SAN ANTONIO, Zambales—Despite the non-firing of the surface-to-air missile system of the Philippine Navy during the program showcasing its assets, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said it is a game-changer that will boost the country' defense capability.
During his attendance at the capability demonstration of the Philippine Navy on Friday, May 19, Marcos stressed that it is important for the Philippine Navy to be well-equipped and well-trained.
“With the fluid security situation in our region, it is imperative that the Armed Forces of the Philippines and of course the Navy is substantially equipped, trained, and always on alert to respond to any and all exigencies that may confront our nation. It is for this prime reason that we exert a continuous effort to strengthen the capacity of our Armed Forces,” Marcos said in his speech.
The President witnessed the Navy's Wildcat helicopter (AW159) unleashed a dummy torpedo to demonstrate the capability of its Blue Shark lightweight torpedo which aims to detect and neutralize stealthy submarines.
He also observed BRP Antonio Luna's (FF151) capability through deploying its bullfighter chaff decoy to showcase the capability of a 130-mm super-rapid-blooming offboard. This is part of countermeasures designed to defeat radio frequency and infrared-guided missiles and thus protect vessels of the PN fleet.
Speedboats from Israel were also showcased during the event.
He witnessed the demonstration while aboard BRP Davao Del Sur.
Marcos said the administration will continue similar naval exercises while the government is completing and eventually commissioning the rest of the Navy's projects in the pipeline.
“We are now working on horizon three of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) modernization program. As we do so, let us likewise ensure parallel training and capacity building for our personnel, especially for those who would actually operate and maneuver these major naval assets and with the backing of their highly technical training,” he said.
“I urge the entire rank of the Philippine Navy to keep up the good work continually guided by the national interest and the democratic ideals of the Republic of the Philippines,” he added.
Philippine Navy demonstrates the launching of a dummy torpedo off Navy's Wildcat helicopter (AW159) on May 19, 2013. Torpedoes aim to detect and neutralize stealthy submarines. (Ali Vicoy)
Among the officials who witnessed the event were Senior Defense Undersecretary Carlito Galvez Jr., House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Armed Forces chief Gen. Andres Centino, and PN Flag Officer in Command Vice Admiral Toribio Adaci leading the Navy officers and enlisted personnel.
The Mistral 3 SAMs have 90-millimeter high-explosive warheads, range of more than 3 nautical miles and speed of 2.7 Mach. They are among the primary weapons of the Jose Rizal-class multi-mission capable frigates that bolster their defensive capability against hostile aircraft.
These weapons have been acquired through the PN Frigate Acquisition Project Lot 2B awarded to MBDA missile systems based in France with a budget of around Php670 million.
Due to a "technical glitch," the test firing of surface-to-air missile against a drone as a mock target did not push through.
Vice Admiral Adaci said in a media interview that despite the non-firing of the missile during the event, the Philippine Navy could assure that the same incident will not happen in case a real-life situations.