Second new frigate for Philippines launched, another for delivery

 

Officials with the BRP Diego Silang. Photo c/o HD HHI.

South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries launched the second Miguel Malvar-class guided missile frigate for the Philippine Navy (PN), which will be named BRP Diego Silang (FFG-07) once in service.

The launching ceremony was held on 27 March 2025 at HD HHi’s facility in Ulsan, with Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) General Romeo Brawner Jr. and Philippine Navy Flag Officer in Command Vice Admiral Jose Maria Ezpeleta, Department of National Defense (DND) Undersecretary for Acquisition and Resource Management Salvador Melchor Mison Jr. and HD HHI CEO Lee Sang Kyun.

The ship’s namesake, Diego Silang, was a Filipino revolutionary who led uprising against Spanish rule in the 1700s. 

In addition, HD HHI announced that the delivery of the first ship of the class, which will be named BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG-06), is scheduled to depart South Korea for its delivery trip to the Philippines on 31 March 2025. The ship is expected to arrive in Subic in the Philippines by early April 2025.

The Miguel Malvar-class were originally classified as Corvettes by the Philippine Navy prior to a change in designation to frigates, as evident by the hull classification of “FFG”. 

They were based on HD HHI’s HDF-3200 design which shares design features as the KFX-II and KFX-III program for the Republic of Korea Navy. They are 118 meters long, 15 meters wide and displaces at around 3,200 tons.

They are powered by four diesel engines in Combined Diesel and Diesel (CODAD) configuration, enabling a declared maximum speed of 25 knots and a cruising speed of 15 knots, and a range of 4,500 nautical miles.

They are armed with a 76mm Oto Melara Super Rapid naval gun, an ASELSAN Gokdeniz twin 35mm close-in weapon system, a 16-cell VLS for MBDA VL-MICA air defense missile system, two quadruple launchers for LIG Nex1 C-Star anti-ship cruise missiles, two triple lightweight torpedo launchers from SEA, and several manually-operated machine gun mounts.

The ships are also equipped with the Hanwha Systems Naval Shield Integrated Combat Management System, an IAI Elta EL/M-2258 ALPHA 3D AESA multi-band air/surface search radar, Selex NA-25 fire control radar, the Hanwha Systems Link P tactical data link with allocation for US Link 16 and Link 22, and an ELAC Sonar Hunter 2.0 hull-mounted sonar.

According to Philippine defense page MaxDefense Philippines, the frigates will be improved further with addition of a towed-array sonar, which the Philippine Navy is finalizing to select and will also be installed on their Jose Rizal-class frigates.

[1] Yonhap News Agency

[2] Philippine Defense Resource

[3] Philippine Star

Australia receives first pair of M142 HIMARS rocket artillery systems from US

 

The first paid of HIMARS launch systems arriving in Australia. Photo c/o Australia DoD.

The Australian Department of Defence (DOD) confirmed on 24 March 2025 that the Australian Defence Force (ADF) received the first pair of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) launch vehicles from the United States.

The pair is part of a contract to deliver 42 launch units for the Australian Army under a A$1.6 billion (approx.. US$1 billion), which was accelerated and expanded following the country’s 2023 Defence Strategic Review.

Originally the Australian DOD ordered 20 units in 2022, with the first batch were scheduled to arrive in 2026. An additional 22 units were ordered in 2023 with a request for the delivery to be accelerated due to emerging threats in the region.

The M142 HIMARS have seen effective use by Ukrainian defenders against invading Russian forces, including conducting strikes behind Russian frontlines.

The introduction of the HIMARS to the Australian military will provide “game changing” precise long range strike capabilities with a range of up to 500 kilometers using the Precision Strike Missile, as well as tactical strikes using the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System(GMLRS) which has a range of up to 70 kilometers.

In addition, Australia will be investing in building a local production capability to manufacture HIMARS-compatible munitions and missiles.

The new HIMARS will be operated by the recently-established 10th Fires Brigade based in Adelaide in South Australia.

[1] Australian Department of Defence

[2] The Defense Post

[3] France 24

Indonesia interested to acquire former Italian carrier ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi

The ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi (551) participating in Exercise Majestic Eagle 2004. Photo c/o US Navy through Wikimedia Commons.

The Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL) was reported to be taking interest in acquiring the Italian Navy’s retired small aircraft carrier, the former ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi (551).

This was according to a report on 06 March 2025 by British defense media outlet Janes, citing their sources from the Italian Navy. 

Aside from the ship, Janes reported that Indonesia might also be interested in acquiring some of the Italian Navy’s AV-8B Harrier II short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) combat aircraft, which will be operating from the carrier.

Last February, the Indonesian Navy announced that it has raised a request for an aircraft carrier capable of  supporting non-combat military operations. This is part of their requirement under the Indonesian Armed Forces’ (TNI) multi-year Minimum Essential Force military modernization program.

The ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi was previously the Italian Navy’s flagship and sole aircraft carrier since 1985 until it was replaced in 2024 by the newer STOVL carrier / helicopter landing dock ITS Trieste. 

There has been lingering rumours in Indonesia since October 2024 about the possibility of acquiring the former ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi as the Indonesian Ministry of Defence led by then Defence Minister and now Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto were reaching a deal to acquire two Multirole Offshore Patrol Ships from Italy.

Indonesian defense bloggers reported that Italy offered to sell the ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi to Indonesia for around US$390 million although no details were provided indicating the coverage of such offer.

The Giuseppe Garibaldi was built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri in their Monfalcone facility, and was launched on 11 June 1983. It was commissioned with the Italian Navy on 30 September 1985 to become its foremost surface asset.

The ship is 180.2 meters long, a maximum width of 33.4 meters, and a full load displacement of 14,150 tons.

It can carry a total of 18 aircraft consisting of a mix of AV-8B Harrier STOVL combat aircraft and AW101 naval helicopters.

[1] Janes

[2] Asia Pacific Defense Journal

Singapore bares upcoming new weapon platforms, increasing cyber, AI and drone capabilities

 

One of the Invincible-class submarines for Singapore. Photo c/o Singapore MINDEF.

Singapore Defence Minister Dr. Ng Eng Hen has announced the plans of the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) in the short term, as part of plans to transform the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) further to meet rapidly changing security and geopolitical challenges.

Speaking in Parliament, Minister Ng  confirmed that MINDEF will be acquiring two more Invincible-class (Type 218SG) diesel-electric attack submarines for the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), as it believes its current order for four units is “not optimal”, as submarines require more rigorous and frequent maintenance  and downtime.

Minister Ng also updated on the construction of the new Multi-Role Combat Vessels (MRCV) which are set to replace the RSN’s ageing Victory-class corvettes and will act as “mothership” for unmanned surface, subsurface, and aerial platforms. The first ship is expected to be launched in late 2025, with more to be launched afterwards.

Also announced was the acquisition of a new wheeled infantry fighting vehicle for the Singapore Army called the “Titan”, which will feature a 30mm autocannon,  and will be equipped with enhanced protection against drones and projectiles.

The Singapore Army will also have its existing fleet of M142 HIMARS rocket artillery systems by introducing additional munition types that will give the weapon system more flexibility against different targets.

Meanwhile the Republic of Singapore Air Force is eyeing a replacement for its existing Fokker F50 maritime patrol aircraft, with MINDEF looking at both the Boeing P-8A Poseidon and the Airbus C-295 maritime patrol aircraft platforms.

Plans are also in place to acquire 8 more F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters and expanding their F-35 and F-16 training facility in the United States. This is after the US gave a positive signal on exporting more F-35s to Singapore.

Dr. Ng also mentioned plans to activate new units to deal with modern military fields like Artificial Intelligence (AI), drone warfare, and Cyber warfare, as he believes that preparing the country’s defense structure is equally important as acquiring state-of-the-art military hardware and technology.

Singapore has increased its defense spending for FY2025 to S$23.4 billion (US$17.40 billion), up by around 12.4% from the defense budget in FY2024. The increase would allow MINDEF to pursue its planned projects which also include improvement in supporting National Servicemen (NS), which is Singapore’s term for military conscripts.

[1] Channel News Asia

[2] The Straits Times

[3] Naval News

Thailand selects Navantia to upgrade Chinese-made LPD HTMS Chang

 

The HTMS Chang ( LPD-792) accompanied by HTMS Chakri Naruebet (911). Photo c/o Royal Thai Navy.

The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) has selected the bid from Spain’s Navantia to enhance the combat systems of its sole Type 071ET landing platform dock, the HTMS Chang (LPD-792).

This was confirmed by the RTN through a document on procurement projects published on 21 February 2025, which also confirmed that this is just the initial phase of the project, with succeeding phases also expected to be awarded to a winning bidder in the near future.

As part of the project with a budget of THB909.5 million (US$27.1 million), the HTMS Chang is to be provided with a new Combat Management System (CMS), a new Fire Control System, and two secondary naval guns in remote controlled weapon stations (RCWS).

Navantia is expected to install its proprietary CATIZ Combat Management System, as well as its DORNA Fire Control System. These will be integrated to the ship’s existing sensor suite which already includes the Saab Sea Giraffe 1X 3D air/surface search surveillance radar and Elbit Systems Spectro XR Electro-Optic Cameras. 

Also expected from Navantia will be the supply and installation of the SENTINEL 30 Naval RCWS manufactured by Spain’s Escribano Mechanical & Engineering (EM&E), armed with the Bushmaster Mk44 30mm autocannon, which are already found on several of the RTN’s patrol boats.

It has not been confirmed how much was Spain’s winning tender worth, and when the project will be formally contracted to Navantia.

The HTMS Chang (LPD-792) is the third ship in the Royal Thai Navy to bear its name, and was built using an Thai-specific export version of the Chinese Type 071 landing platform dock design. 

The ship was built by Shanghai Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding and delivered to the RTN in 2023. It is now considered the largest amphibious assault ship in Thai service.

[1] Royal Thai Navy

[2] AAG_Th Thai Defense Page