Philippine Navy’s offshore patrol vessel (OPV) BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (PS-15) – damaged in a grounding incident in Hasa-Hasa (Half-Moon) Shoal last August 29 – was installed with BAE Systems Mk.38 Mod.3 25mm gun systems in Subic in early June.
According to MaxDefense Philippines, “the Philippine Navy together with US Navy Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) and International Fleet Support Program Office (PMS 326) made use of the ship’s downtime to start some of the upgrade works on the ship.”
“The first upgrade works involved the installation of the BAE Systems Mk.38 Mod.3 25mm gun systems,” MaxDefense noted.
According to BAE Systems, the Mk 38 Mod 3 provides a range of 2.5 kilometers and selectable rates of fire from single to 180 rounds per minute, and fires all US Navy-approved 25mm ammunition.
“It can be remotely operated from the combat information center or other protected ship structures, allowing operators to remain safe and out of harm’s way,” it added.
(Mintfo)