US-PH Joint Exercise Balikatan 2022 Highlights (Part 1)

Annually, both the Philippine Armed Forces and their counterparts from the United States Armed Forces have joined in conducting in an annual bilateral exercise aiming in improving camaraderie, interoperability, and relations between both alliances that these nations foster, along with its diplomatic tensions amidst a rising China.

Here are the highlights for this year's Joint Exercise Balikatan 2022, Part 1 (covering March 28 to April 2).

NEWS

A Patriot Missile Mobile Launcher equipped with PAC-3 Canisters disembarked from the Landing Craft Air Cushion as part of the amphibious activities involving air defense system assets as part of the US-Philippine Joint Exercise Balikatan 2022. (c) Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.

This year marks the 37th US-Philippine Joint Exercise Balikatan, the largest joint military activity that will conduct to date, wherein it will be involve almost 9,000 combined personnel taking part from both the Philippine and the United States Armed Forces, spanning multiple locations situated across the country and involves a different series of various programs and showcase different capability enhancements.

The exercise conducts annually to improve and enhance force capability of both Armed Forces, and enhancing cooperation on different military scenarios such as in conducting amphibious operations, maritime security, live fire training, counterterrorism, and subject mater exchanges in skills and capability that both sides share and work together, while fostering improved relations with the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty as the foundation.

While not seen as a show of force aimed against an immediate adversary, this exercise came timely as both China and the Philippines have their respective Coast Guard vessels sail near dangerously on one another in the highly contested Panatag Shoal, in which this is clearly shows as a blatant violation of the 1972 International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs), an internationally recognized convention enforced by the International Maritime Organization or IMO.

This also came with the news that an official from the United States State Department reiterates its view that China's so-called 'claims' over the West Philippine Sea is unlawful, and not in accordance to the International Law, specifically the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the International Tribunal Arbitral decision in the Hague that awards the decision to the Philippines that nullify the nine-dash line 'claims' of the People's Republic of China.

With the focus primarily on this year's largest bilateral exercises, let us provide each activity that both Armed Forces have conducted throughout the first six days of the 12-day exercise that has kick-start last Monday, March 28, 2022 and will end at Friday, April 8, 2022, as troops and equipment of the United States Armed Forces pour in the country for the initiation of the different activities covered by this bilateral exercise.

ARRIVAL

A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster assigned to the U.S. Pacific Air Forces starting a final approach into the Subic Bay International Airport last March 19. (c) Defense Information Visual Distribution Service.

Last March 19 (Saturday), the United States Air Force's C-17 Globemaster and C-130 Cargo Aircrafts arrived into the Subic Bay International Airport, bringing with them troops and equipment that is needed for the exercise that is set nine days from their arrival in the Philippine soil, preparing the necessities that ensure the success of the joint exercise of both alliances.

Their arrival is also being augmented by the MV-22B Ospreys of the United States Marine Corps assigned to the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 363 or VMM-363 (assigned in Marine Corps Station Hawaii), in which they also brought with them their troops and equipment required for the joint exercise, giving and gaining additional experience in interoperability with their Philippine counterparts in this activity.

Speaking of the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 363 or the VMM-363, their flight to the Philippines from Guam served as 'one of the longest maritime VMM self-deployment flights in 1st Marine Aircraft Wing history', proving the capabilities of their MV-22B Ospreys in conducting such a lengthy flight, a show of how fully capable United States Armed Forces' logistics chain is in carrying all necessities in areas needed, whether in combat or in a bilateral joint activity like the Balikatan Exercise.

From March 19 to March 26, the United States Armed Forces got a timeline for them to prepare for the largest Balikatan Exercise dated, gathering all the needed materials and personnel that will take part in this bilateral activity, with the highest regard in the exchange of knowledge and experiences in military capabilities and combat, as well as the aim of improving relations of both countries and interoperability of their respective Armed Forces.

The United States Armed Forces' arrival to the country provided that preparedness that will set the activities of their forces and those for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, wherein the bilateral exercise came with different activities that have started in the first six days of the 12-day long military games and enhancements, discussing in the succeeding sub-topics of this article.

USS MIGUEL KEITH AND FLIGHT OPERATIONS

An AH-1Z Viper of the United States Marine Corps conducting Flight Operations onboard USS Miguel Keith. (c) Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.

Just off the coast of the country, a United States Navy Expeditionary Mobile Base Ship starts its flight operations that involve AH-1Z Viper Attack Helicopters, UH-1Y Venom Combat Utility Helicopters, and Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion Heavy Lift Helicopters of the United States Marine Corps, wherein it involves logistical airlift requirements from ship to shore.

Given its background, the USS Miguel Keith (ESB-5) is a Lewis B Puller-class Expeditionary Sea Base, which is a relatively new ship that was laid down January 30, 2018 in a General Dynamics facility stationed in San Diego, California, and it got delivered to the United States Navy more than a year later on November 15, 2019. It took two more years until it has commissioned to the United States Navy fleet last year (May 8, 2021).

The ship's deployment provides logistics support for the U.S. troops and military assets that take part in the year's largest bilateral exercise to date, and may count as one of the first for the USS Miguel Keith in participating in this military activity between the United States and the Philippines, especially that it counts as one of the newest vessels that serve the United States Navy fleet in its continuous military operations across the world.

Apparently, the ship has provided support in the insertion of troops from the United States Marine Corps, alongside a Landing Craft Air Cushion unit as part of an Amphibious Operation that is assigned to another United States Navy ship nearby, referring to the USS Ashland (LSD-48), a vessel categorized as a Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship commissioned in the early 1990s.

The synchronization between the said ships has to provide the sufficient amphibious support and logistics capabilities that the United States Navy showcased in this exercise, especially this operation now includes a procedure that involves the insertion and deployment of a capable and complex air defense system from ship to shore, aiming to provide support between alliances in aiming to have a secured air defense umbrella.

FIRST PAC-3 PATRIOT MISSILE DEPLOYMENT TO THE COUNTRY

Amphibious Assault now includes deploying a battery of Patriot Missile Air Defense System from ship to shore. (c) Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.

Through the years, the Balikatan Exercise primarily focuses on amphibious operations that are limited to amphibious vessels, landing dock ships and marine personnel deployed from ship to shore, if not combined arms live fire exercise, or the not-so-discussed community aid and help on a small village near the combat practice sites that both the United States and Philippine militaries take part.

However, for this year's exercise, it will be a first time incidence that the United States Armed Forces will have an amphibious operation that involves a Patriot Missile Air Defense System landed on the beach, and for it to be deployed further in land, giving a significant portion of air defense for the Philippine airspace that augments the Philippine Air Force's SPYDER Ground-Based Air Defense System.

The said Patriot Missile Air Defense System came with PAC-3 munitions that can eliminate threats coming from incoming cruise missiles, advanced aircraft, and ballistic missiles, as this came with an advanced hit-to-kill technology that makes this capability possible, along with 43-mile (69.2018 kilometer) range that this advanced air defense system can reach throughout the 360-degree airspace that it covers, like in this case, the Northern portion of Luzon.

The said amphibious activity took place in Aparri, province of Cagayan in Northern Luzon, Philippines, which is roughly at around 600 kilometers from the island nation of Taiwan, a self-governing entity with a vibrant democracy whilst being threated by mainland China's desire of invading it as part of their policy of 'reunification' of both nations under the Communist Red Banner with 5 yellow stars that are being flown in Beijing.

While there is a long way to go for the Armed Forces of the Philippines regarding its efforts to improve its air defense as part of enhancing and further enforcing the defense of the country's Philippine Air Defense Identification Zone or PADIZ, an extra help from an ally in an event of a conflict like getting an air defense system landed on the beaches and getting deployed further in-land serving as reinforcement is appreciable, particularly as escalations from a regional power threatens the balance of order in the region.

COMBINED ARMS LIVE-FIRE EXERCISE

Four M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System or better known as HIMARS, deployed in Crow Valley Gunnery Range, Colonel Ernesto Ravina Air Base in Capas, Tarlac.
(c) Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.

One of the primary highlights of this whole 2022 Balikatan Exercise, the Combined Arms Live-Fire Exercise, comes with the most amount of firepower unleashed, ranging from ammunition coming off from Close Air Support Aircraft down to the artillery barrage provided by Multiple Launch Rocket Systems such as the four units of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System or HIMARS, as seen in an image above.

Speaking of the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System or HIMARS, there were talks regarding whether the Philippine Army should buy such a system for its use, wherein it highlighted an issue that the primary obstacle in attaining this option is that it the Armed Forces of the Philippines' tight budgetary requirements kept this from happening, and instead opting for alternatives such as the K-136 Kooryong from South Korea.

Aside from these sophisticated HIMARS that the United States Army deployed, other military assets that took part in this exercise include the AH-64 Apache Helicopter of the United States Armed Forces, A-29 Super Tucano Close Air Support Aircraft of the Philippine Air Force, CH-47 Chinook Helicopters of the United States Army, RCWS-equipped M-113s of the Philippine Army, several Humvee vehicles of the United States Army, UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopters, and military troops taking part from both sides.

Take note that both the AH-64 Apache Helicopter and the CH-47 Chinook Helicopters considered before for the Philippine Air Force's Attack Helicopter Acquisition Project and the Heavy Lift Helicopter Project, respectively. However, we all know that the leadership chose both the T-129 ATAK Helicopter of the Turkish Aerospace Industries and the Mi-171Sh from Russia, in which it is problematic given the current sanctions imposed by the West against Russia, because of the Russian-Ukraine War (ongoing at the time this article published).

As the Armed Forces of the Philippines modernize further, with the Horizon 3 getting implemented from 2023 to 2028, it will not be surprising that they will employ newer and more capable military assets in this exercise, as the whole point of it getting conducted is the interoperability of capabilities between both the Philippine and the United States Armed Forces, and to have a proper coordination between military units of both nations in an event that a conflict arise in the region.

BILATERAL AMPHIBIOUS LANDING AT CLAVERIA

Troops from the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC), seen disembarking from the brand new S-70i Blackhawk Helicopter of the Philippine Air Force. (c) Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.

Another highlight for this exercise is the Amphibious activity in Claveria, province of Cagayan, in Northern Luzon area with roughly 600 kilometers from the island nation of Taiwan, which faces the threat of invasion from the communist People's Republic of China and its forces from the People's Liberation Army, along with its naval branch and air force branch.

This activity includes a Tarlac-class Landing Platform Dock of the Philippine Navy, several of the KAAV-7s deployed by the Philippine Marine Corps, and the S-70i Blackhawk Helicopters of the Philippine Air Force (as imaged above transporting troops from the Philippine Marine Corps), as well the CH-53K Sikorsky King Stallion and MV-22B Ospreys (the ones that were mentioned earlier in this article), deployed by the United States Marine Corps, along with their troops as well.

In this simulation, the Armed Forces of the Philippines deployed many newer assets that are mentioned, especially that all of it resulted from the ongoing modernization program that will last until 2028 under Republic Act  10349, wherein these military hardware were basically nonexistent more than a decade ago, and the Philippine military troops typically riding along U.S. Military hardware at the early years of implementing the Balikatan Exercise.

Aside from that, both countries are benefiting in the interoperability, camaraderie, and, of course, the subject exchanges and military experiences between both Armed Forces as the troops that have taken part in the activity have learned a lot regarding getting together in the times of combat and also at the times of peace, especially now that chances of a heated conflict in the region is getting more likely through time.

Hence, this joint exercise is a friendly gesture of a growing military and diplomatic relationship between the Philippines and the United States, especially that both nations celebrate the 75 years of diplomatic relations since the former's independence from the latter, and also the 70th anniversary of the bilateral-agreed 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty that ensures the security and cooperation between both countries.

TO SURMISE THIS UP

A United States Air Force F-16 Multirole Fighter Jet took off from the runway of Basa Air Base in Pampanga. (c) Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.

The events that were discussed in this article are just some of the military activities that both the Philippine Armed Forces and their counterparts from the United States Armed Forces have conducted throughout the first part of the whole Joint Exercise Balikatan 2022, as there are more events to be covered on the second part of this article series, such as the Air Defense Training Mission exercise that involves military assets such as the F-16s (see image above).

Even with the events discussed all throughout this webpage, we can say that there are many things that took place, wherein it significantly help improves the diplomatic and military relationship between the Philippines and the United States, along with the importance of the former as part of the defense efforts of the latter in assuring the peace and stability in the region, particularly against the rise of another regional power like the People's Republic of China.

With the number of military personnel from both of the country's armed forces took part, along with the number of firsts that this year's Balikatan Exercises executed such as the deployment of Patriot Missiles north of the country, is a gesture that shows the alliances' resolve in adapting of ever-changing nature of threats, particularly that it took place in the area that is nearest to the island country of Taiwan, itself faced the threat of a Chinese invasion.

With from the resolve and the threats mentioned, the Joint United States-Philippine Exercise Balikatan 2022 gets more relevant than ever, as it may get the chance of increasing the number of military participants than the largest one it has to date, as well as the increasing use of various military hardware on both sides that emphasizes that interoperability that this exercise aims to have, alongside the increasing friendship and camaraderie between Philippine and U.S. troops.

To sum it up, the highlights of the exercise showcase the active participation of both sides regarding the different scenarios shown, from the sea to the shore, in the land and in the air, as well as in giving support to communities, in which several of these activities are to be covered in the second part of the article series, featuring this year's joint exercise between allies bound by the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty.

(c) 2022 PDA.

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India's Akash Air Defense Missile System Offer for the Philippine Navy

Some defense outlets have made rounds in reporting that three countries in Asia are interested in having an air defense system that has produced by a country like India, whose aspiration for defense arms exports is now getting set into motion. The Philippines, apparently, is one of those three countries said to be interested in obtaining this system.

IN THE NEWS

Akash Air Defense Missile System of the Indian Armed Forces. Image Source.

Three countries - Vietnam, United Arab Emirates, and the Philippines, have expressed their interest in procuring Akash Air Defense Missile System for their respective nation's air defense needs, as India ramps up its defense export needs after the success of its export sale to the Philippines for its BrahMos Anti-Ship Missile System.

This came after the Indian government recently approved the export of these indigenously made air defense systems, with it most likely to be an export variant intended for other countries that has expressed the interest in procuring them, as opposed to the ones currently in service within the Indian Armed Forces.

This shows India's aspirations in entering the Defense Export Market, competing with established industries originating from the United States, Russia, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, China, and others, wherein getting a significant portion will help boost their reputation as an arms exporter, while providing an industry that will help grow the domestic Indian economy in the long run.

Apparently, this air defense missile system is one of those systems being showcased for the Philippine Navy's Shore-Based Air Defense Missile System Acquisition Project, a fully different project and not to be confused with the Shore-Based Anti-Ship Missile System Acquisition Project that the BrahMos Aerospace's Anti-Ship Missiles won as the preferred system for the project.

In this article, we will purely discuss the development and background of the making of the Akash Air Defense Missile System, as well as providing its specifications and providing comparisons to the RAFAEL SPYDER Ground-Based Air Defense System that the Philippine Air Force will have in its inventory, and also an idea fully related to logistical and commonality of military defense platforms across the Armed Forces of the Philippines ecosystem.

INDIA'S DEFENCE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION

This Indian Postage Stamp defines India's Defence Research and Development Organisation as an entity.
Image Source.

Website: http://www.drdo.gov.in/

India's Defence Research and Development Organisation or known as the DRDO, is an entity that specializes in what its name describes for - research and development of Indian defense and military technology that can add or improve the country's effort to have its indigenous defense industry, focusing to the production of its own military assets and technological innovation similar to the United States' DARPA or Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Some of its known indigenously made products that have researched and developed as part of improving India's military capabilities include the well-known BrahMos Cruise Missile System, in which it was a fruit of a joint development between the DRDO and the Russian Defense Company NPO Mashinostroyeniya, with the BrahMos design clearly derives from the P-800 Oniks/Yakhont Missile system that produced from Russia. The BrahMos Missile System is the first export of an Indian-made defense product to a foreign country, with the Philippines as its first export customer of the missile system.

Aside from the BrahMos Missile System, DRDO also took part in researching and developing other indigenously made defense technology and military assets, as part of its efforts by the Indian Government in pursuing a reliable defense industry. The effort comes as a part of the greater "Make In India" initiative in improving its industry as a hub for producing different goods and products for their economic development, defense industry included. These include the LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) Tejas that are intended for both the Indian Air Force and Navy and helped provided key avionics for the Indian Air Force Su-30MKI. 

Also, they assist companies like the Hindustan Aerospace Limited in the development of their programs like the HAL Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter, in which this was currently being pushed for the Philippine Coast Guard as part of their offer, coming alongside with the Dornier Do-228 aircraft that is also included in the offer, as these are to be provided through a loan or what they say as a "line of credit" from India.

As many of the indigenous defense products that the Defence Research and Development Organisation has made to improve India's Defense Industry and in enhancing the capability of India's Armed Forces, it is at no doubt that India is now going outward to push defense equipment that are Made in India, now pitching their Akash Air Defense Missile System after the successful export of the BrahMos Missiles to a country like the Philippines.

DEVELOPMENT

Akash Prime test launch on 27 September 2021. (c) DRDO, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Akash Air Defense Missile System has inducted and entered the active Indian Military Service way back in 2007, at the time where multiple tests of the air defense system have made and showed its performance in the process in terms of accuracy, consistency, and reliability as these are the basis for both the Indian Air Force and Indian Army before officially getting the indigenously made system as part of their firepower capability.

While the induction has done in 2007, the indigenous development of what will be the Akash Air Defense Missile System has made two decades prior. Way back in the 1980s, India began indigenous development of a medium range air defense missile system that has sought as a replacement to the Soviet-era made SA-6 Gainful (2k12 Kub) air defense system, in which the Akash have apparently derived from this system that India primarily used during that time.

Given the resemblance between the Akash and the SA-6 Gainful, let us discuss the background of the latter, of which this was a 1960-era Soviet technology that was introduced into the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union in 1967 and has showcased in a Moscow military parade of the same year. This air defense system was both effectively used by Egypt and Syria in the 1973 Yom Kippur War against Israel, especially in the early days of the war.

As for the test flights, it took India at least a decade until the first ones have started in the 1990s, with enhancements and tweaks have ensured as part of the ongoing development of the indigenous air defense system primarily intended for the Indian Armed Forces, wherein it took them a decade and a half more before the first production and induction phase at around 2005/2007.

Currently, India's Defence Research and Development Organisation, along with the Indian Armed Forces, is still developing the Akash air defense missile system that multiple variants have produced since its induction in the mid-2000s and since then became part of the Indian Armed Forces' air defense system umbrella, now intending to export it to other countries like the Philippines.

SPECIFICATIONS

Akash Missile System's features and Physical Parameters.
Image Source.

Like any other air defense system configurations available such as Israel's SPYDER Ground-Based Air Defense System, the AKASH Air Defense Missile System setup comes with several batteries, each coming with its own quantity of Akash Missile Launchers and radar units, although it also comes with a Group headquarters that serves as a primary Command and Control Unit that oversees operation of each AKASH Air Defense Missile batteries deployed.

The Physical parameters provided on the screen grabbed part of the document above (accessible here), pertains to the AKASH Missile munition itself, wherein it has a diameter of 35 centimeters (converted) and a length of 582 centimeters (also converted). This means that the size of the AKASH Missile itself is larger than the Python Missile, with its 16 centimeter diameter and 310 centimeter length, while having a lighter weight coming at 105 kilograms compared to AKASH's 720 kilograms.

Likewise, the AKASH Missile munition itself, as compared to the "I-Derby Missile", still comes heavier as the latter comes with 118 kilograms, while keeping the same diameter size with the Python Missile at 16 centimeters and having a lengthy size at around 362 centimeters, although it is still smaller than the overall size that came with the AKASH Missile System munitions as its design has derived from Soviet-era technology compared to the modern technological design that goes with both Python and Derby Missiles (munitions that form the RAFAEL SPYDER Ground-Based Missile System).

As for the range, the AKASH Missile's integral Ram Rocket Propulsion has said to provide a thrusting range up to 25 kilometers, far less than the RAFAEL SPYDER MR (Medium Range) Ground-Based Air Defense System that has the approximate coverage of at least 40-60 kilometers. AKASH Air Defense Missile System's capabilities can be more comparable to the RAFAEL SPYDER SR (Short Range) variant that has the range of 20 kilometers, with the former having a slight advantage of only just 5 kilometers.

That being said, capability-wise, the RAFAEL SPYDER MR Ground-Based Air Defense System that the Philippine Air Force will get is far more capable than India's AKASH Air Defense Missile System that it offers to the Philippine Navy, wherein it will make more sense if the naval branch will just settle on the same air defense system made in Israel as this also comes with a practical approach in terms of logistics and interoperability.

WHAT REMAINS TO BE SEEN

Israel's RAFAEL SPYDER Ground-Based Air Defense System (GBADS), is just one of many offers made for the Philippine Navy's Shore-Based Air Defense System Acquisition Project. Image Source.

The deal that India offers for its AKASH Air Defense Missile System for the Philippine Navy falls under the said naval branch's Shore-Based Air Defense System Acquisition Project, which came with multiple offers from other suppliers that have taken part in the biddings, one of which includes the Israeli defense firm RAFAEL and its product the SPYDER Ground-Based Air Defense System or GBADS.

Speaking of SPYDER Ground-Based Air Defense System of Israel, it has successfully chosen by the Philippine Air Force for its Ground-Based Air Defense System Acquisition Project, giving RAFAEL access to the Philippine military and defense market, gaining a portion in the market in the process while providing their product that effectively improves the country's air defense system, giving a significant air cover in the national airspace.

The Shore-Based Air Defense System Acquisition Project of the Philippine Navy comes with the same aim as the Ground-Based Air Defense Acquisition Project of the Philippine Air Force, with the difference being the end-user of each project and if the Akash Air Defense Missile System became the preferable option, the defense system of choice that each of the military branches uses for their air defense capabilities and getting an effective air cover for the portion of the country's airspace.

However, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, like any other organization, are fond of having commonality between military assets, especially in employing systems in the field that benefit them regarding improvement of the logistics chain of spare parts and maintenance of each system, not to mention that the offer made by the Israeli firm RAFAEL counts as more modern, capable, and more sophisticated, than the India's AKASH Air Defense Missile System with its design derived from Cold War Soviet Tech.

It remains to be seen as to the outcome of this deal as India approved this deal for export and an offer for the Philippine Navy's Shore-Based Air Defense Acquisition Project, not to mention that India sees first successful export of its BrahMos Anti-ship missiles to the Philippine Navy, while it sees stiff competition with its competitors especially Israel's air defense system that is already being used by the people in the Philippine Air Force. 

(c) 2022 PDA.

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Knowing the Specifications of the HHI's Philippine Navy Corvette

The Philippine Navy Corvette Acquisition Project will be the largest project for the naval branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, surpassing the current capabilities and sophistication of its new Jose Rizal-class Frigates, in terms of firepower and threat detection.

The shipbuilder who built the will provide the said project will be the South Korean company Hyundai Heavy Industries, the conglomerate that also built the Jose Rizal-class Frigates.

IN THE NEWS

The prospect design of the Corvette Acquisition Project, patterned after the Hyundai Heavy Industries' HDC-3100 design. Hyundai Heavy Industries, image got via Naval News.

Last December 28, 2021, the Philippine Department of National Defense and Hyundai Heavy Industries signed the contract for the production and delivery of two units of warships under the Philippine Navy's Corvette Acquisition Project, which is one of the big-ticket projects that has successfully materialized under the Second Horizon of the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program (R.A. 10349).

This was after the Philippine Navy bid out the Acquisition Project to prospective bidders that have taken part in the project, with Hyundai Heavy Industries and Turkey's ASFAT being one of those participants, with their offers being the HDC-3100 design and the MiLGEM (Ada-class corvettes), respectively. Both of which have their separate discussions on this website, in which they are accessible by just clicking the links highlighted in red above.

With the contract now signed, we expect that both the Department of National Defense and Hyundai Heavy Industries, along with the officials from the Philippine Navy, will undertake the next process of the Acquisition Project, which is the Critical Design Review, wherein there will be some tweaks with the design, and it will be done with finishing touches before issuing the Notice to Proceed document, allowing the shipbuilder to start the work in manufacturing the ships, starting with a ceremonious steel cutting ceremony between the shipbuilder and the end-user of the upcoming vessels.

As for the Critical Design Review stage, we expect things to be smooth, given that some subcomponents of the new Corvettes are getting compatible or aligning to the specifications provided for the HDF-2600 design, or what is now the Jose Rizal-class Frigates. Also, the design improvements are getting tackled in this stage, with the completed and improved version serving as the reference for the shipbuilder like the Hyundai Heavy Industries to produce these vessels.

Since that the project has made it to this point, let us discuss the specifications of the HDC-3100 design, wherein we can say that the Corvettes will come as a more capable vessel packed with more firepower, as compared to the Jose Rizal-class Frigates that produced by the same shipbuilder, especially that these new ships will come with extra weaponry that are lacking or currently not found onboard the Philippine Navy's current sophisticated warships.

SPECIFICATIONS

The same CGI as the first one from Hyundai Heavy Industries, although it now comes with an infographic that points out potential subsystems, basing from logistical data and info from other defense outlets.

Note: The infographic content provided above isn't totally complete, as things may still change in Critical Design Review, regarding the subcomponents which either originated from existing subcomponents onboard the Jose Rizal-class Frigates as a reference (as this will make sense from a logistical and commonality point of view), and with other information originated from other defense outlets as specified in the infographic itself.

Update as of May, 5 2022: Hyundai Heavy Industries chose Israel Aerospace Industries' ALPHA 3D AESA radar for the Philippine Navy's primary radar system for the two new HDC-3100 Corvettes, of which it came in either 200 nautical mile or 400 nautical mile coverage (and this remains to be seen). Previously, the radar selection for the project was unknown, labeled on the infographic as an AESA 4D Radar. Check this article for reference use.

Given the infographic above, we observed that there are several subcomponents that are currently unavailable onboard the Jose Rizal-class Frigates will find its way to the new Corvettes, considering that the Corvette Acquisition Project itself does not have any provisions that will count a sensor system or weapons subcomponent as a "Fitted For, But Not With" or "FFBNW" item, a thing that the Jose Rizal-class Frigates have, wherein its current unavailable subcomponents may get bought separately.

The known subcomponents seen here, that are also seen onboard the Jose Rizal-class Frigates, are the 76mm Oto Melara Super Rapid Gun, with an older variant being the mainstay gun for both the Del Pilar-class Offshore Patrol Vessels and the Jacinto-class Patrol Vessels, and these three indigenously made South Korean subcomponents such as the Hanwha System's Naval Shield Integrated Combat Management System, LIGNex1 SSM-700K C-Star Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles, and K745 Blue Shark Torpedoes.

The interesting subcomponents that were added in the Corvette Acquisition Project, that are not available currently in the Jose Rizal-class Frigates, are the ASELSAN GOKDENIZ 35mm Close-In Weapons System (CIWS) from Turkey, and the 16-cell MBDA VL-MICA Vertical Launch System, both of which are helpful in adding necessary air defense for the two new warships of the Philippine Navy.

We will discuss these two aforementioned subsystems as we get along with this article, focusing more on its capabilities and specifications, while briefly discussing the developments surrounding these subsystems, although an in-depth discussion for both the GOKDENIZ CIWS and the MBDA ML-MIVA VLS, especially in its background, deserves its own separate discussion in a separate entry.

ASELSAN GOKDENIZ 35MM CLOSE IN WEAPONS SYSTEM (CIWS)

The Turkish-developed and produced Close-In Weapons System or CIWS. Image Source.

As one of many weapons subcomponents installed onboard the new HDC-3100 designed Corvettes of the Philippine Navy, the Turkish company ASELSAN plays a role in providing an essential defense weaponry that eliminates air threats like incoming drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and anti-ship missile, giving a layer of protection that keeps these sophisticated warship and its crew from harm of destruction and casualty.

Aside from eliminating incoming UAVs and anti-ship missiles, the GOKDENIZ 35mm Close-In Weapons System (CIWS) can eliminate enemy helicopters, fighters, and asymmetrical surface naval threats, at least coming from the brochure of ASELSAN and with these mentioned capabilities serving as a main selling point for the Turkish defense company intended for prospective customers that has seen interest in having this weapons system fitted onboard their warships.

Also, the GOKDENIZ 35mm Close-In Weapons System can eliminate threats coming from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or UAVs, as well as both subsonic and supersonic anti-ship missile threats that can pose the threat against the survival of the new Corvettes of the Philippine Navy and its crew onboard, as this system comes with an Automatic Linkless Ammunition Feed Mechanism as a feature, which it allows the loading of both HEI and Airburst Ammunition at the same time and switching between the said ammunition types as required.

The GOKDENIZ itself is a sea derivative of the Korkut Self-Propelled Air Defense Gun System, itself also developed by Turkish defense company ASELSAN for land-based air defense operations specifically for the Turkish Land Forces, in collaboration with another Turkish Defense Company FNSS Savunma Sistemleri, wherein the first units of such type were first produced in March 2017, and delivered to the Turkish Army in May 2018.

The Gokdeniz Close-In Weapons System (CIWS) comes with an automatic target tracking feature with an integrated tracking platform, which it includes a tracking radar and electro-optics sensors, with the optional configuration for a 3-D radar sensor installation wherein the air defense close-in weapons system can detect air targets at a range of up to 70 km.

The discussion of the Turkish Close-In Weapons System in-detail will provide in a separate article, as it will deal more with the development of the system and its timeline, detailed specifications, and other information that will specifically focus on this topic about the Turkish-made subcomponent that gets its way to the new Philippine Navy Corvettes.

16-CELL MBDA VL-MICA VERTICAL LAUNCH SYSTEM

A systems configuration of a 16-cell MBDA VL-MICA Vertical Launch System.
VL MICA MG is an improved derivative of the same family of Vertical Launch Systems. 
Image Source.

MBDA's VL-MICA Vertical Launch System is basically a sea-based version of the VL-MICA Ground-Based Air Defense System, which is a ground-based air defense variant of the MICA multi-mission air-to-air missile that is fitted onboard multirole fighter aircraft like the Rafale and the later variants of the Mirage 2000 Multirole Fighter Jets, both made by the French Aerospace Company Dassault Aviation. 

This comes with the similar concept of the Philippine Air Force's upcoming SPYDER Ground-Based Air Defense System from Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd, wherein the SPYDER GBADs are a variant of both Python and Derby missiles, both of which are air-to-air missile munitions produced by Rafael for the Israeli Air Force, all of which have developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd.

Aside from the Rafale and the later variants of the Mirage 2000 Multirole Fighter Jets of Dassault Aviation, the MICA multi-mission air-to-air missile can also fit onboard the SAAB JAS-39 Gripen Multirole Fighter Jets, of which it is one platform showcased for the Philippine Air Force's Multirole Fighter Jet Acquisition Program, which have no updates currently and may go more likely as a Horizon 3 project at the time this article has published.

MICA as an air-to-air missile munition started development in the 1980s by France's Matra Electronics, intended as a replacement for the R-550 Magic Short-Range Missile and the R-530 Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Missile, both of which have also developed by the said French company. MICA has abbreviated in French which, if translated, means "interception and aerial combat missile".

Like the Turkish GOKDENIZ Close-In Weapons System (CIWS), the MBDA VL-MICA 16-Cell Vertical Launch System serves as an additional layer of air defense system installed onboard the new Philippine Navy Corvettes, assuring that the ship and its crew gets fully protected against incoming threats from the air, ranging from other aircraft to anti-ship missiles. 

The in-detail information of the French-made Vertical Launch System will cover on a separate article, discussing its specifications, detailed information on its development, and variants made through the years since its introduction to the French Armed Forces, particularly the French Air Force.

OTHER KNOWN SUBCOMPONENTS

Specifications of the Jose Rizal-class Frigates. Correction: The design derived is from HDF-2600, and not HDF-3000. PDA/Max Defense.

This article will not be complete without discussing other subsystems that can be available on warships that are already in service with the Philippine Navy fleet, especially the ones found onboard the Jose Rizal-class Frigates, the base design that the HDF-3100 is now being derived from and both are designs from Hyundai Heavy Industries of South Korea.

Like the Jose Rizal-class Frigates, the HDC-3100 Corvettes that the Philippine Navy is about to have later on will come with LIGNex1 SSM-700K C-Star Anti-Ship Missiles, now comes at the 4x2 configuration or 8 anti-ship missile launch canisters, as opposed to only 4 launch canisters at 2x2 configuration that are found on the Jose Rizal-class Frigates. This means that the new Philippine Navy Corvettes came with more firepower that itself is a force reckoned with against naval threats at sea.

Another will be the SEA J+S Triple Torpedo Launchers, wherein it designs to load K-745 Blue Shark Torpedoes, produced by South Korea's LIGNex1, the same company that produces the SSM-700K C-Star anti-ship cruise missiles that were originally developed and made for improving the Republic of Korea Navy's firepower capabilities, with its export prospects now growing as this may likely came onboard the Philippine Navy corvettes based on easing logistics and keeping commonality of subcomponents across its naval vessels.

As for its Combat Management System, chances are likely that it will still be the Naval Shield Integrated Combat Management Systems of South Korea's Hanwha Systems, given that its integration on both the Jose Rizal-class Frigates and the Del Pilar-class Offshore Patrol Vessels, although it remains to be seen whether they will introduce either the Baseline 2 found on the Jose Rizal-class Frigates, or the newer Baseline 3 that Hanwha made as an improved variant of the Naval Shield family of Combat Management Systems.

Completing the list will be the mainstream Oto Melara Super Rapid 76mm gun that belongs to the Oto Melara family of main guns that are found on the primary warships of the Philippine Navy's Offshore Combat Force, Rigid-Hull Inflatable Boats or RHIBS that are available on the fleet's capital warships which include the Tarlac-class Landing Platform Docks, and typical S and X-Band Sharpeye navigational radars from Kevin Hughes.

WHAT REMAINS TO BE SEEN

A Jose Rizal-class Frigate taking part in Amphibious Operations as part of AJEX DAGIT-PA 2021.
Image Source.

The Philippine Navy is continuously pursuing its modernization efforts under the Navy Sail Plan 2028, although in a diminished form that only few big-ticket projects have passed through the procurement process and has guaranteed its materialization and implementation of the production and delivery process, such as in the case for the Corvette Acquisition Project and the Offshore Patrol Vessel Acquisition Project that is expected to be awarded to Austal shipbuilding from Australia.

This new corvette design from Hyundai Heavy Industries of South Korea, although derived from the HDF-2600 that the Jose Rizal-class Frigates based from, will be more sophisticated and will have more firepower than what the said brand new Frigates that the Philippine Navy currently has, giving an improvement for the maritime branch of the Philippine Armed Forces with regards on having capital warships in its fleet that has sufficient anti-ship, anti-submarine, and anti-air capabilities at its disposal.

Take note that once again, the design and subcomponents for the HDC-3100 Corvette Design of the Hyundai Heavy Industries will have finishing touches under the Critical Design Review, although most of the subcomponents, basing on commonality and easing logistical chain, will pattern to what the Jose Rizal-class Frigates currently have, now with additional armaments in its disposal like the Vertical Launch System and Close-In Weapons System and will not go as a separate item under typical FFBNW provisions.

For the other subcomponents that are counted as currently unknown, it will determine through time as defense updates will come in and add additional information on the overall composition of the HDC-3100 Corvette Design, as this will provide a clear picture for the capabilities of what will be the Philippine Navy's newest warships in its fleet upon entry into service a year or two from issuing Notice to Proceed documentation that starts production of the warships.

Now that a notice of award has provided to the Hyundai Heavy Industries, and a contract has signed between the South Korean shipbuilder and the Department of National Defense, it is only a matter of time to see the new Philippine Navy Corvettes taking shape and seeing its capabilities, as it will eventually gets introduced into the fleet as an active vessel that is capable to defend the country's national interest on both of its territorial and exclusive economic zone waters and domains like in the West Philippine Sea.

(c) 2022 PDA

First revision 5-5-2022.

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Additional S-70i Blackhawk Helicopters for the Philippine Air Force?

The last batch of the S-70i Blackhawk Helicopters has just arrived in the country from Poland's Sikorsky subsidiary plant of PZL Mielec. This completes the physical delivery of the Combat Utility Helicopters and will be part of the Air Force's desire to modernize its fleet of both rotary and fixed-wing aircraft in its inventory. What will it be with the leadership if it adds more of such type of helicopters to its operations?

IN THE NEWS

One of two S-70i Blackhawk Helicopters assigned in Zamboanga City's Edwin Andrews Airbase.

The Philippine Air Force inventory of S-70i Blackhawk helicopters has just boosted to its completion as the last batch of five units of the Combat Utility Helicopter disembarked from the Antonov An-124 Ruslan cargo freighter aircraft which was operated by an Ukranian airline of the same name.

It comprises the 16-unit Combat Utility Helicopter Acquisition Project that the Philippine Air Force bought from Sikorsky Helicopters, made in Poland through a Sikorsky subsidiary known as PZL Mielec. Sikorsky Helicopters itself is a subsidiary of the American defense firm Lockheed Martin, the company that produces C-130 cargo aircraft and F-16 Fighters, both of which are currently being offered to the Philippine Air Force.

In relation to this, there were reports that the Philippine Government gave a go-signal to the procurement of additional S-70i Blackhawk Helicopters for the Philippine Air Force to use, although it was uncertain from that time whether to buy just 15 units of these Combat Utility Helicopters, or to buy 32 more units as what the Secretary of National Defense said on the report that might bring the total number of S-70i Blackhawk helicopters to 48 units.

As the geographical nature of the Philippines and its land area have shown, one can really say and with mere common sense that 16 Blackhawk Helicopters aren't enough to cover all the combat utility operations of the Philippine Air Force, at least if we limit it to this type of helicopters and not to account the other Combat Utility Helicopters that the air branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines possesses, such as the UH-1 Huey and Bell 412 Helicopters.

That being said, this topic will discuss the in-depth perspective of the viability of having additional S-70i Blackhawk Helicopters of the Philippine Air Force by gathering as much data as possible from multiple fully credible sources and to connect the dots from that point down to the tiny, significant detail which will give a glimpse on how will this idea go to the air branch, as far as its importance is concern.

THE COMPOSITION OF COMBAT UTILITY HELICOPTERS WITHIN PAF

The Philippine Air Force, aside from the S-70i Blackhawk Helicopters, also have both Bell 412s and Bell UH-1 Combat Utility Helicopters, each coming with its own capabilities and concerns. Image Source.

Before the S-70i Blackhawk Combat Utility Helicopters entered service within the Philippine Air Force, most of the asset that comprised this category are usually the Bell UH-1 Iroquois (Huey) Helicopters that were traced back from 1960s/1970s during the height of the Vietnam War, or the succeeding ones that derived from the original UH-1 Iroquois design, such as the Bell 412EP Helicopters (or the Canadian C-146 Griffon, as seen in the image above).

Just recently, last October 15, 2021, the Philippine Air Force decommissioned its 10 UH-1D Iroquois (Huey) Helicopters, effectively dropping them from active service. The primary attributes that have led to the decisions are the following - first, the Philippine Air Force saw another accident involving a helicopter of this type, and second is more of the S-70i Blackhawk Helicopters are entering the service, effectively replacing these UH-1Ds that the Philippine Air Force categorize as an "interim" service platform.

Currently, based on the information provided from Flightglobal website on world air force composition for the year 2021, the Philippine Air Force currently has at least eight (8) Bell 412EPs, twenty-three (23) UH-1H/D Huey Helicopters, and eight (8) Bell 205  (still basically counted as Bell UH-1H) Combat Utility Helicopters. This comes alongside the prospective number of S-70i Blackhawks of sixteen (16) units, totalling overall to 55 Combat Utility Helicopters, and this does not account for the 10 decommissioned UH-1Ds, along with the UH-1H crash that took place January 2021 (since the Flightglobal data was last updated from the year 2020), lowering it down to at least 44 units left.

The plan of buying 32 additional units of S-70i Blackhawk Helicopters, if pushed through, will give an overall number of Combat Utility Helicopter units in the Philippine Air Force up to the total of at least 76 unit helicopter fleet, a significant boost for the air branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and its desire in boosting up the numbers of combat utility helicopters that are helpful in both combat and peacetime operations, especially in humanitarian help and disaster response.

As operating an older fleet of aircraft comes with increasing expenses on maintenance, repair, and operations itself, it is just logical to go after newer assets, provided that there are budgetary resources that will allow a procurement of that large scale to happen. With this, it is interesting to see the recent actions from the people in the Department of National Defense, as well as within the Armed Forces of the Philippines, in the development that represents an idea of adding more S-70i Blackhawks in the Air Force.

DEVELOPMENTS

A batch of five (5) S-70i Blackhawk Helicopters of the Philippine Air Force delivered in the country.
Image Source.

In this latest video, as the Department of National Defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana reported before President Duterte dated November 15, 2021, he detailed his visit to Poland and his itinerary being related to the S-70i Blackhawk Helicopters, which he provided information that the Philippine Air Force, through the Department of National Defense, has set a new order for 32 additional said Polish-made, American-designed Combat Utility Helicopters, alongside the 16 units that were recently delivered.

This has seen as a good news, following-up the report from February that the Philippine Government has given a go-signal on the purchase of these additional Blackhawk Helicopters, allowing the boost of the number of Combat Utility Helicopters in the Philippine Air Force inventory, effectively making the S-70i Blackhawks as the mainstay Combat Utility Helicopter platform of the air branch with an overall number of 48 units.

The numbers provided may simply replace the UH-1H/D Iroquois (Huey) Helicopters as the most commonly used Combat Utility Helicopter platform in the Philippine Air Force once pushed through, and as this trend continues, it may help the air branch to replace the older Helicopter platforms eventually, while boosting its capabilities up that effectively helps deploy troops, supplies, and services in times of conflict and natural calamities.

While the announcement made by the Secretary of National Defense counts as good news, it remains to be seen on how far will this push through, as the process of documentation, budgeting, U.S. Government approval, and other factors can still determine the outcome and there may be changes along the way without notice such as any sudden cancellation of the project, or reduction of the number of units bought.

It is interesting to see how far the project will go, especially with the Secretary of National Defense reported that a new order for additional S-70i Blackhawk Helicopters has set up, although additional details related to financing and other important indicators for this development may go provided in a future update of added information.

ASSIGNMENT ON DIFFERENT AIRBASES

Two (2) assigned S-70i Blackhawk Helicopters flying over Zamboanga International Airport Terminal.
(c) Western Mindanao Command, FB Page

Just recently, the Philippine Air Force assigned these newly purchased Combat Utility Helicopters in some of its air bases scattered across the country, four of which are currently deployed under the area of responsibility (AOR) of the Eastern Mindanao Command (EASTMINCOM). 

These are in both the Tactical Operations Wing-Eastern Mindanao Davao Air Station in Barangay Sasa, Davao City and the Tactical Operations Group regional headquarters at Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro. Both of the Philippine Air Force installations get two S-70i Blackhawk Helicopters each, forming the four-unit composition under the Eastern Mindanao Command's AOR.

Another pair of S-70i Blackhawk Helicopters is also being deployed in Western Mindanao Command's area of responsibility, particularly in Zamboanga City's Edwin Andrews Airbase (EAAB, see image above). This means that there are at least six (6) out of sixteen (16) units of the newly purchased Blackhawk Helicopters that are put into different units of the Philippine Air Force assigned to the country's southernmost island group of Mindanao.

Just as with any other air assets deployed in these airbases that the Philippine Air Force has scattered in the country, the S-70i Blackhawk Helicopters will become a common sight for people, in the same manner that the UH-1 Huey Helicopters being a common sight as it operates routinely. This, although, comes with a hope that more may get added in these respective airbases for the years to come, especially with plans now on the pipeline.

This comes with a realization and a fact that having 16 units of Blackhawk Helicopters is still insufficient, with the plans of having 32 more Blackhawk Helicopters being a much-needed commitment for the current administration to carry, especially that having these newer platforms may allow the retirement of the older UH-1 Huey Combat Utility Helicopters that are still in service today.

THE CATCH

Some of the S-70i Blackhawk Helicopters sitting in an airbase. Image Source.

It is an achievement for both the Philippine Air Force and the Department of National Defense that all S-70i Blackhawk Helicopters purchased under the Combat Utility Helicopter Acquisition Project have gotten delivered successfully, despite that there was one unit that involved in a nighttime testing mission crashed near Capas, Tarlac, leaving no survivors at all and it resulted to the temporary grounding of the rest of the Blackhawks.

Aside from the 32-unit acquisition that the Philippine Air Force and the Department of National Defense recently discussed with the representatives of the Sikorsky subsidiary in Poland (PZL Mielec), there is an alternative plan, wherein the national security advisor of the current administration way back February 2021 discussed an acquisition of at least 15 units of S-70i Blackhawk Helicopters, almost half of the recent numbers provided.

Either the 32-unit acquisition or the 15-unit alternative that the national security advisor provided will improve the number of Combat Utility Helicopters that the Philippine Air Force is having, especially that it needs a lot of this rotary air platforms not only in deploying troops in areas of combat in the name of national defense, but also on humanitarian help and disaster response into areas affected by natural calamities in which such helicopters are very useful.

With this, it is interesting to see the outcome of the proposal, especially with the 32-unit proposal now setting into motion, as documentation and paperwork is still to be written for this plan to be materialized, and the eventual agreements of both sides for the project is still to be seen as there are still changes that might happen along the way as a way for both the seller and the buyer to benefit from the deal.

In the end, it will still be at the table of both the Philippine Air Force and the Department of National Defense regarding how far this project will go as far as planning and materialization is concern, although the numerical data provided still presents the fact that air assets like the Combat Utility Helicopters needs to be added more, as the air force's logistical requirements for both HADR and troops/supplies deployment increases.

(c) 2021 PDA.

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