DND eyes acquisition of French-made submarines

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Defense (DND) is seriously looking into the possible acquisition of French-made submarines for the Philippine Navy.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who was in France last week, told reporters that he personally saw the Scorpene diesel-electric attack submarine produced by the French defense contractor naval group.

Lorenzana proceeded to France after attending the Asean-Republic of Korea commemorative summit from Nov. 24 to Nov. 26.

He returned to the country on Sunday night. “It (Scorpene) is a very good sub. Appropriate for our needs,” Lorenzana said. The Scorpene’s weapons system includes antiship and antisubmarine torpedoes and antisurface missiles and has a top speed of 37 kilometers per hour. —Jeannette Andrade