Navy announces arrival of latest Sulayman-class patrol vessels
The Philippine Navy on Saturday announced the official arrival of the second of six Rajah Sulayman-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) at the Naval Operating Base Subic in Zambales.
The warship actually arrived at Subic Bay on May 4, a month after it sailed for delivery from the Ulsan shipyard of South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), which has been building the Rajah Sulayman-class vessels it originally designed in 2018.
The new vessels, which Navy officials identified as the BRP Rajah Lakandula, have not been christened nor commissioned, but its delivery follows that of the Rajah Sulayman, the lead ship of the class, which arrived in January.
The four other OPVs of the class, identified as BRP Rajah Humabon, BRP Sultan Kudarat, BRP Datu Marikudo and BRP Datu Sikatuna, are scheduled to be delivered by 2028. Navy officials said the contract amounts to P30 billion, or P5 billion for each of the six ships.
The vessels are modeled after the HDP-1500 Neo, which is the export variant of a new OPV design developed by HHI for the Korean Navy.
The OPV contract is the latest of HHI’s modernization contracts with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, including fighter jets, frigates and antiship missiles.
Since 2020, the Navy has received four modern frigates from South Korea, as well as an older donated Pohang-class corvette.
Military officials suggested that HHI may also be awarded the contracts for two frigates and two corvettes during Horizon Three, the next phase of the Philippine military modernization program. South Korea has also been tagged as the possible contractor for the Navy’s submarine acquisition project.
Second of its name
The Rajah Lakandula (PS-21) is the second ship to be named after Rajah Lakandula, the last Rajah of the Kingdom of Tondo, following the decommissioning of the original Lakandula (PF-4), a Vietnam-era frigate acquired from Vietnam in the 1970s.
The military did not specify the capabilities of the Rajah Lakandula and the other ships of its class, but they are believed to be less equipped than the Navy’s current frigate and corvette assets. They are believed to have improved combat management systems.
With its crew of 72, the Lakandula is listed as being capable of carrying a 10-ton helicopter and unmanned aerial vehicles, plus facilities for towed array sonars.
Its weapon systems are limited to a 76mm naval gun, two 30mm secondary guns and two 12.7 mm heavy machine guns.
The ships of the class measure 94.4 meters long and 14.3 meters wide, with a displacement of 2,400 tons, a maximum speed of 22 knots, a cruising speed of 15 knots and a range of 10,186 kilometers (5,500 nautical miles).
