South Korean yard launches future Philippine Navy corvette

South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) launched the Philippine Navy’s newest guided-missile corvette in a ceremony in Ulsan on Tuesday, June 18. The future BRP Miguel Malvar is the lead ship of a new class of two corvettes ordered by the Philippine Navy from HHI in late 2021.

Upon completion, the vessel will have a length of 118.4 metres, a beam of 14.9 metres, a displacement of 3,200 tonnes, a cruising speed of 15 knots, and a range of 4,500 nautical miles. Features will include an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, a 76mm naval gun, a 35mm close-in weapon system (CIWS), 12.7mm machine guns, anti-ship cruise missiles, and a vertical launch system housing surface-to-air missiles. Aviation facilities will include a flight deck and hangar for a 12-tonne helicopter.

The future Miguel Malvar honours a Filipino general who fought in the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine-American War. The corvette is scheduled for delivery to the Philippines in 2025.