sabah website, the South Korean shipbuilder’s corvettes tailored for the Southeast Asian country are set to be a multi-purpose surface combatant with 3,200-ton displacement, 116-meter length and 14.8-meter breadth (127-yard length and 16.2-yard breadth).
With a maximum speed of 25 knots (46 km/h) and cruising speed of 15 knots (28 km/h), the corvettes will have a 16-cell vertical launching system (VLS), 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.
