Breaking News: South Korean official confirms imminent delivery of new frigate BRP Diego Silang to the Philippines.

As noted by Pitz Defense Analysis, during the inauguration of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Subic Agila Shipyard on September 2, 2025, South Korean Ambassador to the Philippines, Lee Sang-hwa, confirmed that the BRP Diego Silang (FFG-07) will be delivered to the Philippine Navy by next week. This vessel is the second of the Miguel Malvar-class frigates, a class derived from the HDF-3200 design, itself an enlarged evolution of the HDF-2600 that produced the Jose Rizal-class already in service.
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The confirmation corroborates earlier information released in recent months, suggesting that the BRP Diego Silang would arrive in September 2025, with commissioning anticipated either before the end of the year or during the first quarter of 2026. (Picture source: HD HHI)

The Miguel Malvar-class frigates were procured under Horizon 2 of the Revised AFP Modernization Program. The Corvette Acquisition Project evaluated designs from Hyundai Heavy Industries, Türkiye’s ASFAT, Israel Shipyards, Naval Group, Damen, TKMS, and India’s Goa Shipyard. In December 2021, a government-to-government deal awarded the contract to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) for its HDC-3100 (HDF-3200) design, derived from the HDF-2600 used in the Jose Rizal-class. The design added greater displacement, a vertical launching system, and updated sensors. The program was reclassified from corvette to guided-missile frigate to reflect the added capability. Two ships, BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG-06) and BRP Diego Silang (FFG-07), cost PHP 12.5 billion ($250 million) each. Construction began in 2023, with deliveries scheduled for 2025–2026. The project follows earlier deals for Jose Rizal-class frigates in 2016 and offshore patrol vessels in 2022, all contracted with Hyundai.

The BRP Diego Silang follows the BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG-06), which was launched on June 18, 2024, delivered on April 8, 2025, and commissioned on May 20, 2025. The Diego Silang’s build milestones include its First Steel Cutting Ceremony in Ulsan on November 22, 2023, its keel laying on June 14, 2024, and its launch on March 27, 2025. The class is part of the Corvette Acquisition Project under Horizon 2 of the Revised AFP Modernization Program, contracted on December 28, 2021, at a cost of PHP 12.5 billion (around $250 million) per unit. Together, the Miguel Malvar-class frigates and the Jose Rizal-class frigates will bring the number of guided missile frigates in the fleet to at least six. Program notes also point out that these ships may serve as the basis for a future Frigate Acquisition Project full complement. The contract covered two vessels, with construction divided between milestones beginning in 2023 and continuing through 2026.

The BRP Diego Silang and BRP Miguel Malvar displace 3,200 tons, measure 118.4 meters in length with a beam of 14.9 meters and draft of 3.7 meters, and have a depth of 7.2 meters. The propulsion system uses a combined diesel and diesel arrangement with four MTU 20V 1163 M94 engines, each producing 7,400 kW, for a total output of 29,600 kW. This enables a maximum speed of 25 knots at 85 percent MCR, with a range of 4,500 nautical miles at 15 knots and an endurance of 20 days. Installed power is supported by four MTU-STX diesel generators. The ships can carry two 7.2-meter RHIBs, located in port and starboard boat bays. They are equipped with a flight deck and a starboard-side hangar that can accommodate a 10 to 12-ton helicopter such as the AW159 Wildcat, which in Philippine service is armed with K745 Blue Shark torpedoes, carries a compact dipping sonar, can deploy sonobuoys, and is equipped with Seaspray 7400E AESA radar and EO/IR cameras.

The frigate’s primary armament consists of a 76 mm Oto Melara Super Rapid gun, supported by an Aselsan GOKDENIZ 35 mm close-in weapon system and four K6 12.7 mm heavy machine guns. Missile systems include a 16-cell vertical launching system for MBDA VL MICA surface-to-air missiles and eight SSM-710K C-Star anti-ship cruise missiles in quad launchers. The VL MICA provides short to medium-range air defense with an operational range of about 20 km, with variants using active radar or infrared homing seekers. The C-Star, developed by South Korea’s LIG Nex1, has a range of more than 180 km, travels at near Mach 0.95 at sea-skimming altitude, and carries a 250 kg warhead guided by GPS-aided inertial navigation with active radar in the terminal phase. For anti-submarine warfare, the ship is fitted with two SEA triple torpedo launchers for the K745 Blue Shark lightweight torpedo, which has a range of 19 km, weighs 280 kg, measures 2.7 meters in length, and travels at speeds greater than 45 knots.

The ship’s sensors and electronic systems are extensive. The main search radar is the EL/M-2258 ALPHA S-band AESA multifunction radar, capable of tracking both air and surface targets with ranges extending up to 400 km in its latest version. Navigation is handled by Hensoldt SharpEye I-band and E/F-band radars, while fire control is provided by the Leonardo NA-25X radar. For electro-optical tracking, the vessel uses the Safran PASEO XLR system, and for sonar, it employs the Model 997 medium-to-low frequency active/passive hull-mounted sonar from L3Harris. Electronic warfare systems include the Elbit Elisra Aquamarine suite, with R-ESM and C-ESM functions, and the countermeasures fit includes two Terma C-Guard DL-12T decoy launchers. Tactical communication is supported by Hanwha Systems Link P, a derivative of South Korea’s Link K, and CCTV monitoring is provided by IMENCO. The combat management system installed on the class is the Naval Shield Baseline 4 developed by Hanwha Systems, which integrates all sensors and weapons into a central command framework.

Once inducted, the Diego Silang will operate as part of the Offshore Combat Force and is expected to strengthen both the numerical and technological capacity of the Philippine Navy in its territorial defense posture. The Miguel Malvar-class frigates will then join the Offshore Combat Force to expand the Philippine Navy’s combat fleet. They will conduct territorial defense patrols, anti-surface warfare with C-Star cruise missiles, air defense with a 16-cell VL MICA system, and anti-submarine missions with K745 Blue Shark torpedoes. Sensors include the EL/M-2258 ALPHA 3D AESA radar, Leonardo NA-25X fire control, Safran PASEO XLR optics, and Hanwha Naval Shield Baseline 4 CMS. Aviation facilities allow embarkation of AW159 Wildcat helicopters with torpedoes and sonar. The class replaces older foreign-sourced patrol vessels nearing retirement and fills gaps left by ships without vertical launchers. Unlike the Jose Rizal-class, delivered “fitted for but not with,” the Malvar-class is delivered with all systems installed. They will enhance interoperability with allies and allow gradual decommissioning of obsolete ships while maintaining operational capacity.

The BRP Miguel Malvar has already participated in joint maritime activities with the United States and Japan, including an anti-submarine exercise with the Japanese destroyer JS Takanami in June 2025. These operations demonstrate the interoperability of the class with allied navies and its contribution to multilateral security arrangements. The commissioning of BRP Diego Silang will further expand the Philippine Navy’s ability to field modern guided missile frigates capable of integrated air defense, anti-surface warfare, and anti-submarine operations. With the opening of the HD Hyundai shipyard in Subic, the Philippines is also positioning itself as a regional shipbuilding center, with expectations of employing between 4,300 and 8,000 skilled workers by 2030. The facility is intended to increase shipbuilding capacity from 1.3 million to 2.5 million deadweight tons annually, supporting both military and civilian ship production. For Manila, the Diego Silang’s delivery is not only a fleet reinforcement but also a symbol of deepening defense and industrial cooperation with Seoul and Washington, framed within both strategic partnerships and national economic development goals.