Offshore Patrol Vessel Acquisition Project of the Philippine Navy
To improve its ability to patrol the vast maritime domain of the Philippines, including its Exclusive Economic Zone, the Philippine Navy has embarked on the acquisition of a new batch of Offshore Patrol Vessels.
These ships are envisioned to be the Philippine Navy's primary asset in monitoring the country's maritime borders and interests, capable of sailing in open ocean and rough sea states, and staying long enough to show the flag, provide security to the country's interests and territory, and provide intelligence and surveillance information to the Philippine Navy and the Armed Forces of the Philippines as part of the Coast Watch Philippines and a component in the AFP's C4ISTAR System.
The project, now known as the Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) Acquisition Project, is a Horizon 2 Phase Priority Project under the Revised AFP Modernization Program.
It was a project that was endorsed for implementation in 2016 under the Horizon 2 phase originally as the Multi-Purpose Patrol Vessel (MPPV), and was given approval to proceed in 2018.
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| HHI's new OPV design for the Philippine Navy. Photo credits to Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE). |
Project Summary:
Offshore Patrol Vessel Acquisition Project
Note: Edited as of 03 November 2023
* End User: Philippine Navy (Offshore Combat Force)
* Quantity: 6 units
* Modernization Phase: Horizon 2 phase of RAFPMP
* Project ABC: Php30,000,000,000.00
* Acquisition Mode: Negotiated Procurement
* Source of Funding: AFP Modernization Program Trust Fund, to be funded through Multi-Year allocations.
* SARO Release:
- SARO-BMB-D-22-0004970 dated 16 June 2022 worth Php3,000,000,000.00 (10% initial payment)
- SARO-BMB-D-23-0017230 dated 22 May 2023 worth Php3,000,000,000.00 (10% of project cost)
* Winning Proponent: Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD Hyundai)
* Product for Delivery:
- 6 units Offshore Patrol Vessels using HDP-2200+ design
- Integrated Logistics Support
* Contract Price: KRW 770.9 billion (approx Php30 billion)
* First post by MaxDefense: 08 November 2016 (as MPPV)
* MaxDefense Searching Hashtag: #PNOPVAcquisition, #PNMPPVAcquisition (before project renamed to OPV Acquisition)
* Status: Pre-procurement phase negotiations ongoing between DND and PN, and Australian Department of Defence and Austal. Currently delayed due to funds being diverted for COVID-19 related expenses by the government. Funding for initial down payment expected to be released before end of 2021. Austal announced on 24 March 2022 that it was dropped from competition after its asking price increased to Php42 billion, with DND and PN renegotiating with Hyundai Heavy Industries and ASFAT. SND announced on 05 May 2022 that HHI was selected by PN TWG, with NOA expected by May-June 2022. Contract signed 27 June 2022. First ship expected to start construction by 2023.
Overview:
As part of the AFP’s Modernization Program, the Philippine Navy’s released its so-called Desired Force Mix in 2012, which calls on the acquisition of Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) to give the service ships that can be used as workhorses on peacetime roles (maritime patrol and surveillance, maritime law enforcement, intelligence gathering, search and rescue, HADR missions), or on low intensity conflicts. This would also allow the service to replace its existing fleet of patrol vessels which are mostly from the World War II-era like the Malvar-class patrol craft escorts (PCE).
In this wish list, the plan is to have (including those ordered and on the way for delivery) up to 18 Offshore Patrol Vessels in the Philippine Navy’s inventory by the end of the Revised AFP Modernization Program in 2028. Not counting the World War II-era ships, the Philippine Navy has 6 offshore patrol vessels: 3 Del Pilar-class and 3 Jacinto-class. MaxDefense expects that both classes would still be in service by 2028, considering both have undergone upgrades in the systems.
This means the Philippine Navy would still need at least 12 additional OPVs, if we continue to base it on the 2012 Desired Force Mix.
Succeeding documents and plans released by the AFP made changes on quantity and names but it still reflect on the OPVs. In October 2016, a memorandum from the AFP was released wherein they mentioned the intention to acquire between 6 to 9 Multi-Purpose Patrol Vessels (MPPVs) to replace World War II-era ships in a 1:1 basis.
Between 2016 and 2018, more changes were made on the plans, with the Finalized Horizon 2 Priority Projects List submission made by the Department of National Defense (DND) in late 2017 placed the quantity at six (6) Offshore Patrol Vessels with an Approved Budget for Contract (ABC) of Php30 billion, which was approved in-principle by Pres. Duterte in early June 2018.
On 07 May 2019 during the DND-AFP Command Conference with Pres. Duterte, the president gave the final greenlight to proceed with the acquisition of the Offshore Patrol Vessels, with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) given the signal to release funds for the project.
Initially, Australian shipbuilder Austal Ltd. was the preferred supplier for this project, with a new steel-hulled design released as to what design they are offering to the Philippine Navy. The ship was said to be designed by Filipinos employed by Austal Philippines in Balamban, Cebu, and will be built in the same facility by Filipino workers.
But due to delays in the project implementation, Austal increased the price of their proposal to around Php35 billion, or more than the Php30 billion budget set for the project.
This prompted the DND to move away from Austal's offer and opened negotiations with Turkey's ASFAT, which offered an 86-meter long OPV designed by Canadian ship designer VARD, and South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai (Hyundai Heavy Industries) which offered a variant of the HDP-2200+ design to suit the requirements of the Philippine Navy.
According to our parent page MaxDefense Philippines, ASFAT was confident that they will win the project since they were offering to build most of the ships in the Philippines with a Filipino shipbuilder as their partner, while HD Hyundai is not keen to build the ships in the Philippines.
Based on the finalised Terms of Reference for the project, it appears that changes were made by the DND and PN, with the most obvious being the removal of the specification clause of requiring the construction of at least half of the total ships in the Philippines.
This is especially very glaring since the contract between the DND and HD Hyundai did not include the local build requirement, and with all the ships to be built in HD Hyundai's shipyard in South Korea.
The contract for the project was signed between the DND and HD Hyundai on 27 June 2022, and was considered among the last big-ticket contracts signed by the Duterte administration before it ended on 30 June 2022 as a new president will be taking office effective 01 July 2022.
This opened the possibility that the project might be considered a "midnight deal" by the new administration although the project proceeded without any issues even after a year since the Marcos administration took office.
============
U P D A T E S:
============
08 November 2016:
MaxDefense released a blog entry discussing the Multi-Purpose Patrol Vessel (MPPV) project of the Philippine Navy, which was recently endorsed for immediate implementation on the early part of the AFP Modernization Horizon 2 Phase. This project is still in its early conceptualization, and MaxDefense is lucky enough to get some of the details and draw up an idea of what we could possibly expect.
The blog entry can be accessed from the link below:
"The Multi-purpose Patrol Vessel, the Philippine Navy's Newest Horizon 2 Project" - first posted 08 November 2016.
===============
18 December 2016:
Israel Shipyards appears to be leading the pact of possible suppliers for the Philippine Navy's Multi-Purpose Patrol Vessel project, with a proposal submitted as early as August 2016. It involves an offer based on their Sa'ar S-72 corvette design, although simplified to meet basic PN requirements and to reduce costs and meet with the PN's projected Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC).
Based on the formal offer made by Israel Shipyards to the DND and Pres. Duterte himself, the following are the basic information of the ship:
* Overall Length: 71.9 meters
* Beam: 10.25 meters
* Draught: 2.9 meters
* Displacement: roughly 800 tons
* Speed: above 28 knots maximum, 12-18 knots cruising
* Range: 5,300 nautical miles @ 12 knots
* Endurance: 21 days
* Crew: 45
* Engine: 2 x diesel engines, with option to fit slow-speed electric drive for fue savings
* RHIB: 2 to 4 units lowered by davit cranes
Weapons and sensors will be dependent on Philippine Navy's specifications, once finalized, although the ship can fit most common systems available in the market. Israel Ministry of Defense-SIBAT prefers the use Israel-made systems, probably from Rafael, IAI-Elta, and Elbit-Elisra.
It also appears that other potential shipbuilder competitors of Israel Shipyards like Damen (Netherlands), BAE Systems Maritime (UK), Fassmer (Germany), Tenix Defence (Australia), and others, have not yet submitted a formal offer aside from standard information provided to the PN. Add to that the low unit price, high interest to cooperate with Israel on defense matters by Pres. Duterte, plus a long term payment scheme for the ships, means that this offer is hard to beat at the moment.
More information will be provided as the project progresses.
===============
14 July 2017:
MaxDefense is happy to report that the organizers of Asian Defense, Security, and Crisis Management Exhibition and Conferencr (ADAS ) has released their show primer for the 3rd such event scheduled on September 26 to 28, 2018.
Among those published is a list of possible acquisitions under Horizon 2 phase of the Revised AFP Modernization Program covering the years 2018 to 2022, including Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs).
We thank APAC EXPO Pte Ltd (Singapore) for their trust in MaxDefense, which provided them the details on the expected projections based on our information base. Here is a screen-grab of the said primer for everyone's information.
If we're lucky or still operating by next year, MaxDefense hopes to be reconsidered again as a media partner of ADAS 2018. For more info on ADAS 2018, you may visit their website at www.adas.ph.
===============
23 January 2018:
Pres. Duterte met with executives of Israel Shipyards Ltd., who are lobbying to consider their products for different government projects.
Lobbying directly to the president has been a normal process that also happened during previous administrations. There is nothing wrong with this for as long as the company follows the procurement rules and processes, and meets the technical specifications of the project. This did not happen in the Frigate Acquisition Project, thats why the issue spiralled into a big mess.
This isn't the first time Israel Shipyards met Pres. Duterte. The first one was on August 2016 in Davao, which MaxDefense covered. During that time, Israel Shipyards were offering the Saar 72 for the Philippine Navy's Fast Attack Craft (FAC) requirement, and the Saar 72 OPV for the Multi-Purpose Patrol Vessel (MPPV) requirement.
The presence of Transportation Sec. Arthur Tugade could also mean that they are also after certain ship and boat projects for the Philippine Coast Guard.
The latest Horizon 2 proposal includes the acquisition of 8 MPPVs to do a 1:1 replacement of World War 2-era patrol craft escorts and corvettes.
Photo of meeting from Presidential Communications Office.
As part of the AFP’s Modernization Program, the Philippine Navy’s released its so-called Desired Force Mix in 2012, which calls on the acquisition of Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) to give the service ships that can be used as workhorses on peacetime roles (maritime patrol and surveillance, maritime law enforcement, intelligence gathering, search and rescue, HADR missions), or on low intensity conflicts. This would also allow the service to replace its existing fleet of patrol vessels which are mostly from the World War II-era like the Malvar-class patrol craft escorts (PCE).
In this wish list, the plan is to have (including those ordered and on the way for delivery) up to 18 Offshore Patrol Vessels in the Philippine Navy’s inventory by the end of the Revised AFP Modernization Program in 2028. Not counting the World War II-era ships, the Philippine Navy has 6 offshore patrol vessels: 3 Del Pilar-class and 3 Jacinto-class. MaxDefense expects that both classes would still be in service by 2028, considering both have undergone upgrades in the systems.
This means the Philippine Navy would still need at least 12 additional OPVs, if we continue to base it on the 2012 Desired Force Mix.
 |
| The 2012 Desired Force Mix calls for 18 OPVs for the PN. Credits to original source of photo. |
Succeeding documents and plans released by the AFP made changes on quantity and names but it still reflect on the OPVs. In October 2016, a memorandum from the AFP was released wherein they mentioned the intention to acquire between 6 to 9 Multi-Purpose Patrol Vessels (MPPVs) to replace World War II-era ships in a 1:1 basis.
Between 2016 and 2018, more changes were made on the plans, with the Finalized Horizon 2 Priority Projects List submission made by the Department of National Defense (DND) in late 2017 placed the quantity at six (6) Offshore Patrol Vessels with an Approved Budget for Contract (ABC) of Php30 billion, which was approved in-principle by Pres. Duterte in early June 2018.
On 07 May 2019 during the DND-AFP Command Conference with Pres. Duterte, the president gave the final greenlight to proceed with the acquisition of the Offshore Patrol Vessels, with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) given the signal to release funds for the project.
Initially, Australian shipbuilder Austal Ltd. was the preferred supplier for this project, with a new steel-hulled design released as to what design they are offering to the Philippine Navy. The ship was said to be designed by Filipinos employed by Austal Philippines in Balamban, Cebu, and will be built in the same facility by Filipino workers.
 |
| Austal Ltd's proposed Offshore Patrol Vessel for the Philippine Navy. Photo credits to Austal. |
But due to delays in the project implementation, Austal increased the price of their proposal to around Php35 billion, or more than the Php30 billion budget set for the project.
This prompted the DND to move away from Austal's offer and opened negotiations with Turkey's ASFAT, which offered an 86-meter long OPV designed by Canadian ship designer VARD, and South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai (Hyundai Heavy Industries) which offered a variant of the HDP-2200+ design to suit the requirements of the Philippine Navy.
According to our parent page MaxDefense Philippines, ASFAT was confident that they will win the project since they were offering to build most of the ships in the Philippines with a Filipino shipbuilder as their partner, while HD Hyundai is not keen to build the ships in the Philippines.
Based on the finalised Terms of Reference for the project, it appears that changes were made by the DND and PN, with the most obvious being the removal of the specification clause of requiring the construction of at least half of the total ships in the Philippines.
This is especially very glaring since the contract between the DND and HD Hyundai did not include the local build requirement, and with all the ships to be built in HD Hyundai's shipyard in South Korea.
 |
| CGI from KSOE shows the HDP-2200+ OPV design, which has similar design features as their HDP-1500 Neo, but larger. Photo credits to KSOE. |
The contract for the project was signed between the DND and HD Hyundai on 27 June 2022, and was considered among the last big-ticket contracts signed by the Duterte administration before it ended on 30 June 2022 as a new president will be taking office effective 01 July 2022.
This opened the possibility that the project might be considered a "midnight deal" by the new administration although the project proceeded without any issues even after a year since the Marcos administration took office.
============
U P D A T E S:
============
08 November 2016:
MaxDefense released a blog entry discussing the Multi-Purpose Patrol Vessel (MPPV) project of the Philippine Navy, which was recently endorsed for immediate implementation on the early part of the AFP Modernization Horizon 2 Phase. This project is still in its early conceptualization, and MaxDefense is lucky enough to get some of the details and draw up an idea of what we could possibly expect.
The blog entry can be accessed from the link below:
"The Multi-purpose Patrol Vessel, the Philippine Navy's Newest Horizon 2 Project" - first posted 08 November 2016.
 |
| The River-class Batch 2 OPV was among those whose design was looked into by the Philippine Navy's Technical Working Group (TWG) as they formulate the specs for their MPPV. |
18 December 2016:
Israel Shipyards appears to be leading the pact of possible suppliers for the Philippine Navy's Multi-Purpose Patrol Vessel project, with a proposal submitted as early as August 2016. It involves an offer based on their Sa'ar S-72 corvette design, although simplified to meet basic PN requirements and to reduce costs and meet with the PN's projected Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC).
Based on the formal offer made by Israel Shipyards to the DND and Pres. Duterte himself, the following are the basic information of the ship:
* Overall Length: 71.9 meters
* Beam: 10.25 meters
* Draught: 2.9 meters
* Displacement: roughly 800 tons
* Speed: above 28 knots maximum, 12-18 knots cruising
* Range: 5,300 nautical miles @ 12 knots
* Endurance: 21 days
* Crew: 45
* Engine: 2 x diesel engines, with option to fit slow-speed electric drive for fue savings
* RHIB: 2 to 4 units lowered by davit cranes
Weapons and sensors will be dependent on Philippine Navy's specifications, once finalized, although the ship can fit most common systems available in the market. Israel Ministry of Defense-SIBAT prefers the use Israel-made systems, probably from Rafael, IAI-Elta, and Elbit-Elisra.
 |
| A CGI of the Sa'ar 72 offshore patrol vessel offering from Israel Shipyards. Photo exclusively shared to MaxDefense by sources. |
It also appears that other potential shipbuilder competitors of Israel Shipyards like Damen (Netherlands), BAE Systems Maritime (UK), Fassmer (Germany), Tenix Defence (Australia), and others, have not yet submitted a formal offer aside from standard information provided to the PN. Add to that the low unit price, high interest to cooperate with Israel on defense matters by Pres. Duterte, plus a long term payment scheme for the ships, means that this offer is hard to beat at the moment.
More information will be provided as the project progresses.
===============
14 July 2017:
MaxDefense is happy to report that the organizers of Asian Defense, Security, and Crisis Management Exhibition and Conferencr (ADAS ) has released their show primer for the 3rd such event scheduled on September 26 to 28, 2018.
Among those published is a list of possible acquisitions under Horizon 2 phase of the Revised AFP Modernization Program covering the years 2018 to 2022, including Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs).
We thank APAC EXPO Pte Ltd (Singapore) for their trust in MaxDefense, which provided them the details on the expected projections based on our information base. Here is a screen-grab of the said primer for everyone's information.
If we're lucky or still operating by next year, MaxDefense hopes to be reconsidered again as a media partner of ADAS 2018. For more info on ADAS 2018, you may visit their website at www.adas.ph.
 |
| Based on the list above (which was willingly provided by MaxDefense to ADAS organizer APAC Expo), the Philippine Navy is expected to acquire Offshore Patrol Vessels. Photo taken from ADAS website. |
23 January 2018:
Pres. Duterte met with executives of Israel Shipyards Ltd., who are lobbying to consider their products for different government projects.
Lobbying directly to the president has been a normal process that also happened during previous administrations. There is nothing wrong with this for as long as the company follows the procurement rules and processes, and meets the technical specifications of the project. This did not happen in the Frigate Acquisition Project, thats why the issue spiralled into a big mess.
This isn't the first time Israel Shipyards met Pres. Duterte. The first one was on August 2016 in Davao, which MaxDefense covered. During that time, Israel Shipyards were offering the Saar 72 for the Philippine Navy's Fast Attack Craft (FAC) requirement, and the Saar 72 OPV for the Multi-Purpose Patrol Vessel (MPPV) requirement.
The presence of Transportation Sec. Arthur Tugade could also mean that they are also after certain ship and boat projects for the Philippine Coast Guard.
The latest Horizon 2 proposal includes the acquisition of 8 MPPVs to do a 1:1 replacement of World War 2-era patrol craft escorts and corvettes.
Photo of meeting from Presidential Communications Office.
 |
| Israel Shipyard executive showing the product offerings of the shipyard. |
===============
02 April 2018:
MaxDefense posted on its social media page that German naval shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems continue to show its interest in the AFP Modernization Program. Despite its loss in the race for the Philippine Navy's Frigate Acquisition Program, TKMS has shown interest in other Naval projects including the Multi-Purpose Patrol Vessel / Offshore Patrol Vessel, the Future Corvette, and the Future Diesel-Electric Submarine proposed projects.
MaxDefense received confirmation as early as last year that TKMS did submit their proposals for the 3 projects using the MEKO series of surface ships, and 2 submarine designs depending on PN's budget and requirement.
The report from Manila Bulletin can be accessed HERE.
02 April 2018:
MaxDefense posted on its social media page that German naval shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems continue to show its interest in the AFP Modernization Program. Despite its loss in the race for the Philippine Navy's Frigate Acquisition Program, TKMS has shown interest in other Naval projects including the Multi-Purpose Patrol Vessel / Offshore Patrol Vessel, the Future Corvette, and the Future Diesel-Electric Submarine proposed projects.
MaxDefense received confirmation as early as last year that TKMS did submit their proposals for the 3 projects using the MEKO series of surface ships, and 2 submarine designs depending on PN's budget and requirement.
The report from Manila Bulletin can be accessed HERE.
 |
| ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) can potentially offer the MEKO 80 OPV variant of their successful MEKO series of surface vessels. Photo taken from TKMS' website. |
===============
18 October 2018:
Unknown to many, the recently concluded ADAS 2018 defense exhibition actually gave us a sneak peek on the technical requirements of the Philippine Navy's planned acquisition of at least 6 units Offshore Patrol Vessels as part of the Horizon 2 phase of the RAFPMP. The analysis of what could the PN be looking for was done without relying on the actual Technical Specifications of the project, which is still not finalized as of this writing. Instead the answers were probably right in front of us.
The blog entry below is also an update of an earlier blog first posted on November 2016 wherein we made an analysis of the then-called Multi-Purpose Patrol Vessel (MPPV), as the information there can now be considered obsolete as the PN refined its requirements and increased the budget in the past 2 years.
"More Details on the Philippine Navy's Horizon 2 Offshore Patrol Vessel Project After ADAS 2018" - first posted 17 October 17 2018
18 October 2018:
Unknown to many, the recently concluded ADAS 2018 defense exhibition actually gave us a sneak peek on the technical requirements of the Philippine Navy's planned acquisition of at least 6 units Offshore Patrol Vessels as part of the Horizon 2 phase of the RAFPMP. The analysis of what could the PN be looking for was done without relying on the actual Technical Specifications of the project, which is still not finalized as of this writing. Instead the answers were probably right in front of us.
The blog entry below is also an update of an earlier blog first posted on November 2016 wherein we made an analysis of the then-called Multi-Purpose Patrol Vessel (MPPV), as the information there can now be considered obsolete as the PN refined its requirements and increased the budget in the past 2 years.
"More Details on the Philippine Navy's Horizon 2 Offshore Patrol Vessel Project After ADAS 2018" - first posted 17 October 17 2018
 |
| Two of the potential leading competitors for the PN's OPV Acquisition Project: the Austal PN OPV (top) and the Propmech-Damen OPV 1400 (above). |
===============
18 June 2019:
Coinciding with the Philippine Navy's 121st founding anniversary, Australian shipbuilder Austal releases a new promotion video of their Offshore Patrol Vessel, which is offered for the OPV Acquisition Project under the Horizon 2 phase Priority Projects.
It shows some of the ship's features, including:
* (Use of) Proven weapons and sensors with growth potential;
* Minimized Radar Cross Section (RCS) characteristics;
* Austal's Motion Control System (AMCS);
* Stern launch and recovery system based on proven Austal designs;
* Aviation capabilities based on proven Austal designs;
* Major equipment and weapon system satisfy the Republic Act 9184;
* Large Combat Information Centre (CIC) supports console growth and future missile system;
* Austal Integrated Platform Monitoring and and Control System technology "MARINELINK"
It would be best noted that Austal designed and built the US Navy's Independence-class littoral combat ship (LCS), and the Royal Australian Navy's Armidale-class patrol boats, among others, and the company has experience in designing naval warship features including flight/aviation facilities and stern RHIB launching systems.
The emphasis on stating their intention to use "Proven weapons and sensors with growth potential" shows that they are careful to make sure that backlashes like what happened to the Frigate Acquisition Project (FAP) wherein the PN was forced to use products that are not their preference and are less proven that those they selected.
This was further supported by another statement of having "Major equipment and weapon system satisfy the Republic Act 9184" which is the Revised Government Procurement Act of the Philippines. This RA mentions that the acquisitions should be of proven design and proven capabilities.
===============
19 June 2019:
After just posting a new promotional video yesterday, Australian shipbuilder Austal is really pushing upping the ante by releasing another new promotional video just now of their offering for the Offshore Patrol Vessel acquisition project of the Philippine Navy.
This time their video shows a demonstration of how its features can be used in an actual maritime patrol situation, in this case, identifying an unknown vessel in an archipelagic or littoral environment.
Emphasis was made on the ship's bridge and Combat Information Centre (CIC) using modern sensors with large consoles and screens for easier viewing of the situation, the capabilities of the ship's aviation facilities including the ability to use multirotor UAVs as alternative to helicopters, demonstrate its stern launching and recovery system, and its use of remote-controlled gun systems.
===============
20 June 2019:
Further strengthening their push, Austal again made its presence known at the PHILMARINE 2019 exhibition, displaying again a scale model of their PN OPV.
18 June 2019:
Coinciding with the Philippine Navy's 121st founding anniversary, Australian shipbuilder Austal releases a new promotion video of their Offshore Patrol Vessel, which is offered for the OPV Acquisition Project under the Horizon 2 phase Priority Projects.
It shows some of the ship's features, including:
* (Use of) Proven weapons and sensors with growth potential;
* Minimized Radar Cross Section (RCS) characteristics;
* Austal's Motion Control System (AMCS);
* Stern launch and recovery system based on proven Austal designs;
* Aviation capabilities based on proven Austal designs;
* Major equipment and weapon system satisfy the Republic Act 9184;
* Large Combat Information Centre (CIC) supports console growth and future missile system;
* Austal Integrated Platform Monitoring and and Control System technology "MARINELINK"
It would be best noted that Austal designed and built the US Navy's Independence-class littoral combat ship (LCS), and the Royal Australian Navy's Armidale-class patrol boats, among others, and the company has experience in designing naval warship features including flight/aviation facilities and stern RHIB launching systems.
The emphasis on stating their intention to use "Proven weapons and sensors with growth potential" shows that they are careful to make sure that backlashes like what happened to the Frigate Acquisition Project (FAP) wherein the PN was forced to use products that are not their preference and are less proven that those they selected.
This was further supported by another statement of having "Major equipment and weapon system satisfy the Republic Act 9184" which is the Revised Government Procurement Act of the Philippines. This RA mentions that the acquisitions should be of proven design and proven capabilities.
===============
19 June 2019:
After just posting a new promotional video yesterday, Australian shipbuilder Austal is really pushing upping the ante by releasing another new promotional video just now of their offering for the Offshore Patrol Vessel acquisition project of the Philippine Navy.
This time their video shows a demonstration of how its features can be used in an actual maritime patrol situation, in this case, identifying an unknown vessel in an archipelagic or littoral environment.
Emphasis was made on the ship's bridge and Combat Information Centre (CIC) using modern sensors with large consoles and screens for easier viewing of the situation, the capabilities of the ship's aviation facilities including the ability to use multirotor UAVs as alternative to helicopters, demonstrate its stern launching and recovery system, and its use of remote-controlled gun systems.
===============
20 June 2019:
Further strengthening their push, Austal again made its presence known at the PHILMARINE 2019 exhibition, displaying again a scale model of their PN OPV.
 |
| The Austal PN OPV scale model at PHILMARINE 2019. Thanks to a community member who wish to remain anonymous for sharing the photo to us. |
===============
03 August 2019:
As posted in our community social media page:
While we have already discussed the Philippine Navy's Offshore Patrol Vessel acquisition project and Austal's OPV design and offer to the PN, it is surprising that changes were made recently on this project.
Last October 2018, the DND released an Acquisition Decision Memorandum (ADM) wherein the mode of procurement was through Limited Source Bidding, or bidding by invitation only.
But recent announcements by Sec. Lorenzana mentioned that the project is now a Government to Government (G2G) deal with Australia, which means previous potential bidders from other countries are off the list, except for Australian shipbuilders like Austal.
So for those who are hoping for a specific design other than the Austal PN OPV, chances are you're pick won't have a chance anymore.
MaxDefense just hopes that the Austal OPV design be improved further by allowing space and power for at least two quadruple or twin over yhe horizon anti-ship missile launchers, Simbad-RC launchers, and a more powerful sensor suite like ECM and a 3D radar.
03 August 2019:
As posted in our community social media page:
While we have already discussed the Philippine Navy's Offshore Patrol Vessel acquisition project and Austal's OPV design and offer to the PN, it is surprising that changes were made recently on this project.
Last October 2018, the DND released an Acquisition Decision Memorandum (ADM) wherein the mode of procurement was through Limited Source Bidding, or bidding by invitation only.
But recent announcements by Sec. Lorenzana mentioned that the project is now a Government to Government (G2G) deal with Australia, which means previous potential bidders from other countries are off the list, except for Australian shipbuilders like Austal.
So for those who are hoping for a specific design other than the Austal PN OPV, chances are you're pick won't have a chance anymore.
MaxDefense just hopes that the Austal OPV design be improved further by allowing space and power for at least two quadruple or twin over yhe horizon anti-ship missile launchers, Simbad-RC launchers, and a more powerful sensor suite like ECM and a 3D radar.
 |
| Austal hopes to win the contract for 6 OPVs for the PN. Photo taken from Austal's website. |
===============
10 February 2020:
10 February 2020:
Thailand's military-owned shipyard Bangkok Dock has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Thai Ministry of Defence to look on possibilities of meeting requirements of the Philippine Navy for its Offshore Patrol Vessel requirements., as reported by British defense media outlet IHS Jane's.
MaxDefense previously reported in our blog last October 2018 that Bangkok Dock has shown interest in the project, and could be offering a model based on the Krabi-class OPV that it sold to the Royal Thai Navy.
The Krabi-class is itself based on the River-class OPV of BAE Systems, and used by the British Royal Navy (RN).
It remains to be seen though if Bangkok Dock could find a local partner, since one of the requirements made for the PN's OPV acquisition is for the ships to be built locally, using local workforce, and with Transfer of Technology included.
Out of the contenders for the OPV project, only Austal and Propmech has shown capacity to build the ships locally, with Austal having a shipyard in Balamban, Cebu, while Propmech is said to be have a shipyard partner that would allow them to build OPVs based on Dutch shipbuilder Damen's OPV-1400 design.
 |
| The RTN's Krabi-class OPVs, which are around 90 meters long, and has space to accommodate anti-ship missiles and torpedo launchers. Photo taken from IHS Jane's. |
===============
07 March 2020:
07 March 2020:
The decision of the Duterte administration to lift its self-imposed ban to receive or negotiate for grants or loans from countries that criticized the administration's EJK issues has actually backfired against the Philippines.
One of the collateral damage was the ongoing negotiations between the DND and the Australian government for the later to provide official development loans to allow for the acquisition of 6 Offshore Patrol Vessels fron Austal.
Now that the ban is lifted, the DND can now return to the negotiating table, considering the OPV Acquisition Project has been delayed already because the Philippine government shot itself in the foot.
 |
| Two of the OPV designs offered are the HHI HDP-1500Neo OPV, and Austal PN OPV. Photos from HHI and Austal. |
Late last year, MaxDefense mentioned that the closing of a deal between DND and Austal was "imminent", but suddently this came to a halt because of the government's own doing. The project should have been confirmed to Austal as early as December 2019 if not for that nonsense decision from the government to impose a useless ban against 18 countries.
It remains to be seen though if the Philippine government has already found a way to fund the 15% initial deposit for the project, which costs around Php4.5 billion.
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| The Philippine Navy 83-meter OPV design from Austal as displayed during the Pacific 2019 naval defense expo in Sydney, Australia. Photo taken from and credited to Naval News. |
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28 May 2020:
The Philippine Navy's Flag Officer in Command Vice Adm. Giovanni Bacordo confirmed in an interview with CNN Philippines that the Offshore Patrol Vessel Acquisition Project is among those that will experience delays due to diversion of funds to the COVID-19 initiatives of the government.
According to Vice Adm. Bacordo, the delay could be within 6 to 12 months, although he is confident that the project would still be implemented.
Below is the video from CNN Philippines' report on the issue.
It would be remembered that the OPV Acquisition Project was already in the process of being implemented but was affected by the Pres. Duterte's decision to stop talks regarding loans and grants from countries that were vocal on Human Rights violations during his term. Australia was among those countries, which was the one also to provide the loans for the OPV Acquisition Project.
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02 February 2021:
The Australian Ambassador to the Philippines confirmed in an interview with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) that its government will be signing an agreement with the Philippines Department of National Defense, which will be the framework for the construction of offshore patrol vessels by Austal Philippines on behalf of the Australia government.
This framework is required since the acquisition of OPVs for the Philippine Navy will be through G2G process, but will be sourced ans built in the Philippines which is something new for G2G projects.
This gives Australia's bid for the OPV Acquisition Project a boost, considering it is still competing against offers from South Korea, Thailand, and other countries like Turkey and other European countries.
Austal has offered a new 80-meter design based on an enlarged Cape-class patrol vessel.
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| Austal's offer for the PN OPV project. Photo taken from Austal. |
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15 April 2021:
Philippine Navy FOIC Vice Adm. Giovanni Bacordo visited ASFAT in Turkey, which is among the companies offering its Offshore Patrol Vessel for the OPV Acquisition Project.
ASFAT confirmed to MaxDefense Philippines that they offered an OPV designed by Canadian company Vard, which has a technical agreement with ASFAT.
The Vard 7 series of naval ships, specifically their designs ranging between 72 to 95 meters were offered.
It is worth noting that Vard 7 080 was adapted by the Irish Navy as the Roisin-class, while the Vard 7 085 was adapted by the Royal New Zealand Navy as the Otago-class OPVs.
Philippine Navy FOIC Vice Adm. Giovanni Bacordo visited ASFAT in Turkey, which is among the companies offering its Offshore Patrol Vessel for the OPV Acquisition Project.
ASFAT confirmed to MaxDefense Philippines that they offered an OPV designed by Canadian company Vard, which has a technical agreement with ASFAT.
The Vard 7 series of naval ships, specifically their designs ranging between 72 to 95 meters were offered.
It is worth noting that Vard 7 080 was adapted by the Irish Navy as the Roisin-class, while the Vard 7 085 was adapted by the Royal New Zealand Navy as the Otago-class OPVs.
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| The Vard 7 078 OPV design, also known as ASFAT's Design 7 078. Photo credits to Vard. |
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07 December 2021:
Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana confirmed that the Department of Budget Management (DBM) had approved the release of Php30 billion to fund the acquisition of 6 new Offshore Patrol Vessels, which are still being negotiated with Australian shipbuilder Austal.
He hopes that this could happen within the year and that contract signing could follow immediately.
Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana confirmed that the Department of Budget Management (DBM) had approved the release of Php30 billion to fund the acquisition of 6 new Offshore Patrol Vessels, which are still being negotiated with Australian shipbuilder Austal.
He hopes that this could happen within the year and that contract signing could follow immediately.
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29 December 2021:
Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana has been quoted during the signing of contract for Corvette Acquisition Project, that the NOA and Contract Signing for the Offshore Patrol Vessel Acquisition Project of the Philippine Navy is expected to proceed "next month", which is believed to be referring to January 2022.
Austal remains to be the preferred supplier of the OPVs, based on Sec. Lorenzana's statements.
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24 March 2022:
MaxDefense has not yet receive information from Philippine Navy sources on why they came up with the decision, but we were given information that another company made a pitch last year that could have moved the decision to ditch Austal.
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05 May 2022:
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23 May 2022:
16 June 2022:
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released the SARO for the initial funding for the OPV Acquisition Project on 16 June 2022, with the amount of Php3,000,000,000.00 or 10% of the project cost.
This means that the release of a Notice of Award (NOA) is expected to happen soon, as the SARO allows the DND to financially back-up the awarding of the tender.
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29 December 2021:
Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana has been quoted during the signing of contract for Corvette Acquisition Project, that the NOA and Contract Signing for the Offshore Patrol Vessel Acquisition Project of the Philippine Navy is expected to proceed "next month", which is believed to be referring to January 2022.
Austal remains to be the preferred supplier of the OPVs, based on Sec. Lorenzana's statements.
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24 March 2022:
Australian shipbuilder Austal has confirmed that they were not finally selected by the Philippine Navy for its Offshore Patrol Vessel Acquisition Project.
According to Austal, the PN decided to sole-source foreign-built OPVs rather than having Austal build them the Cape-class based OPV in their local shipyard in Balamban, Cebu.
This is also a blow to PH-AU relations, considering this was being negotiated with Austal under a Government-to-Government deal between the Philippines DND and Australian Department of Defence.
We believe this is South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries, which pitched in their HDP-1500 Neo OPV last year (2nd photo) to the Philippine Navy, at the same time negotiations for the Corvette Acquisition Project took place which eventually led to HHI's HDC-3100 being selected.
So far, the other offers for Offshore Patrol Vessels came from Bangkok Dock-BAE Systems JV with their Krabi-class (Improved River-class) OPV, Damen-Propmech Corporation JV with the OPV-1500, and ASFAT-VARD with their VARD-7 OPV family. All 3 offers included a local-build option as they already have made deals with some local shipbuilders if their offer were selected by the PN/DND.
With the deal with Austal crumbling, it remains to be seen if they can award the project to a new shipbuilder considering the National Elections is less than 2 months away.
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| HHI's HDP-1500 Neo OPV design. Photo credits to HHI. |
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02 April 2022:
02 April 2022:
On the Philippine Navy"s Offshore Patrol Vessel Acquisition Project, we previously mentioned in our posts and blogs that Australian shipbuilder Austal was competing with other shipbuilders for the project. One of them was Turkey's state-owned defense contractor Military Factory and Shipyard Management (ASFAT).
Here is what ASFAT is offering: an 86.2-meter, high freeboard design provided by VARD (a subsidiary of Italy's Fincantieri), with the specs in line with what we posted before as our project specifications of the PN future OPV.
Armed wtih a 76mm Oto Melara Super Rapid, two 30mm autocannon in stabilized RCWS, and 2 manually operated 12.7mm heavy machine guns, and an option to be armed with up to 8 anti-ahip missiles.
As mentioned before, ASFAT is also competing with other shipbuilders including South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries, Thailand's Bangkok Dock, among others.
Based on information we received, ASFAT's offer is very comprehensive and beneficial to the Philippines as it includes investment in the local shipbuilding industry including technology transfer and local construction of sone of the ships.
Photos exclusively shared to MaxDefense Philippines.
===============
26 April 2022:
26 April 2022:
We received confirmation from multiple sources from PN and naval industry that only 2 competitors were shortlisted for the Philippine Navy's Offshore Patrol Vessel Acquisition Project after the dropping of Austal from the race.
Currently the project is being fought by 2 groups: South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries, and Turkey's ASFAT.
We previously reported that HHI is offering their HDP-1500 Neo OPV design, while ASFAT is offering its VARD-7 86m OPV design.
Both ships are similar in terms of weapons fit-out, having 76mm Oto Melara Super Rapid naval gun, two 30mm RCWS naval guns, 2 manually-operated 12.7mm heavy machine guns, and FFBNW for anti-ship and short-range anti-aircraft missile systems.
Sensors and electronic subsystems are also similar, with 2D surface/air search radar, combat management system, Radar Electronic Support Measures (R-ESM), and Chaff/Decoy launchers.
Both companies have met the cost and specification requirements of the Philippine Navy, meaning that they are equally matched in terms of ship capabilities, and both can offer 6 OPVs for a little less than Php30 billion.
But both have different selling points:
* HHI, with assistance from the South Korean government, is offering to transfer more refurbished Pohang-class corvettes to the Philippine Navy, as well as some unspecified model and number of helicopters.
* ASFAT is offering to build the ships locally, including investment in the Cavite Naval Yard, and provide technology transfer as part of the contract. At the same time, ASFAT is willing to provide 2 new unmanned surface vehicles (USV) which can be carried by the OPVs.
So the question now is what is more important for the Philippine Navy and the DND - free used warships and helicopters, or technology transfer and local construction of ships plus new USVs?
Our opinion is giving preference on technology transfer and local construction, as this is more beneficial in the long run, as it allows for our shipbuilding industry to get the needed experience to build such ships and overcome the hindrances under the RA 9184 Revised Government Procurement Act.
We also believe that Pohang-class ships can be negotiated with South Korea without needing to tie their transfer to the OPV Acquisition Project, considering there are many more projects that most likely to be sourced from South Korean companies and suppliers.
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| HHI (top) and ASFAT (above) offers to the Philippine Navy OPV Acquisition Project. Photo credits to HHI and MaxDefense PH. |
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05 May 2022:
Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana confirmed that Hyundai Heavy Industries was selected by the Philippine Navy Technical Working Group to be awarded the contract for the Offshore Patrol Vessel Acquisition Project, beating Turkey's ASFAT and other shipbuilders competing for the project.
Apparently they prefer to have a common system between the Jose Rizal-class frigates, the 2 new corvettes to be built by HHI, and these 6 new OPVs.
This means that the PN is willing to drop its requirements to have technology transfer and for the ships constructed in the Philippines, which were their original requirement. HHI has not offered to build any ship in the Philippines, and will build them in South Korea.
Lorenzana also said it would be easier to maintain and repair the ships with South Korean assistance,
MaxDefense PH was told by PN and industry sources that HHI offered a derivative of their new HDP-1500 Neo OPV design.
The contract is being pushed to be signed by June 2022, before Pres. Duterte leaves Malacanang and ends his term.
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| The official product brochure of HDP-1500 Neo from HHI. Credits to HHI. |
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23 May 2022:
According to the report from Inquirer, the Philippine Navy completed its Pre-Qualification Inspection (PQI) for the Offshore Patrol Vessel Acquisition Project with Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in South Korea from 10-14 May 2022, and has recommended the award of the project to HHI as of 20 May 2022.
The PN is now the process of completing the Terms of Reference (TOR) which will serve as basis of the contact, with the DND nearing the release of Notice of Award (NOA) and Contract Signing, with Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana hoping that these would happen before he ends his term by 30 June 2022.
Inquirer also confirmed, through its sources, that the 2nd Pohang-class for the Philippine Navy, which is the former ROKS Andong (PCC-711) would be handed to the PN soon, while a 3rd Pohang-class is expected to be handed over to the PN.
Based on info from our own sources, the 3rd Pohang-class was officially part of HHI's offer on the OPVs. Not reported by Inquirer was that HHI, through the South Korean Ministry of National Defense, also offered some used helicopters, although we are still determining which model did they offer.
MaxDefense Philippines' guess are MD-500 Defender helicopters, of which 7 units were previously offered by Hanwha Defense when they offered the K21-105 light tank to the Philippine Army, but lost to Israel's Elbit Systems.
More on Inquirer's report.
===============MaxDefense Philippines' guess are MD-500 Defender helicopters, of which 7 units were previously offered by Hanwha Defense when they offered the K21-105 light tank to the Philippine Army, but lost to Israel's Elbit Systems.
More on Inquirer's report.
16 June 2022:
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released the SARO for the initial funding for the OPV Acquisition Project on 16 June 2022, with the amount of Php3,000,000,000.00 or 10% of the project cost.
This means that the release of a Notice of Award (NOA) is expected to happen soon, as the SARO allows the DND to financially back-up the awarding of the tender.
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27 June 2022:
The Department of National Defense has signed the contract for the OPV Acquisition Project with South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has signed the contract today 27 June 2022.
The Department of National Defense has signed the contract for the OPV Acquisition Project with South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has signed the contract today 27 June 2022.
This was held at the Department of National Defense in Quezon City by Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana and officials from the Philippine Navy and Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (parent company of HHI) Vice Chairman and CEO Ka Sam-hyeon.
This confirms the selection of HHI, as reported and confirmed by the DND several times in the past month.
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| Signing of contract between DND and KSOE on 27 June 2022. Photo credits to DND. |
The photo released by KSOE shows that the OPV design is a derivative of HHI's HDP-1500 Neo OPV design.
According to reports from South Korea, the new OPV design has a displacement of 2400 tons, a length of 94.4 meters, a width of 14.3 meters, a maximum speed of 22 knots, and a cruising speed of 15 knots, and a range of 5,500 nautical miles.
Compared to the original HDP-1500 Neo OPV design which has a displacement of 1,700 tons, a length of 81 meters, a width of 13.1 meters, and a maximum speed of 21 knots.
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| CGI from KSOE shows OPV with similar design features as HHI HDP-1500 Neo, but is larger. Photo credits to KSOE. |
Other details that are noticeable on the CGI of the new OPV design compared to the original HDP-1500 Neo design are as follows:
* Length increase can be easily seen in the area behind the mast, as well as on the flight deck. The distance of the mast and the funnel is obviously further away in the new design.
Weapons:
* A 76mm main gun replaces the 57mm gun. While the gun appears to be the Hyundai WIA 76mm gun, it is expected that the PN would insist to use the Oto Melara Super Rapid 76mm gun due to commonality with the rest of the fleet.
* 2 Long Range Acoustic Device above the bridge, which can be used as a sound weapon, or for hailing ships or boats.
* 2 multi-barrel decoy launchers on both port and starboard sides.
* What appears to be 2 Simbad-RC missile launchers just behind the smoke funnels, for MBDA Mistral short range surface-to-air missiles similar to those installed on the Jose Rizal-class frigates.
* A single secondary remote controlled weapon station for a 25mm or 30mm naval gun. This could be an Aselsan SMASH, again for commonality with the Jose Rizal-class frigates, and probably the new corvettes.
Sensors:
* The radar consist of two surface search/navigation radars, and a 2D main radar to reduce cost, considering the ship will be focused more surface warfare.
* An antenna for an Electronic Surveillance Measures (ESM) can be seen.
These are all seen as improvement over the previous specifications, considering the Simbad-RC does not appear to be in latest proposals from other shipbuilders. So there could be changes made when HHI/KSOE was selected by the PN.
The DND also confirmed that there is partial technology transfer involved, specifically Human Engineering Operators and Maintenance Training of Equipment, Operations Training and a Design Ownership, granting the Philippine Navy a license to manufacture/build using the OPV's design for the exclusive use of the Philippine government.
We'll be waiting for more details on the ship, considering this significant milestone reached.
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30 October 2022:
Hyundai Heavy Industries appears to have revised the design of the Offshore Patrol Vessel for the Philippine Navy, in which 6 are to be built by the South Korean shipbuilder under the PN's Offshore Patrol Vessel Acquisition Project.
From HDP-2400, it is now designated as the HDP-2200+ which means the overall weight of the ship has been reduced from ~2,400 tonnes to ~2,200 tonnes. But the ship's dimensions of having a length of ~95 meters and overall width of ~14 meters remains the same as before.
During the interview of Naval News's Xavier Vavasseur with Hyundai Heavy Industries Senior Vice President of Naval & Special Ship Business Unit K.S. Woo at the Euronaval 2022, it was confirmed that the OPV for the Philippine Navy is based on the HDP-2200+.
The scale model displayed by HHI features a Oto Melara Strales 76mm naval gun, two Simbad-RC launchers of the MBDA Mistral short-range surface-to-air missiles, and a Phalanx CIWS.
It also features a 3D air/surface search radar (although Mr. Woo said 2D radar), a hangar, and a lower deck for mission module and entry/exit of RHIBs.
The Philippine Navy's original specs actually calls for an Oto Melara 76mm Super Rapid gun, two manually-operated 12.7mm heavy machine guns, a 2D air/surface search radar, and no hangar. So this remains to be seen if the ongoing or recently completed Critical Design Review (CDR) allowed for the changes to happen by reducing the hull's weight by probably deleting some features within the ship (hull design, mechanical systems, etc) and using the reduced hull cost to upgrade the design with a hangar, better weapons and radar system.
But usually, the hull is the cheapest part of the ship - steel is cheaper than electronic systems so any reduction on the ship's weight won't impact cost reduction as much as affording the Oto Melara Strales, a CIWS, missile systems and improved radar.
It is possible that the scale model shows the optimized set-up for the ship for Euronaval show purposes, which is expected to cost beyond the Philippine Navy's budget for each OPV to be around Php5 billion each. Those improvements alone as mentioned above might cost more than Php3-4 billion per ship already, so keep your expectations low.
Photo credits to Naval News, screen-grabbed from their video which we also shared in our page a few days ago.
Video below from Naval News.
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10 February 2023:
No news have been released by the DND and the Philippine Navy regarding the status of the Offshore Patrol Vessel's finaized design reviews, but the Philippine Navy confirmed recently that the first ship would start construction within 2023.
With the contract signing made 7 months ago, it is expected that the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) should be completed very soon, which would mark the start of the Critical Design Review (CDR).
Compared to the previous projects the Philippine Navy and Hyundai Heavy Industries worked on together like the Frigate Acquisition Project (Jose Rizal-class frigates) and the Corvette Acquisition Project (HDC-3100 corvettes), the Offshore Patrol Vessel is far different in terms of design, but is expected to be simpler than the previously mentioned ships.
With the PN's announcement, it is expected that the PN and HHI may try to push forward with the CDR to be finalized at least by 3rd quarter of 2023 to meet its targets to start the 1st ship's construction within the year.
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21 March 2023:
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10 February 2023:
No news have been released by the DND and the Philippine Navy regarding the status of the Offshore Patrol Vessel's finaized design reviews, but the Philippine Navy confirmed recently that the first ship would start construction within 2023.
With the contract signing made 7 months ago, it is expected that the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) should be completed very soon, which would mark the start of the Critical Design Review (CDR).
Compared to the previous projects the Philippine Navy and Hyundai Heavy Industries worked on together like the Frigate Acquisition Project (Jose Rizal-class frigates) and the Corvette Acquisition Project (HDC-3100 corvettes), the Offshore Patrol Vessel is far different in terms of design, but is expected to be simpler than the previously mentioned ships.
With the PN's announcement, it is expected that the PN and HHI may try to push forward with the CDR to be finalized at least by 3rd quarter of 2023 to meet its targets to start the 1st ship's construction within the year.
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21 March 2023:
Hensoldt UK confirmed they received 2 contracts from Hyundai Heavy Industries to supply Sharpeye Mk 11 navigation radars for the new Corvettes & OPVs being built for the Philippine Navy.
The orders total for 8 ships, which is quite significant for a single order for a 2nd/3rd rate navy.
Other PN ships using the Sharpeye Mk. 11 radars are 2 Jose Rizal-class frigates, 2 of 3 Del Pilar-class patrol frigates & 2 of the 3 Jacinto-class patrol vessel.
Commonality is key in this decision, not to mention Sharpeye is one of the best navigation radar for military application in the market, which can also be used as a secondary surface search and helicopter approach radar.
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| The Hensoldt Sharpeye Mk. 11 navigation & surface search radar. |
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07 March 2023:
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Norway's Kongsberg Maritime has announced that it would be supplying their Kamewa 86 A/5 D-B controllable pitch propeller systems, as well as shaft lines, hydraulic power units, local operating panels and accessories for the Philippine Navy's 6 new Offshore Patrol Vessels being built by Hyundai Heavy Industries.
Kamewa, originally from Sweden, is a reputable manufacturer of controllable pitch propellers and waterjet systems, and is now part of Kongsberg Maritime.
The delivery is said to start by August 2024, which means the first OPV will still be under construction by that time.
Kongsberg also mentioned that their controllable pitch propellers could be paired with Hyundai Heavy Industries Engine & Machinery Division's Hi-touch Marine & Stationary ENgine (HiMSEN) diesel engines. So far, we haven't heard of application of the HiMSEN marine engines on warships although this needs further research.
The use of HHI's own engine designs could be among the reason how they were able to lower the costs of the OPVs, as we expect that the HiMSEN engine might be cheaper than the German MTU or Korean license copies of MTU engines from STX.
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| The Kamewa controllable pitch propellers and the HiMSEN diesel propulsion system. Photo credits to Kongsberg and HHI. |
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05 May 2023:
German company Anschütz GmbH through its Singaporean subsidiary Anschütz Singapore has secured a contract to design and supply the Integrated Navigation and Bridge System for the six HDP-2200+ offshore patrol vessels being built by South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries for the Philippine Navy.
Anschütz's confirmed in its statement that it would be supplying the "Synapsis NX Integrated Navigation System for the OPVs, providing immediate situational awareness and full integrated navigation capabilities. The system also comprises advanced sensors, including a marine inertial navigation system and a smart data distribution management that ensures reliable and consistent data and information throughout the navigation system."
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| Photo credits to Anschutz GmbH. |
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24 May 2023:
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released the 2nd MYOA payment for the Philippine Navy's Offshore Patrol Vessel Acquisition Project, with the SARO-BMB-D-23-0017230 worth Php3,000,000,000.00 and released on 22 May 2023.
Release of the 2nd MYOA means that a milestone in the project will be met soon by Hyundai Heavy Industries, most likely the First Steel Cutting for the first ship of the class.
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03 July 2023:
French defense company Safran has confirmed during an interview by Naval News that the Philippine Navy's new corvettes and offshore patrol vessels will be equipped with the Safran PASEO XLR extra long range optronic identification & fire control system.
The system is an improvement from previous models including the PASEO NS used by the Jose Rizal-class frigates, and has been selected also by several other navies for their frigates including the French Navy's future FTI Amiral Ronarc'h-class frigates and Jacques Chevallier-class Logistic Support Ships, Brazilian Navy's Tamandare-class frigates, among others.
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| The PASEO XLR EO/IR system from Safran. Photo screengrabbed from Naval News' video. |
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12 May 2023:
Hanwha Systems would be supplying the Combat Management Systems (CMS) and localized data link for the Philippine Navy's 6 new HDP-2200+ Offshore Patrol Vessels being built by South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries.
Hanwha Systems already supplied the Naval Shield ICMS and Link-P data link to the Jose Rizal and Del Pilar-class ships, and is also expected to supply the same to the HDC-3100 large corvettes also being built for the Philippine Navy.
While MaxDefense PH previously criticized this, it now has become reasonable due to improvements made to the product over the past 6 years, commonality with those already installed on PN ships, ease of use and sustainment due to previous experience, and interoperability reasons.
No mention was made as to what variant of Naval Shield ICMS would be used for the new OPVs, but it is likely to be a variant of Baseline 2.xx similar to those installed on the Del Pilar-class and Jose Rizal-class frigates.
No mention was made as to what variant of Naval Shield ICMS would be used for the new OPVs, but it is likely to be a variant of Baseline 2.xx similar to those installed on the Del Pilar-class and Jose Rizal-class frigates.
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| Naval Shield ICMS Baseline 2.xx consoles, these examples before they were installed on the now BRP Jose Rizal. Photo credits to Inquirer.net. |
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03 November 2023:
Aselsan made a press statement on further cooperation with South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai (Hyundai Heavy Industries) and confirmed that 2 international sales contracts have been signed between the 2 countries.
Without naming any other 3rd parties involved, our parent page MaxDefense Philippines believes that Aselsan's sales would be related to the Philippine Navy's shipbuilding projects with HD Hyundai since the shipbuilder's only current export shipbuilding contract is with the Philippines (Corvette and OPV Acquisition Projects).
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| The Aselsan SMASH with 30mm gun. It is possible that this was selected for the OPV Acquisition Project, with 2 systems in each ship. Photo credits to Aselsan. |
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First edit and release: 21 June 2019
Copyright MaxDefense Philippines / Philippine Defense Resource
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