PH Navy receives surface-to-air missiles of 2 new frigates
The two brand new Jose Rizal-class frigates of the Philippine Navy (PN) will now be armed with surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), bolstering the military's anti-air warfare capability, a Navy officer confirmed Sunday, Aug. 10.

Commander Benjo Negranza, director of the naval public affairs office, said the Mistral 3 SAMs of BRP Jose Rizal (FF150) and its sister ship BRP Antonio Luna (FF151) were delivered at Subic Bay International Airport in Bataan last Friday.
The procurement and delivery of the short range air defense (SHORAD) missiles is part of the PN Frigate Acquisition Project which was awarded by the Department of National Defense (DND) to French arms manufacturer MBDA Missile Systems.
The deal was reportedly worth E10.69 million and was procured via a negotiated deal with MBDA, according to Asia Pacific Defense Journal.
"Surface-to-air missiles are among the primary weapons of FF150 and FF151 that bolster the PN's anti-air warfare capability," Negranza said.
"The arrival of these missiles will greatly capacitate our JRC frigates in the conduct of their maritime operations," he added.
According to Asia Pacific Defense Journal, the SAMs would be fired from MBDA's Simbad-RC twin mount remote firing system which will be installed on the JRC frigates.
Each frigate will reportedly be equipped with two Simbad-RC launchers "with each carrying two ready-to-fire missiles that can be used against low level aircraft or sea skimming anti-ship missiles."
The BRP Jose Rizal and BRP Antonio Luna were delivered to the country on May 23, 2020 and Feb.26, 2021 respectively.
The frigates were built by South Korean ship manufacturer Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) as part of the PN Frigate Acquisition Project worth P18 billion. Each frigate was worth P8 billion while P2 billion were alloted for its systems and munition.