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WoW! She's finally here our Spratley defender! :grab
Philippine Navy Discussion and Updates
- Thread starter gforce
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exported_kiwi
New Member
Are these vessels able to be refitted with a better weapons/sensor suite? Given the current Chinese belligerence WRT South China sea's islands etc, i believe that the RPN needs to build it's capabilities with a view to holding the PLA-N off until the USN can arrive. To do this, a "Cyclone" and a couple of corvettes is of little to no consequence. These ex USCG vessels might be significant if they're poperly equipped.
BTW; I live in China and have a good finger on the national pulse....and some here are getting mighty "upset" about the Sth China sea claim issue...but that's another subject....or is it?
Lets not get ahead of ourselves here. There are other claimants with navies much more capable and with much bigger budgets than the PN, yet they will still be unable to ''hold the PLAN'' off. Even if the PN gets 4-5 cutters and arms them with missiles and increases its budget tenfold - it will still be insufficient.
The whole point of modernising the PN is so it can better monitor its waters and the presence of newer and more capable PN assets will hopefully deter further Chinese ''activities'', it is not intended for the PN to engage in a shooting war with the PLAN as that would be silly. The best we can hope for is for the status quo to remain and put emphasis on diplomacy..........The Chinese are fully aware of the concerns that they have created and have no wish to escalate things further, as it is not in their interest to do so.
On the subject of the U.S., though there is a defence treaty with Manila and the Philippines is a non-NATO ally, whether or not the U.S will intervene remains to be seen. Should a clash in the Spratleys threaten the sea lanes in the South China Sea and effects the global economy, no doubt the U.S. will get involved but if a minor clash occurs, it remains to be seen if the U.S. will get involved as it has many things on its plate at the moment.
It looks like the 3 Makassar class MRV acquisition project for the PN from Indonesia's PT PAL is a 'DONE DEAL' based on this latest article from Antara news with additional orders of a CN-235 aircraft and ammunitions to make it one of the largest Inter-Asean military deal in recent times...
DEFENSE STUDIES: Filipina Pesan Pesawat dan Amunisi dari Indonesia
P.S. The article is not in english but could be translated...
DEFENSE STUDIES: Filipina Pesan Pesawat dan Amunisi dari Indonesia
P.S. The article is not in english but could be translated...
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Sandhi Yudha
Well-Known Member
Congretulations! So, its now the largest vessel of the Filipins Navy?
Sandhi Yudha
Well-Known Member
Until now there has been signed a contract yet, but hopefully this will be done soon.
Its not yet clear how much CN235 planes will be ordered, also not how many LPD and from which type (the 122 meters long one with a helideck for two helicopters, or the 125 m long one with a deck for three). The article also dont tell when the products will be delivered.
But "Taufik mengatakan, transaksi pemesanan tersebut sudah dilakukan dan akan dikirim pada September mendatang." That means that the Filipinian government already has paid for the order, and that the order will be delivered in September.
In another article (http://www.dephan.go.id/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9647) they say that the Filipines will order three LPDs.
But Because its impossible to build a LPD in one month, ill expect what will be delivered in September, will be only ammunition.
The BRP Gregorio del Pilar has finally arrive in Manila Bay last Sunday and it will be formally welcome by the Pres. Noy on tuesday August 23, BRP del pilar will the newest and biggest ship by the PN
fretburner
Banned Member
I just saw some pictures of this ship and I cannot seem to find guns/gun mounts. Will this be given more guns - say some .50 cal?
Juramentado
New Member
All armament when the cutter was in commission with the USCG was removed, save for the main 76mm gun. Even the SPS-40 A/S radar was pulled out, so Del Pilar will need a replacement sensor. At the minimum, she'll probably get P/S .50s, and maybe some Mk38 (manually trained and fired) if the money allows.
fretburner
Banned Member
^ Why didn't we bush those equipment from the US? Didn't we want those weapons?
exported_kiwi
New Member
Yes, I know of this fact but, being a long term resident of China, I can tell you now, that the Chinese.....younger more belligerent ones, seem to want to take on the Philippines because of the alliance with the US....to prove that they can beat the US. Off topic with apologies, hence the short reply.
Juramentado
New Member
A simple answer is the $10 million dollar cost of the ship, plus refurb and outfitting before turnover. There is only so much money the AFP can spend on a certain category of upgrade per annum. There may also be cheaper gun mounts and types that the PN can install on their own. Also, the SPS-40 is an older 2D set. Newer 3D models can be had for equal or lesser cost.
PF-15 arriving inside Manila Bay on tuesday morning with PN ships PS-35,PS-70 and other smaller gunboats welcoming her together with the President himself as seen above from my 30th floor condo unit along Roxas Blvd...
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Kdgv5IMAGE"]PN Ship BRP Gregorio Del Pilar - YouTube[/nomedia]
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Kdgv5IMAGE"]PN Ship BRP Gregorio Del Pilar - YouTube[/nomedia]
fretburner
Banned Member
The news reports were saying the ship has a radar. Do you have a link that it doesn't have a radar and that the PN is looking at newer radars?
I didn't think those bushmasters were that expensive. Or maybe we wanted we didn't want a US gun with US ammo?
StevoJH
The Bunker Group
It would have a radar, just not an air search radar.
Depends, are they manual operated or are they in automated mounts? If in Automated mounts they could have increased the cost of the purchase significantly.
I doubt where the gun design is from or the caliber would matter much, ammunition can be manufactured locally if required.
Juramentado
New Member
Correct - at the minimum, it would have navigation and surface search in order to make the trans-PAC run...
The Mk38 is a navalized Mk242 25mm Bushmaster, a manually trained cannon. The 20mm is a likely candidate, as the PN has more of these mounted on the remainder of the fleet.
fretburner
Banned Member
Roger that.
Automated means it's controlled via fire control system? Radar-guided like CIWS?
Juramentado
New Member
It can be tied into the main FC, but because the placement, effective range and size of the mount, it's most likely local FC only (human eye - IR, E/O would be nice but costs pesos!). Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Any FC like a director or targeting radar will support the 76mm, which is really the only long-range reach of the ship.
fretburner
Banned Member
Maybe a couple of mechanized Bushmasters like those in the turrets of Bradleys.
Not sure what the PNs priority is after repainting the ship grey.