The recent retirement of the fast attack craft BRP Bienvenido Salting (PC-112) without a replacement, plus the inactive status of several commissioned patrol boats of the Littoral Combat Force highlights the ageing and lack of focus on the littoral patrol capabilities of the Philippine Navy.
It would be best for MaxDefense to highlight this:
The original proposal submitted by the Philippine Navy for the Littoral Combat Force’s modernization under the Horizon 2 phase of the RAFPMP includes the acquisition of 15 Multi-Purpose Attack Crafts with missile capability, and 14 Fast Attack Crafts with missile capabilities, as well as weapon system upgrade for at 3 MPACs ordered under the Horizon 1 phase. This is to allow the PN to retire several of its older assets including the remaining Conrado Yap-class and the Tomas Batillo-class Korean made patrol boats, as well as many of the Swift-class patrol crafts, while also allowing the PN to improve its capabilities with new boats with better performance and firepower.
In the end, only the weapon system upgrade for the 3 Horizon 1 MPACs was funded. No additional MPACs, or new Fast Attack Crafts were included in the approved Horizon 2 phase program after the AFP and DND was informed that budget cuts were needed to be implemented. Also, the Philippine Navy focused their modernization instead on the Offshore Combat Force, which also needs replacement for their World War II era patrol ships.
Also, the remaining 2 boats of the Conrado Yap-class were retired as of 2018, while the BRP Bienvenido Salting was the latest one to leave the fleet without any replacement other than the 3 MPAC Mk. 3 and 4 Chinese-made Type 966Y coastal patrol crafts, both of which are not of the same category as the Tomas Batillo-class, being smaller and does not have the same endurance as the larger fast attack crafts. Even the impending arrival of another 3 missile-armed MPACs doesn’t really help much.
As mentioned earlier, the Philippine Navy should re-look into this situation that the Littoral Combat Force is in, as their assets are ageing as well just like any other division within the Philippine Fleet. Previously, the Philippine Navy showed interest in Israeli-made boats, particularly IAI Ramta’s Super Dvora Mk. III, and Israel Shipyard’s Shaldag Mk. V, both of which are actually smaller than the Tomas Batillo-class, and also the Indonesian-made KCR-40 and KCR-60 designs which are larger. Depending on the mission profile, these boats would actually allow the LCF to leapfrog into the future, replace their ageing assets, improve capability, and increase sustainability.
(MaxDefense)