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HHI Delivers 2nd Jose Rizal-Class Frigate To Philippine Navy Ahead Of Schedule
The Philippine Navy (PN) announced that it has approved for delivery and acceptance the future BRP Antonio Luna (FF151) from South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI).
Nathan Gain 29 Jan 2021
The first ship-in-class, BRP Jose Rizal (FF150) was delivered in May 2020 and commissioned in July 2020.
After the conduct of harbor/sea trials and actual ship inspection at the contractor’s facility in Ulsan, South Korea on January 25 to 29, 2021, the head of the joint DND-PN inspection team and Chief, DND Defense Procurement Service, Director Leodegario Dela Paz, has found the contractor, Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), compliant with all its contractual deliverables and obligations.
For technical matters and ship performance, PN inspectors led by Rear Admiral Alberto Carlos, the Chairman of the Frigate Technical Inspection and Acceptance Committee, has declared FF151 built according to agreed technical specifications. More importantly, Rear Admiral Carlos announced that FF151 has performed remarkably well in the series of harbor and sea trials conducted from September 25, 2020 to December 18, 2020. “The 2nd frigate has satisfactorily passed all vessel performance test protocols,” stressed Rear Admiral Carlos.
According to Director Dela Paz, “since FF151 has passed all the performance tests and the contractor has delivered on its contractual obligations, we will recommend to the Secretary of National Defense the delivery and acceptance of FF151.”
The HHI Project Manager Mr Bokyung Kang said that he is very “honored and happy to see the finale of this PN Frigate Project.” He added that HHI has fully demonstrated its world class shipbuilding capability and is now looking forward to extending its capability upgrade partnership with the Philippine Navy thru more ship construction projects such as corvettes and submarines.
Per agreed timeline, FF151 is scheduled to sail out of Ulsan, Korea on February 5, 2021 and is expected to arrive in Subic, Philippines on February 10, 2021. The delivery of FF151 is one month ahead of the contractual delivery date of March 6, 2021. After the mandatory Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) RT-PCR tests and quarantine of the crew, the PN will conduct the formal commissioning ceremony.
About Jose Rizal-class
The contract for the construction of two light frigates was signed between the Philippines and HHI in October 2016. The contract was signed following the victory of HHI in an international tender. The tender purchase value of the two ships was determined to be 15.744571584 billion Philippine pesos (about $ 311 million). This price point is for the ship only (weapons systems not included).
According to the shipyard, the frigates for the Philippines are based on an HHI design, which is a smaller version of the Incheon frigates (FFX-I) being built for the ROK Navy fleet. The Philippine frigates have a standard displacement of about 2,600 tons and a length of 107 meters. The diesel main power plant under the CODAD scheme should provide a full speed of 25 knots, a cruising range of 4500 nautical miles at a speed of 15 knots.
The Philippine frigate have four anti-ship missile launchers (presumably, for South Korean SSM-700K Haeseong / C-Star by LIG Nex1), two SIMBAD-RC short range SAM system by MBDA, a 76-mm main gun, one Aselsan SMASH 30mm secondary gun, two 324-mm three-tube torpedo launchers (presumably for K745 Chung Sang Eo / Blue Shark torpedoes by LIG Nex1). They are fitted for but not with an 8x cell VLS for surface to air missiles. The ship has an helicopter deck and hangar to accommodate a Leonardo AW159 Lynx Wildcat helicopter (two such helicopters have been ordered for the Navy of the Philippines). Most of the sensor and electronic suites are provided by Thales.
HHI Delivers 2nd Jose Rizal-class Frigate to Philippine Navy Ahead of Schedule - Naval News
