The Miguel Malvar-class frigate is a class of frigates designed and currently built by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) for the Philippine Navy. It was previously known as the HDC-3100 corvette based on the company's product nomenclature system and the service's acquisition project name until it was reclassified to its current designation.
The Philippine Navy is expecting the delivery of two new corvettes acquired under its Corvette Acquisition Project under the Revised AFP Modernization Program's Horizon 2 phase covering years 2018 to 2022.[1]
The Philippines' Department of National Defense (DND) signed a contract with South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries on 28 December 2021, with the shipbuilder delivering a variant of their HDC-3100/HDF-3100 corvette/frigate design.[2]
Construction on the first ship, designated project no. P170, commenced with the steel cutting ceremony on 11 May 2023,[3] and 22 November 2023 for the second ship, designated project no. P171.[3] [4] The names for the vessels were yet to be announced at time of construction.
In 2023 September interview with DZBB to vice commander Rear Adm. Caesar Bernard Valencia, he estimated that the navy would receive the 2 ordered HDC-3100 corvettes starting around 2025-2026.[5]
On 2024 April 12, it was announced that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) released around US$106 million to fund the construction of the corvettes.[6]
On 2024 June 4, weeks before the BRP Miguel Malvar was launched by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, Octaviano Enterprises revealed in an image of a plaque for the Offshore Combat Force's 36th Founding Anniversary, showing what will be the names of the future corvettes, then classified as frigates - BRP Miguel Malvar (FF-06), and BRP Diego Silang (FF-07).[7]
On 2024 June 18, the BRP Miguel Malvar was launched at HHI's Ulsan shipyards with sea trials to commence prior to its delivery to the Philippine Navy by 2025.[8] The launch ceremony was attended by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr, his wife Special Envoy to the United Nations Children’s Fund Monica Louise Prieto-Teodoro, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief Gen. Romeo Brawner, Philippine Navy Chief Vice Adm. Toribio Adaci Jr and other military officials.[9]
The Philippine Navy included plans to procure 2 new guided missile corvettes as part of its Horizon 2 modernization phase, with the proposal with a budget of PHP28 billion (US$550 million) among those approved in-principle by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in June 2018.
During the pre-procurement development phase, the Technical Working Group (TWG) assigned for the project has used the Philippine Navy's latest warship, the Jose Rizal-class frigate as baseline for the new corvettes, while improvements will be added based on lessons learned from the said frigate's development and construction from 2016 to 2020.
Based on open source information, the new corvette would be more or less similar in size to the Jose Rizal-class frigate, but will have improved sensors and weapons suite.
Sensors were believed to include the following:
Weapon systems will include the following:
The project was divided into two lots. Lot 1 was allocated PHP25 billion for the procurement of the corvette and weapon systems, and Lot 2 with a budget of PHP3 billion for the procurement of the ships' munitions.
Several offers were made to the Philippine Navy to meet the requirements for new corvettes, including proposals coming from South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries,[10] Turkey's ASFAT, Israel Shipyards, Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), France's Naval Group,[10] Dutch shipbuilder Damen Group,[10] and India's Goa Shipyard.
The Department of National Defense eventually decided for the project to be procured under negotiated process, and undertaken through Government-to-Government (G2G) process, which means a support and participation of the government of the shipbuilder's country of origin.
By 2021, South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries and Turkey's ASFAT were shortlisted for the project. HHI offered their HDC-3100 corvette design. On the other hand, ASFAT offered a revised version of their Ada-class corvette.[11] [12] [13]
Ultimately, Hyundai Heavy Industries was selected as the winning contractor for the project's Lot 1,[2] with a Notice of Award released by the DND on 15 December 2021,[14] and a contract signed on 28 December 2021.[2]
Hyundai Heavy Industries' HDC-3100 corvette design, also known as the HDF-3100 frigate design, will become the benchmark design for the Philippine Navy's future frigate. It is an improved design of the HDF-2600 which was used on the Jose Rizal-class frigate, with a longer hull and a heavier displacement to accommodate increased subsystem requirements of the Philippine Navy.
The benchmark HDC-3100 has a length of 116 meters, a breadth of 14.8 meters, and a displacement of 3,100 tons, and will have a Combined Diesel and Diesel (CODAD) propulsion configuration allowing a maximum speed in excess of 25 knots and a range of up to 4,500 nautical miles.[2]
It has space for a 76mm primary naval gun in A-position, a 16-cell VLS (with space for 16 more) behind the primary naval gun, torpedo launchers on both port and starboard sides, and a gun-based close-in weapon system above the helicopter hangar. Aside from the CIWS, there is no more small-calibre secondary gun as previously expected.[15]
The space for the vertical launching system has been lengthened to accommodate a 16-cell system, and helicopter landing deck also appears to have been lengthened to allow longer helicopter designs.
South Korean defense company Hanwha Systems has secured a contract to supply the new corvette's combat management system (CMS).[16] It was confirmed to be the Naval Shield Integrated Combat Management System Baseline 4.[17]
UK-based defense company SEA has been contracted by Hyundai Heavy Industries to supply the torpedo launching systems for the new corvettes, with SEA delivering two of their TLS systems to each of the corvettes.[18] The SEA TLS can be used to launch a variety of torpedo models including the US Mark 44, Mark 46 and Mark 54 torpedoes, the UK Sting Ray, the Italian A244-S, French MU90 Impact, and the South Korean K745 Blue Shark torpedoes.[19]
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Elta Systems was awarded a contract to supply the new corvettes with their ELM-2258 Advanced Lightweight Phased Array (ALPHA) 3D active electronically scanned array (AESA) air/surface search radar system.[20] The ELM-2258 ALPHA can provide 360° radar coverage, and can track low-flying targets within a range of 25 kilometers and high-flying ones within a range of 250 kilometers in complex environments.[21]
Hensoldt UK was awarded a contract to supply Mk11 SharpEye navigation radars for HHI's Philippine Navy ship projects. The radars will be fitted on both the 3,200-ton corvettes and the 2,400-ton offshore patrol vessels currently being developed and constructed by HHI for the Philippine Navy. These radars will provide navigation and surface search capabilities for the vessels.[22]
In an interview with Naval News, Safran has confirmed that their PASEO XLR extra long range optronic identification & fire control system will be installed on the 2 HDC-3100 corvettes and 6 HDP-2200 offshore patrol vessels being built by HD Hyundai for the Philippine Navy.[23] [24]
IMENCO announced in 2023 that the company won a contract from Electrix Co. Ltd to provide CCTV systems to the corvettes.[25]
| Name | Hull number | Builder | Steel Cut | Laid down | Launched | Delivered | Commissioned | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRP Miguel Malvar | FF-06 | Hyundai Heavy Industries | 2023 May 11[26] | 2023 November 22[27] | 2024 June 18[28] [29] | Outfitting | ||
| BRP Diego Silang | FF-07 | 2023 November 22 | 2024 June 14 | Under construction |