Finmeccanica
Aspide medium range surfafe to air missile, intercept range approximately 25 km
(photo : Seaforces)
MANILA,
Philippines - Defense spokesperson Peter Paul Galvez announced on Friday that
one of the frigates to be acquired by the Philippines will have
"surface-to-air" capabilities. That is, the ship will have the
capability to fire missiles, guided by radar or heat sensors, at airborne
targets.
"Aside
from this, our latest frigate will have heavier gun armament and other
equipment that will make it very effective in patrolling and securing the country's
waters," Galvez said in Filipino.
He declined
to state the particular country the Philippines will acquire this ship but
stressed that acquisition will be done through a government-to-government
transaction.
The
Philippines has taken on a new sense of urgency to upgrade its naval
capabilities as tensions continue to rise around the West Philippine Sea (South
China Sea). US President Barack Obama's announced "pivot" for America
towards the Pacific has stirred greater naval activity on the part of China,
triggering cross-border problems between the Asian superpower and the
Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, and Russia across the East and South
China Seas. Against this backdrop, the Philippine Navy has been exposed to be
glaringly ill-equipped to patrol and protect its own shores.
Fincantieri Maestrale
class frigate for anti-submarine warfare, can carry 1 × octuple Aspide SAM launchers (photo : Militaryphotos)
Earlier, DND
Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the military wants to acquire additional naval
craft from Italy.
"We are
not relying totally on the United States (for) our equipment acquisitions. We
are also looking at the possibility of getting some of our equipment from
Europe, specifically from Italy, depending on our budget," he added.
Possible
naval craft to be acquired from Italy by the Philippines are the
"Maestrale" and "Soldati" classes.
The
"Maestrale" class, operated by the Italian Navy, is primarily
designed for anti-submarine warfare.
Cantieri
Navali Riuniti (CNR) Soldati class frigate for anti-surface warfare, can carry 1x octuple launcher for Aspide SAM (photo : Militaryphotos)
However the
vessels are highly flexible so they are also capable of anti-air and
anti-surface operations.
It has a
displacement of 3,300 gross register tons and a speed of 33 knots.
The ship is
armed with anti-ship missiles, torpedoes, long range guns and automatic
weapons, making it ideal to protect the country's maritime borders against
poachers, pirates and foreign aggressors.
The
"Soldati" class, on the other hand, is a multi-purpose warship
designed for anti-surface warfare.
It has a
displacement of 2,500 gross register tons and has a top speed of 35 knots.
The ship has
missile, torpedo and gun armament and is capable of carrying an anti-submarine
helicopter.
china helicopter
BalasHapushttp://bacajela.blogspot.com/2012/07/china-shows-z-9wz-helicopter-in-rare.html
future helicopter
http://bacajela.blogspot.com/2012/07/eurocopters-x3-would-you-go-to-war-in.html