SANGLEY POINT, Cavite, Philippines — The Philippine Navy plans to acquire two anti-submarine helicopters to be deployed to its future corvettes.
“We will also be acquiring two additional anti-submarine warfare helicopters to provide extended range patrol for the two corvettes that we will be acquiring in the future,” outgoing Navy chief Vice Adm. Robert Empedrad said in his speech Wednesday during the decommissioning of its vintage ships.
In June, the Navy commissioned two brand new Leonardo AW159 Lynx Wildcat helicopters worth P5.4 billion. It will complement the two missile-capable frigates built in South Korea set for delivery this year.
“‘Yong corvette may provision ‘yon na need ng anti-submarine warfare helicopter. So sinama namin sa Horizon 2, we will program that. Pagdating ng corvette may kasama din na AW159 every time that she goes on patrol,” Empedrad later told reporters after the event.
(The corvette has a provision that it needs an anti-submarine warfare helicopter. So we included it in the Horizon 2, we will program that. When the corvettes are here, it will be complemented by AW159 every time she goes on patrol.)
The Navy chief admitted that “it will take time to be able to procure that.”
The Philippine government earlier announced that it will order two brand new corvettes from South Korea worth P28 billion. Empedrad said he was hoping that the construction of the corvettes would begin this year.
So far, there is still no award notice for the project. But officials previously said that Hyundai Heavy Industries, the same shipbuilder for the two missile-capable frigates, would likely bag the contract.