In a report published by the Philippine News Agency on August 11, Philippine Navy Chief Vice Adm. Giovanni Carlo Bacordo in a meesage to the Philippine News Agency said, “We are expecting FF-151 January or February 2021, still ahead of the delivery date per contract, which is March 2021."
The FF151, future BRP Antonio Luna is the sister ship of the Philippine Navy’s 1st missile frigate BRP Jose Rizal. According to the report, the future BRP Antonio Luna is expected to be delivered to the Philippines by January or February next year.
PNA said, “earlier, the PN said the delivery for the country's second missile-frigate is projected for October 2020 but this was pushed back to early next year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.”.
Meanwhile, Bacordo added, "If not for this Covid-19 pandemic, the second frigate (FF-151) should have been delivered by October this year but because of this pandemic, it will be moved to the first quarter of Calendar Year 2021."
The Future BRP Antonio Luna was launched on November 8, 2019, at the Ulsan facility of South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries. Its keel-laying ceremony coincided with the launch of BRP Jose Rizal on May 23, 2019.
The contract for the BRP Jose Rizal and the Future BRP Antonio Luna was placed at PHP16 billion with another PHP2 billion for weapon systems and munitions. Both ships are capable of conducting anti-air warfare (AAW), anti-surface warfare (ASUW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and electronic warfare (EW) operations.
Attributions:
1. Nepomuceno, P. (2020, August 11). Missile-frigate BRP Antonio Luna arriving next year. Philippine News Agency. [ Ссылка ]
2. By Philippine Government through the username Trypp - Own work, Public Domain, [ Ссылка ]
3. By Department of National Defense - Philippines - [ Ссылка ], Public Domain, [ Ссылка ]
4. Philippine Navy. (2019, November 9). WATCH: Launching of the PN second frigate, BRP ANTONIO LUNA (FF151) at Ulsan, South Korea last Nov 8, Friday [Facebook Status Update]. Facebook. [ Ссылка ]
5. Mangosing, F. (2020, May 18). Here’s an undated video of the future BRP Jose Rizal and BRP Antonio Luna moored side by side at the [Tweet]. Twitter. [ Ссылка ]
