Philippine Navy approves the delivery of future BRP Antonio Luna Jose Rizal-class guided missile frigate.

According to information published by the Philippine Navy, the Philippine Department of National Defense (DND) and the Philippine Navy (PN) inspection team have approved for delivery and acceptance of the future BRP Antonio Luna (FF151), the 2nd new Jose Rizal-class guided missile frigate.
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The Philippine navy has approved the delivery of the future BRP Antonio Luna FF151, the 2nd new Jose Rizal-class guided missile frigate. (Picture source Philippine Navy Facebook)

After the conduct of harbor/sea trials and actual ship inspection at the contractor's facility in Ulsan, South Korea on January 25 to 29, 2021, the head of the joint DND-PN inspection team and Chief, DND Defense Procurement Service, Director Leodegario Dela Paz, has found the contractor, Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), compliant with all its contractual deliverables and obligations.

According to Director Dela Paz, "since FF151 has passed all the performance tests and the contractor has delivered on its contractual obligations, we will recommend to the Secretary of National Defense the delivery and acceptance of FF151."

The BRP Antonio Luna FF151 missile frigate is scheduled to sail out of Ulsan, Korea on February 5, 2021, and is expected to arrive in Subic, Philippines on February 10, 2021. The delivery of FF151 is one month ahead of the contractual delivery date of March 6, 2021.

The future BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151) is the second ship of the Jose Rizal-class of guided missile frigates that will enter in service with the Philippine Navy. On 24 October 2016, the contract to supply two new general-purpose stealth frigates was signed between the Philippine Department of National Defense and Hyundai Heavy Industries from South Korea. The first ship Jose Rizal was commissioned into service on June 19, 2019.

The Jose Rizal-class frigate is a class of two guided missile frigates, designed as multi-role semi-stealth ships for the Philippine Navy. The ships are heavily modified derivative of HDF-3000 frigate design (officially known as HDF-2600 Frigate Design) from Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) with a design specifically accommodated to fit the requirements of the Philippine Navy.

The armament of the BRP Jose Rizal includes one Oto Melara 76 mm Super Rapid Gun, one ASELSAN SMASH 30mm Secondary Gun, 4 S&T Motiv 12.7mm K6 Heavy Machine Guns, and 1 Close-in weapon system (FFBNW). The frigate is also armed with two Twin MBDA Simbad RC with Mistral missiles, one single 8-cell Vertical Launching System (FFBNW), and two Twin LIGNex1 SSM-700K C-Star Anti Ship Missile. It also has two SEA Triple Trainable Torpedo Launchers.

The Philippine frigates have a standard displacement of about 2,600 tons and a length of 107 meters. The diesel main power plant under the CODAD scheme should provide a full speed of 25 knots, a cruising range of 4500 nautical miles at a speed of 15 knots.