The Philippine Navy (PN) is reportedly planning to procure two additional Pohang-class corvettes from the Republic of Korea Navy.
The proposed acquisition of the vessels will add to the recent procurement of an ex-Korean Navy Pohang-class corvette.
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PN acting spokesperson Captain Henry Quinto was quoted by the Philippine News Agency (PNA) as saying: “Yes, the PN is looking and hoping for two more Pohang vessels to ensure that we have at least three ships in its class and it was clear in a message delivered by flag-officer-in-command vice-admiral Robert Empedrad and the secretary of national defense Delfin Lorenzana himself.”
The ex-Korean Navy corvette entered service in May 1987 and arrived in the Philippines on 18 August.
The vessel was commissioned into PN as BRP Conrado Yap (PS-39) at Jinhae Naval Base in Changwon City, South Korea on 5 August.
Conrado Yap will also be used to tackle surface and aerial threats. The ship can accommodate 118 personnel and can perform operations for 20 days.
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By GlobalDataQuinto added that, if the deal goes through, one of the new ships will be dedicated for patrol duties and the second will undergo training with its crew.
Pohang-class Flight II corvettes have the ability to support anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missions.
The corvette features two 76mm Oto Melara automatic guns and two Oto Breda 40mm light cannons. The ship is also equipped with two triple torpedo tubes, a radar and a sonar.
In May, the Philippines acquired two AgustaWestland AW159 anti-submarine helicopters to secure ASW capability.
