PN spokesperson Commander John Percie Alcos (PNA photo by Priam Nepomuceno)
MANILA – The Philippine Navy (PN) on Tuesday said it has started training its troops on how to operate its South Korean-made corvettes that are set to arrive in the next two to three years.
In a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, PN spokesperson Commander John Percie Alcos said these ships are the two guided missile corvettes currently being built at the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea.
"The first corvette will be coming in during the second semester of next year, the PN has been preparing for that already, we have been training people, we have been organizing them," Alcos said.
He added that the Navy has also started the procurement of the "necessary equipment" to allow these PN personnel to perform effectively when "these new acquisitions arrived."
Alcos said the PN crew members tasked to man these new ships would be deployed to South Korea next year to train with the "original equipment manufacturers".
Corvettes, which usually weigh around 1,000 to 2,500 gross tons, are the smallest naval surface ships capable of dealing with submarines and other maritime threats. They are followed in size and weaponry by frigates and destroyers.
These corvettes will be equipped with state-of-the-art weapons, sensors and systems that can address various maritime security situations.
Corvettes can also perform anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare operations.
The first corvette is scheduled to be delivered to the Philippines in 2025 while the second will be delivered in 2026.
The Department of National Defense signed a PHP28-billion contract with HHI for the acquisition of two brand-new corvettes for the PN on Dec. 27, 2021. (PNA)
