BRP Nestor Acero (PG-901), an Acero-class patrol gunboat. | |
Class overview | |
---|---|
Builders | Israel Shipyards Ltd., Haifa, Israel |
Operators | Philippine Navy |
Built | 2021 - 2023 |
In commission | 2022 - 2024 |
Planned | 9 |
Building | 3 |
Completed | 6 |
Active | 4 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Patrol Gunboat |
Displacement | 95 tons full load [1] |
Length | 32.65 m (107.1 ft) [2] |
Beam | 6.2 m (20 ft) max [2] |
Draft | 1.25 m (4.1 ft) [1] |
Propulsion |
|
Speed | greater than 40 knots (74 km/h) maximum |
Range | 1,000 nmi (1,900 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h) |
Complement | 12 [2] |
Sensors and processing systems | |
Armament |
|
Aircraft carried | none |
Aviation facilities | none |
The Acero class is a ship class of nine patrol gunboats currently or incoming service with the Philippine Navy.
In 2019, the Philippine Navy raised a requirement to procure a new class of coastal patrol interdiction craft (CPIC) that would be missile-capable and are based on Israel's Shaldag V patrol boat design, to replace the Tomas Batilo-class fast attack crafts that have been retired in service. [4] [5]
Israel Shipyards Ltd. had offered the Shaldag V design to the Philippine Navy as early as 2016. [6] Funding to pursue the proposal was not available until a few years afterwards. [4]
The Israeli design was proven to be more capable as an interdiction craft than the smaller Multi-Purpose Attack Craft that were originally designed by a Taiwanese shipbuilder as a troop insertion assault boat, and modified in Philippine Navy service to be used as a small missile boat. Thus, when the Philippine Navy raised the requirement for a Fast Attack Interdiction Craft (FAIC), the Philippines' Department of National Defense (DND) made a decision to procure them based on the Israeli proposal, and would be acquired under a Government-to-Government (G2G) deal with Israel. [4] [7]
A contract was signed between the (DND), Israel Shipyards Ltd. and Israeli Ministry of Defense in February 2021, with the Notice to Proceed to start the effectivity of the contract released in April 2021. [4] [8]
The first boat of the class, the BRP Nestor Acero (PG-901), was launched in June 2022, and became the basis for the class' name. [9] The hull number's use of "PG" indicates that the boats are classified as Patrol Gunboats based on Philippine Navy's 2016 naming classification standards.
In November 2022, Rear Admiral Toribio Acaci indicated that the service plans to acquire a total of 15 more Acero-class / Shaldag Mk. V patrol gunboats in the near future. [4] [10] [11]
Two more Acero-class gunboats were delivered on 11 April 2023, [3] christened on 8 May 2023. [12] [13] and commissioned on 26 May 2023. [14]
The Philippine Navy's Naval Sea Systems Command announced the revival of their naval shipbuilding capability with the reopening of the Naval Shipbuilding Center, previously called the Cavite Naval Yard, which was refurbished and retooled as part Israel Shipyard's contract to supply fast attack interdiction crafts to the Philippine Navy.
The new facility will take over production of the remaining units of Acero-class FAICs (Shaldag Mk. V) that were ordered by the DND under the FAIC-M Acquisition Project, and will likely do so for any future orders. [15]
On 12 April 2024, a field test was conducted where a Spike missile was fired in the waters of Mariveles, Bataan. [16]
On 8 May 2024, BRP Lawrence Narag (PG-907) participated in the maritime strike exercise of Balikatan 2024, which consisted of a sinking exercises (SINKEX) using the decommissioned BRP Lake Caliraya (AF-81) as a target ship. The BRP Lawrence Narag fired a Spike-NLOS missile and successfully hit the target during the exercise. [17]
The ship class is designed to carry one bow-mounted Mk.44 Bushmaster II autocannon mounted on Rafael Typhoon Mk 30-C remote-controlled weapon station, and two M2HB Browning 12.7 mm/50-cal. heavy machine guns mounted on Rafael Mini Typhoon remote-controlled weapon stations.
At least four of the ships will be installed with a Rafael Typhoon MLS-NLOS missile launcher for Spike-NLOS surface-to-surface missiles. All other boats are fitted for, but not with the system, and can be installed separately at any time.
A 5.2-meter rigid inflatable boat (RHIB) is stowed in the aft for those without the missile system, and is deployed using a 1,000-kilogram crane. [1]
Bow number | Ship name | Launched | Delivered | Commissioned | Service | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PG-901 | BRP Nestor Acero | 26 June 2022 | 6 September 2022 | 28 November 2022 [18] | Littoral Combat Force, Philippine Fleet | Active | |
PG-902 | BRP Lolinato To-Ong | 26 June 2022 | 6 September 2022 | 28 November 2022 [18] | Littoral Combat Force, Philippine Fleet | Active | |
PG-903 | BRP Gener Tinangag | 11 April 2023 [19] | 26 May 2023 [14] | Littoral Combat Force, Philippine Fleet | Active | ||
PG-905 | BRP Domingo Deluana | 11 April 2023 [19] | 26 May 2023 [14] | Littoral Combat Force, Philippine Fleet | Active | ||
PG-906 | BRP Herminigildo Yurong [20] | 18 November 2023 [21] | Littoral Combat Force, Philippine Fleet | Active | Armed with Spike-NLOS | ||
PG-907 | BRP Laurence Narag [20] | 18 November 2023 [21] | Littoral Combat Force, Philippine Fleet | Active | Armed with Spike-NLOS | ||
PG-908 | For construction | ||||||
PG-909 | For construction | ||||||
PG-910 | For construction | ||||||
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The BRP Simeon Castro (PC-374) is the fourth ship of the Jose Andrada class coastal patrol boats of the Philippine Navy. It is part of the first batch of its class ordered through US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) in 1989, and was commissioned with the Philippine Navy on 24 June 1991. It was initially designated as Fast Patrol Craft, and was numbered "DF-374", but later on was re-designated as a Patrol Gunboat, and was re-numbered as "PG-374", until another round of reclassification changed its designation as a Patrol Craft with hull number "PC-374" from April 2016.
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BRP Liberato Picar (PC-377) is the seventh ship of the Jose Andrada class coastal patrol boats of the Philippine Navy. It is part of the first batch of its class ordered through US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) in 1990, and was commissioned with the Philippine Navy in January 1992. It was initially designated as Fast Patrol Craft, and was numbered "DF-377", but later on was re-designated as Patrol Gunboat "PG-377". Another round of reclassification was made in April 2016, which redesignated the patrol gunboat as the coastal patrol craft PC-377.
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BRP Nestor Acero (PG-901) is lead ship of the Acero-class patrol gunboat of the Philippine Navy. She was commissioned with the Philippine Navy on 28 November 2022 and is currently in active service with the Littoral Combat Force, Philippine Fleet.
BRP Lolinato To-ong (PG-902) is second ship of the class of the Acero-class patrol gunboat of the Philippine Navy. She was commissioned with the Philippine Navy on 28 November 2022 and is currently in active service with the Littoral Combat Force, Philippine Fleet.
BRP Gener Tinangag (PG-903) is third ship of the class of the Acero-class patrol gunboat of the Philippine Navy. She was commissioned during the 125th Philippine Navy Anniversary on May 26, 2023.
BRP Domingo Deluana (PG-905) is fourth ship of the class of the Acero-class patrol gunboat of the Philippine Navy. She was commissioned during the 125th Philippine Navy Anniversary on May 26, 2023.