Is the Philippine Navy’s modernisation rudderless?
Amidst the controversy surrounding Manila’s termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement with the US, the Philippine Navy (PN) finds itself in a peculiar position as the service has lately seen a renaissance of sorts.
It acquired its first missile capability following a maiden test launch of Spike ER missiles aboard a Multi-Purpose Attack Craft (MPAC) in August 2018. In May and November 2019, the PN launched its two South Korean-built guided-missile frigates – the country’s first modern principal surface combatants.
Besides its first missiles, the PN is also reinstating an ASW capability that has long been defunct. In August 2019,
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