Philippine Coast Guard's Interest in Procuring HAL Dhruv Mk-3 Helicopter

Most of the discussions that we made about the Philippine Coast Guard usually talk about the ships the agency purchased and added to its fleet of white-hulled maritime enforcement vessels. Not to mention that we also discussed some other stuff that deals with the agency's desire to modernize further in terms of building additional facilities and improving its overall maritime domain awareness capabilities.

This one will deal with India's offer that aims to strengthen relations of both countries in a way that they provide it for the Philippine Coast Guard to consider as it improves their air unit to implement maritime surveillance, search and rescue, and maritime enforcement.

INFORMATION FROM AN INDIAN DEFENSE OUTLET

India Coast Guard's Dhruv Mk. 3 Helicopter, produced
locally by HAL. (c) Arjun Sarup, Planespotters

The first glimpse of this information came from an Indian defense outlet known as The Defenstar, citing their source to a certain Saurav Jha, wherein they detailed the Philippine Coast Guard's desire in buying at least seven (7) units of Dhruv Mk 3 helicopter and eight (8) locally produced Dornier Do-228s, both of which were built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited or known by its abbreviation HAL.

This deal is said to be funded through a line of credit that India has provided to the Philippines, which is basically a form of soft loan that the Philippines can avail of with India shouldering the cost of procuring these said assets, with the payables will be done according to the terms that both sides agreed in settling the loan used in procuring these assets.

The variant that the Indians have offered here for the Dhruv Helicopter will be the one specified for the coast guard use such as the one seen in the image above, wherein such variant is also active in use within the Indian Coast Guard air unit, with the aircraft fitted with sensors onboard that will be discussed further along the length of this article dealing the topic.

There are other variants of the Dhruv Helicopter that is served in other services within and outside India, with the Indian Armed Forces being the primary user of such aircraft as all of the branches obtain these helicopters for their respective use, coming with different requirements that satisfy the needs that the Indian Army, Air Force, and Navy to operate.

In this topic, we will be dealing more with the Helicopter offer that the Indians have offered to the Philippine Coast Guard, with the topic about the Do-228s will have their own discussion and details as these different assets came with different purposes and operational requirements shall the maritime law enforcement agency consider these assets for their own use.

THE DEVELOPMENT

A HAL Dhruv Helicopter of the Indian Coast Guard situated
onboard its Offshore Patrol Vessel. Image Source.

The HAL Dhruv Helicopter family is considered the first indigenously built helicopter made by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, an achievement made by a company that produces multiple indigenously produced aeronautical products, alongside the license-built capabilities that the company obtains, all of which primarily serves the purpose to provide the Indian Armed Forces it's needs.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited developed the platform as an "Advanced Light Helicopter" with a 5.5-ton weight class, which is basically like other light helicopters such as the Airbus H145 Helicopters that the Philippine Coast Guard obtains, albeit that the HAL Dhruv is capable of carrying more as opposed to the H145's 3.7 tons maximum takeoff weight or MTOW.

Its development program, known as the Advanced Light Helicopter Development Project, started in 1984 with the slow pace in its overall progress that the first prototype under the program successfully made its maiden flight in the year 1992, eight years since the development began.

It took another eight years for the HAL Dhruv's mass production to begin, as the implementation took throughout the period is plagued with multiple delays, with factors pointed on the design's construction to issues involving concerns on the lack of budget, as well as political-related ones, although the manufacturer managed to get through the situation and successfully filled orders of the Indian Armed Forces for the helicopter project.

Since then, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited started to export its helicopter to countries like Ecuador, which it was considered the first customer and also the one that experienced the shortcomings of the HAL Dhruv (as we will discuss in this article), along with other countries such as the Maldives and Nepal, as well as a deal struck with the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in exporting the helicopters worldwide.

With the success of the HAL Dhruv as India's first indigenously-built helicopter, they managed to build an attack helicopter derivative that has based on this platform, naming as the HAL Rudra Attack Helicopter, wherein it came with armaments such as a 20mm turret gun, 70mm Rocket System, and air-to-air missiles, with preferences based from the requirements of the Indian Armed Forces.

The years of development and production has proven that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is somewhat capable of producing India's primary indigenous-built helicopters, let alone producing its indigenous aircraft like the HAL Tejas Light Combat Supersonic Fighter, as the premier aerospace company of the country aspires to improve and incorporate its design, along with its usual production of licensed copies of foreign-designed aircraft that the Indian Armed Forces needs.

THE COMPANY

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is also producing license-built
aircraft for the Indian Air Force, such as the Sukhoi Su-30MKI,
as seen in the image. Source.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in itself is India's primary aerospace industry, specialized in building military and civilian aircraft for the Indian Armed Forces such as its Air Force, as well as the country's maritime law enforcement agencies like the Indian Coast Guard, now with an aspiration of expanding beyond India and get a significant portion of the world's aerospace market.

The company started on December 23, 1940, as the Hindustan Aircraft Limited in Bangalore, India (which was still considered as the British Raj at that time),  when it was incorporated by Shri Walchand Hirachand, along with the then Government of Mysore, as they aspire in building a whole new industry of manufacturing aircraft in the country, bearing its fruit even to the present day.

The Government of India eventually became its primary shareholder in 1942, and eventually under the administrative control of the Indian Government's Ministry of Defence, basically making it a government-owned entity specialized in aerospace production, a setup normally seen in other countries like South Korea's Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Turkey's Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI).

The other company named Aeronautics India Limited became a company fully incorporated as an entity 100% owned by the Indian Government in 1963 and became a licensed manufacturer of the iconic, Soviet-designed Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-21 fighter aircraft, as it became the primary mainstay fighter of the country throughout the Cold War and became the foundation for the company of getting licensed copies for local production up to present like in the case of the Sukhoi Su-30MKI it produces for the Indian Air Force (see image above).

A current iteration of the company didn't exist until 1964, the year when both the Hindustan India Limited and Aeronautics India Limited were merged as one entity by the Indian Government, which since then expanded its program in producing licensed build aircraft while developing new designs at the same time, even to the extent that it participated in the space programs that the Indian Government initiated through the Indian Space Research Organization or ISRO.

As of the year 2020, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is producing the SU-30 MKI, LCA & DO-228 aircraft and ALH-Dhruv, Chetak, Cheetal & LCH Helicopters, two of which are offered to the Philippine Coast Guard as India's way of improving its ties with the Philippines, whilst giving an aspiration of improving the air unit of the country's maritime law enforcement agency.

More detailed and in-depth information about the history and activities of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited can be found on their website at this link highlighted here, with an archived version of the webpage be seen at https://archive.is/wCmKE, or through Wayback Machine at https://web.archive.org/web/20210909070507/https://hal-india.co.in/Our%20History/M__111.

SPECIFICATIONS

Details of the HAL Dhruv's composition and specification. Image Source (mirror).

To fill up the gaps unspecified in the table above, as well as to give details on the armaments mentioned, let it be noted once again that the Maximum Take-Off Weight or MTOW of the HAL Dhruv Mk.3 is at 5.5 tons, or around 3 tons more than the helicopter's empty weight of 2.55 tons while the Mk.4 variant has the Maximum Take-Off Weight of 5.8 tons, a small increase in capacity than its predecessor.

As to the armaments, on the other hand, it is a feature that can be seen with the Indian Armed Forces' HAL Rudra Attack Helicopter, which is basically an armed variant of the HAL Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter, although it can still be counted as part of the specifications provided for the HAL Dhruv Helicopter since both share similar design features and structure.

Translated as "Pole Star" in India, the HAL Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter came with capabilities such as having a range of 700 kilometers or 377.97 Nautical Miles upon conversion (or 630 kilometers/340.17 Nautical Miles for the Mk3 variant), which it can travel further as opposed to the AH-6 light helicopter that only has 430 kilometers range or 232.18 Nautical Miles, or the TAI T-129 Attack Helicopter with its 537 kilometers or 290 nautical miles range, given the Dhruv's role as a utility helicopter that the Philippine Coast Guard is offered by the Indians.

Also worth mentioning is the maximum and cruising speeds of the HAL Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter, wherein it came with 292km/hour and 265km/hour, respectively. Its maximum speed is at par with the AW-159 Wildcat Helicopters of the Philippine Navy with a rate of 291km/hour, while it surpassed the AH-6  light helicopter with maximum and cruising speeds of 282km/h and 250km/h, respectively. It also surpassed the heavier Mil Mi-171 helicopter that the Philippine Air Force considers, with maximum and cruising speeds of 250km/h and 240km/h, respectively. The latter's comparison is a no-brainer, given the proportion of the helicopter's weight with the engine capacity that can influence its overall speed (power to weight ratio).

Talking about the engines, the earlier variants were fitted with 2x Turbomeca TM 333-2B2 turboshaft engines, a French-made Turboshaft engine made by the company of the same name (Turbomeca), now known as Safran Helicopter Engines, a subsidiary under Safran Group. The same type of engine was also used for both helicopters made by Eurocopter (now a subsidiary under Airbus Helicopter) -  the Eurocopter Dauphin and Eurocopter Panther.

In the case of the HAL Dhruv Mk.3 and Mk.4, their engines that form their powerplant is the Shakti Engine, itself derived from Safran's Ardiden 1H1 turboshaft engines made by the same manufacturer as the Turbomeca TM 333-2B2 turboshaft engines, produced in license by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the HAL Dhruv Helicopter variants specified herein. 

The Shakti Engine runs at 12% more power than its predecessor at around 1,400shp to 2,000shp (shaft horsepower), comparing to the TM-333-2B2 turboshaft engines that run only at around 999shp. 

To surmise this up, HAL Dhruv's design is capable of taking the following mission roles and requirements ranging from passenger transport to search and rescue operations, along with casualty evacuation and logistic air support that are all in line with the operations and mandate of the Philippine Coast Guard as a maritime law enforcement organization.

DHRUV VARIANTS

The HAL Dhruv Mk3 is seen as an improvement over its
two predecessors. Indian Coast Guard, via Wikimedia Commons.

As with other aircraft designs, the HAL Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter comes with multiple variants and iterations, wherein improvements and upgrades were introduced with each variant get enhanced and integrated into the production line, with a newer helicopter variant introduced gets better capabilities than the previous one as it came with features that its predecessors didn't have.

There are two main groups of variants or versions that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has in their manufacturing of the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter, which is the military and civilian variants, of which each group has its own sets of variants with improvements introduced as newer ones were developed and integrated into the production line.

On the military group, there are at least four variants of Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter that were produced by the mentioned Indian airspace and defense company, which are the known Mk.1, Mk.2, Mk.3, and Mk.4, whilst the civilian group has Dhruv (C), Dhruv (CFW), Dhruv (CS), and the Garuda Vasudha geophysical-oriented Advanced Light Helicopter.

Just as reported by Defenstar, the Philippine Coast Guard is opting to have the HAL Dhruv Mk.3 Advanced Light Helicopter as this is also the one in-service in the Indian Coast Guard air unit. Take note that this Dhruv Mk.3 Helicopter is specialized in Coast Guard operations like this one undertaking trials in the Indian Coast Guard, wherein it was tested with its performance before being accepted into the Indian maritime law enforcement organization.

The first of the Mk.3 HAL Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters were handed over to the Indian Army in 2011, with the Indian Air Force followed suit in 2012 as they received the first batch of Dhruv ALH Mk.3, consisting of 10 units. The recent Indian Coast Guard composition of Mk.3 Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters, referencing this linked reference at the time of this article's posting, consists of eight active units with plans to purchase 14 more units.

Speaking of Coast Guard choices, the Mk.3 variant of the Dhruv Helicopter that the Indian Coast Guard currently obtains, and the one that the Philippine Coast Guard considers, is the one specialized for maritime operations that both maritime law agencies share. 

We are referring to the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv Mk.3 MR variant that comes with an electro-optical sensor onboard the unit, along with a surveillance radar installed onboard that is capable of detecting and identifying marine vessels at its maximum coverage of 120 nautical miles, wherein it increases the capability of a coast guard in terms of detecting any maritime-related threats that endanger the country's maritime security.

OTHER EXPORT CUSTOMERS AND ISSUES

Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter of the Ecuadorian Air Force,
first export made by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
(c) Wikimedia Commons.

Aside from India, several Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters were exported to several countries by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. One of those countries is Ecuador, which the Indian aerospace company considered its first export customer of the helicopter. They have several issues with the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters obtained in the inventory that prompted them to decommission it from service recently.

Talking back about Ecuador, the country's air force encountered problems with the Dhruv Helicopters that potential users like the Philippine Coast Guard needs to be aware of. Since Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's first delivery of Dhruv Helicopters to the Ecuadorian Air Force, four crashes took place during the period that it took the lives of three military personnel and injured several more.

It has been said that two out of four said crashes are due to mechanical defects seen in the helicopter, which compelled the Ecuadorian Government to ground the remaining Dhruvs in its fleet and end the contract it has with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. Aside from the mechanical defects, securing spare components for the Indian-made helicopters from the manufacturer was also proven to be problematic.

The problems that Ecuador faced are something that an agency like the Philippine Coast Guard needs to consider. Add to that the fact that the agency already operates a handful of Airbus H145 Helicopters in its air fleet. Nevertheless, the Philippine Coast Guard's interest in obtaining an air asset like the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited may still add the capabilities that its air unit needs.

Aside from India and Ecuador, other countries are also using the Indian-made helicopter in their respective agencies. One of those is the country of Mauritius, where both of its military and civilian law enforcement units (police) obtain the HAL Dhruv Helicopter in their respective fleets. Including in the user's list are the Peruvian and Turkish Health Services.

Maldives' National Defense Force, Nepalese Army Air Service, and the Israel Defense Ministry (one under lease) are also using the Dhruv Helicopter for their respective purposes. This equates to eight countries having these helicopters, involving 18 agencies of different military and civilian organizations that utilize these helicopters.

To summarize this up, the number of users that obtain HAL Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters in their fleet and the mishaps that the Ecuadorian Air Force took before removing them all from service are just some of the considerations that the Philippine Coast Guard may take.

WHAT REMAINS TO BE SEEN

Philippine Coast Guard's Airbus H145 Helicopter. 
From Scramble Magazine.

Currently, the Philippine Coast Guard gets a handful of Airbus H145 Helicopters in its air unit. These helicopters augment the operation of its Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) and Multirole Response Vessels (MRRVs) in upholding the mandate of the Philippine Coast Guard as a maritime law enforcement agency. Getting them is essential for the agency's search and rescue operations on the high seas.

One might think that adding a different type of helicopter makes logistics complicated. This isn't the case for the HAL Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter, as this came with a higher tonnage maximum takeoff weight than the Airbus H145 Helicopters. The said higher MTOW was the basis in choosing HAL Dhruv ALH as the alternative helicopter for the project.

While this helicopter is being considered, the accidents that occurred in the Ecuadorian Air Force involving this type of helicopter needs to be considered by decision-makers. This can be justified especially given that the Ecuadorian Air Force obtained an earlier variant of the HAL Dhruv ALH while the Philippine Coast Guard might be getting an improved variant of the said helicopter.

With this progress report on the pace that the Philippine Coast Guard takes on its modernization efforts, we may say that it is laudable that they are getting newer assets left and right. Multirole Response Vessels and several Coastal Radar Station outposts from Japan, an Offshore Patrol Vessel from France, and Airbus H145 helicopters are some fruits made from this endeavor they pursue.

It remains to be seen whether the outcome is favorable to this plan and proposal or not since the final decision lies within the leadership of the Philippine Coast Guard. Nevertheless, the consideration of adding at least seven (7) HAL Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters in its air unit is a significant gain for the organization's maritime law enforcement capabilities.

(c) 2021 PDA.

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The BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701) of the Philippine Coast Guard

The Philippine Coast Guard recently experienced unprecedented growth in its fleet, so much so that it saw a significant increase in the number of ships that are being commissioned in its fleet, especially with these vessels produced and originated from these two countries, naming France and Japan.

Speaking of Japan, it is now currently building the largest ship that the Philippine Coast Guard will soon be operating, and it will surpass the current flagship that the agency has in its fleet.

THE LAUNCH

The MRRV-9701 before launch. This is now named the
BRP Teresa Magbanua. Image Source.

Just last July 26, 2021, the Philippine Coast Guard's newest and largest vessel that will be delivered to its fleet was just launched from Japan's Mitsubishi Shipbuilding facility in Shimonoseki Shipyard in the City of the same name, Yamaguchi Prefecture, situated in the country's Southwestern portion of its main island of Honshu.

This is one of the two 97-meter Multirole Response Vessels or MRRVs that the Philippine Coast Guard ordered from Japan, which was done through the help of aid from the Japan International Cooperation Agency or JICA, wherein these vessels, aside from the ten (10) units that comprise the Parola-class Multirole Response Vessels, will be transacted through a soft loan via Japan's Official Development Assistance or ODA.

Given its size, it is said that it will surpass the currently largest white-hulled ship on the Philippine Coast Guard, which is the French-made BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV-8301), an 84-meter Offshore Patrol Vessel made by the shipbuilder OCEA and currently serves as one of the largest aluminum-hulled vessels in service and also a stepping stone for the agency that will allow them to operate larger vessels like the one we featured in this article.

As we discussed before on this website, the warship's design was based on the Kunigami-class ships that are currently in service with the Japan Coast Guard, with minor variations in the specifications and the dimensions provided that will be discussed in detail along in this article, as we give information on those variations that define these Multirole Response Vessels that are being built for the Philippine Coast Guard.

In this topic, we are providing additional information and updated details about this big-ticket project of the Philippine Coast Guard, as adding two more large ships to their fleet is considered a highly significant investment for the agency to have, especially now that additional patrols of the country's maritime coastline and enforcement of the country's Maritime Domain Awareness are needed.

RECALL

A Kunigami-class Offshore Patrol Vessel of the Japan Coast Guard.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Before discussing the updates involving this new warship that the Philippine Coast Guard will be having, it is worth recalling and getting an overview from a previously written article about this acquisition project of the agency for the 94-meter Multirole Response Vessels, in which this was written in full in this article entitled "Knowing the Soon-to-Have Kunigami-class Multirole Response Vessels of the Phil. Coast Guard", written April 12, 2020.

In the stated article, it was discussed the history of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as a company, wherein it started back when Japan experienced its industrial transformation,  with the establishment of its own shipyard in 1857 and since then helped Mitsubishi improved its expertise in the local shipbuilding business, helping Japan built its military and civilian vessels, which include Coast Guard vessels like the Kunigami-class.

It was also discussed about the Kunigami-class Offshore Patrol Vessels served in the Japan Coast Guard, wherein this was commissioned into their fleet way back in 2012 with 18 ships were built by multiple Japanese shipbuilding companies, including Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd, the entity responsible for the modification and construction of an enhanced variant derived from the original Kunigami-class intended for the Philippine Coast Guard.

Completing the article, the procurement of the Parola-class Multirole Response Vessels was briefly discussed, given that both the 44-meter Parola-class and the 94-meter Multirole Response Vessels were all funded under the Japanese Official Development Assistance or ODA, wherein it is a soft loan that the Philippine government will be paying at a payable through a certain time period as discussed by both sides before the implementation of both acquisition projects for the Philippine Coast Guard.

This gesture made by the Japanese in providing both the Parola-class and the 94-meter Multirole Response Vessel, as well as their reputation in building capable ships for both civilian and military uses, makes the Philippine Coast Guard a more capable beneficiary that will have these badly-needed white-hulled vessels, especially at these dire times that China is flexing its large Coast Guard Vessels big time in the West Philippine Sea.

UPDATED SPECIFICATIONS

The project profile of the larger Japanese Multirole Response Vessels. From PCG/JICA.

The larger, 94-meter Multirole Response Vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard is considered part of the greater Maritime Safety Capability Improvement Project for the Philippine Coast Guard, wherein the 10-unit, 44-meter long Parola-class Multirole Response Vessels were included and funded under this project, visualized in Phase 1 of the project as opposed to the Phase 2 of the project.

Comparing the project profile from the partial specifications provided in our previous article, there is not much of a change between the two, with the notable exception of its length that increased to 96.6 meters (rounded to 97 meters) from the original length of 94 meters, and a significant increase in the personnel complement, now with the combined number of officers and crew of around 67 people as opposed from the original's 57 people.

The rest of the specifications are retained from the original one, although additional information has been provided in the project profile that is not available from the original one, like the sea state survivability of the ship's hull that is capable of operating in the roughest waters that takes place in the high seas, notably the Sea States 6 and 7, the same ones that a capable ship like the Jose Rizal-class Frigates will take (although some reports indicate that it will take up to Sea State 5).

Other information provided in the project profile is the loan amount, contract cost for consulting services, and contract for shipbuilding purposes, amounting to Php 7,557,057,981.88; Php 170,086,389.41; and Php 6,682,175,243.78; respectively, all of which were converted from Japanese Yen to Philippine Peso as of August 20, 2021, with the exchange rate of Php 1.00 = JPY 2.18.

To wrap this up, Japan's Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. has provided some of the welcoming tweaks in the project, making it a bit longer than the initial design and even the original design that made Japan Coast Guard's Kunigami-class Offshore Patrol Vessels, as well as the capability of carrying more people on board, particularly on its added capacity of taking 36 survivors that is essential for it as a rescue vessel platform.

NAMING CONVENTION AND THE SHIP'S NAMESAKE

Since the entry of the BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV-8301) in the Philippine Coast Guard's white-hulled fleet as an active vessel, the maritime enforcement organization practiced the use of female heroines in naming their large vessels, such as the lead ship of the Philippine Coast Guard seen above with a name engraved on her stern, determining that the ship is the BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701), the lead ship of the Magbauna-class Multirole Response Vessels.

The first Japanese-made 97-meter ship produced for the Philippine Coast Guard, to provide some glimpse of the history of its naming, was named after a revolutionary hailed in Iloilo province named Teresa Magbanua, born October 13, 1868, as a daughter of Don Juan Magbanua, a judge who sat on the Court Instance of Iloilo City, and Doña Alejandro Ferraris, the daughter of Captain Benito Ferraris.

She was known as the "Visayan Joan of Arc" when she rallied her troops on horseback against the Spanish forces at the Battle of Barrio Yoting, situated in Pilar, Capiz, resulting in her force's victorious fight as part of her contributions to the revolution that took place in Iloilo province under her uncle, Major General Perfecto Poblador, and the Katipunan revolutionary army of Iloilo during those times.

Her contribution to the revolutionary is also clearly shown in the Philippine-American war and eventually against the Japanese occupation in the Philippines, wherein she joined her brothers that were ranking officers at that time in defending Iloilo province against the Americans at that time, while indirectly fighting the Japanese in her later life through her support to local guerillas by selling her personal belongings for their food and supplies.

With her act of gallantry against all three foreign occupiers of the Philippines during her time, putting her name in a Philippine Coast Guard ship is one of the ways to give her credit and respect in support for the country's independence,  alongside other heroines like Gabriela Silang and Melchora "Tandang Sora" Aquino, a name that will be engraved and given to the second Japanese-made 97-meter ship.

SUMMARY

The name of the ship, engraved in its stern. Image Source.

The Philippine Coast Guard is now in its full-throttle in modernizing its white-hulled fleet, as the country sees the demand in having more vessels of its type increasing with the ever-increasing importance of the country's maritime enforcement on its territorial and Exclusive Economic Zone waters, emphasizing the need of improving the country's Maritime Domain Awareness.

In the case of BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701), its recent launch shows a recent example of the great transformation that the Philippine Coast Guard is currently undertaking, a renaissance of sorts that the maritime organization under the Department of Transportation or DOTr is getting that its fleet is becoming more capable than ever, in terms of obtaining such large vessels that can patrol high seas at a longer time allowed.

Take note that the Philippine Coast Guard will have two units of Magbanua-class Multirole Response Vessels coming from Japan, going alongside ten (10) 44-meter Parola-class Multirole Response Vessels, forming the complete assistance package that the Japanese government, through JICA, have provided for these acquisition projects to be materialized, which will be paid through a soft loan as agreed under the terms of the Japanese Overseas Development Assistance loan or ODA.

The possibility of having more of such white-hulled vessels in the future will not be far, as the Philippine Coast Guard is still working on its process for modernization, with projects such as the installation of Coastal Radar Stations across the waters of Visayas and Mindanao are also on their way its completion that will cover significant coastal areas that improve Maritime Domain Awareness in the process.

With these developments coming on their way and is on full implementation, things are very hopeful for the Philippine Coast Guard as it grows larger as an organization in terms of manpower, facilities, and the number of vessels that it acquired and integrate into its fleet, as more developments about it will be expected to be discussed across defense circles along with its resolve of showing its presence in highly-contested waters.

(c) 2021 PDA.

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The Philippine Navy's Corvette Offer from Turkey

The Philippine Navy is materializing its Modernization program at a full-throttle, in a sense that multiple participants are willing to bet their product designs and offers in a bid that they can secure a deal and make out the best in penetrating the country's military and defense arms market.

This is the story of how a country in the Eastern Mediterranean provided its bet for the Philippine Navy's Corvette Acquisition Project as it competes with the design that has already been proven, and a shipbuilder that already has the experience dealing with the maritime branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

OVERVIEW

Turkish Navy's TCG Burgazada (F-513), an Ada-class
Corvette of the fleet. Obtained from Wikimedia Commons.

Four months ago from the time that this article was published, Turkey's news outlet Daily Sabah, citing a report made by the Philippine News Agency also from that same date, reported the visit of key Philippine Navy contingent led by then-Flag Officer in Command (FOIC) Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo in Turkey's state-owned defense contractor ASFAT or Askeri Fabrika ve Tersane İşletme (Military Factory, and Shipyard Management) under an invitation.

During the visit of the Philippine Navy contingent to the said Turkish defense contractor, it provided an opportunity for ASFAT to showcase its capabilities as part of the greater Turkish defense industrial complex that fully provides the military and defense needs of the Turkish government through its military units from the production of ordnance rounds to the production of warships for its navy.

This move was shown as an attempt of both sides to further strengthen the ties between the Philippines in Turkey, especially with regards to defense-related matters of both countries, as this was first exhibited when the Philippine Air Force, along with the Department of National Defense, decided to award the contract for the Attack Helicopter Acquisition Project to the Turkish Aerospace Industries, the supplier for the T-129 "ATAK" Helicopters.

With this strengthening of ties that both sides wanted to improve, it presented an opportunity for the Turkish state-owned defense company to get its hands on the Philippines' ever-growing military and defense market, as this presents the way for them to grow beyond its borders and for the aspiration of exporting more ships that will cement its customer share in the process.

Take note that ASFAT currently supplies its warships to Pakistan, with the design showing similarities to an Ada-class Corvette design shown in the image above, and is also possibly a design that will be provided for their product offer in the Philippine Navy's Corvette Acquisition Project, in which we will be discussing in detail, along with the story of the Turkish Defense Company and the specification of their current warships.

THE STORY OF TURKEY'S DEFENSE-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

Website: https://www.asfat.com.tr/en, archived link here.

Screenshot of the company's website.

Based on its corporate information written on its website, ASFAT or Military Factory, and Shipyard Management in English, was just a recent creation of Turkey's Ministry of Defense from three years ago with the aims of exporting its products through a Government-to-Government approach, in the same manner how PITC or the Philippine International Trade Corporation makes a deal in behalf of the Department of National Defense, or how Rosoboronexport does trade in behalf of the Russian Government.

Given this arrangement, ASFAT serves as a middleman in the deals that it has on behalf of the Turkish defense industry to export countries, wherein they have sealed the deal with Pakistan for its own corvette acquisition project months after AFSAT as a company was founded, gaining a customer in its deal that pushes Turkish-made defense products outside the country.

While ASFAT does the deal in securing a contract for Pakistan during those times, the Turkish shipbuilder that overlooks the construction of the project points to the Istanbul Naval Shipyard, with the help of a Defense Engineering Firm Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik ve Ticaret or STM (English for Defense Technologies Engineering and Trade), a firm that was incorporated in 1991, two-decades-long before ASFAT became the Turkish state-owned defense contractor of today.

One of the achievements that STM has made throughout its operation since its inception is the development and eventually, the production of the MILGEM design warships that define vessels that are in service like the Ada-class Corvettes, and the succeeding ones that came with it like the export variant of the MILGEM design produced for the Pakistani Naval Forces.

Securing the contract for the acquisition of Corvettes for the Philippine Navy will be considered an achievement for STM as a planner/systems integrator, Istanbul Naval Shipyard as a shipbuilder, and for ASFAT as a Turkish Defense Contractor, in a sense that they increase their reputation as a reputable arms exporter that showcases the capabilities of the Turkish Military-Industrial Complex in delivering its goods to any country that sees interest in obtaining their locally-produced defense technology.

THE "MiLGEM" WARSHIP DESIGN

The outline of Turkey's MiLGEM design, the basis for its Ada-class Corvettes.
Image Source.

The MiLGEM warship design, at a glance, is an important project pursued by the Turkish Armed Forces as it enforced its own version of a Self-Reliant Defense Posture, in a sense that it promotes the design of construction of these warships by the Turkish, in the Turkish shipyards like the Instanbul Naval Shipyard or ones owned by STM, to improve its military defense industries that provide jobs for citizens while catering the needs of the Turkish Armed Forces at the same time.

A concept that will define the MiLGEM warship design started way back in 2006 when the parties involved, particularly the Turkish Government and STM, signed the Agreement on Design Services for Prototype Vessel, Construction of the Platform, and Procurement of Equipment, Materials, and Services, which it gave obligation for the STM to start providing package designs and prototype for what would be the future Turkish-concept warship at that time.

A prototype ship was built in 2007, wherein it was commissioned to the Turkish Navy four years later in 2011, wherein it bears the name TCG Heybeliada (F-511), the first of what will be known as the Ada-class Corvettes of the Turkish Navy, of which four were built in the fleet, naming the TCG Büyükada (F-512), TCG Burgazada (F-513), and the TCG Kınalıada (F-514), along with the TCG Heybeliada as mentioned, forming the warships that symbolize the resurgence of the Turkish naval shipbuilding industry.

Aside from the Ada-class Corvettes, another design that was derived from the MiLGEM warship design is the STM's Istanbul-class Frigates (or I-class Frigates as written on its website), which are basically an enlarged variant of the Ada-class that may also possibly be offered as the candidate for the Philippine Navy's Corvette Acquisition Project other than the Ada-class Corvette.

The development of design, construction of warships, and integration of its systems are a breakthrough for Turkey as it pursues its military and defense industries, in a sense that they are aspiring to export it to countries like the Philippines and establish as one of the reputable sources of military hardware that any other country can aspire to transact, at a push of improving the country's economy under this industrial sector.

SPECIFICATIONS

The full specifications of a MiLGEM Block 1 - Ada-class Corvettes of the Turkish Navy.
(c) Naval Analyses.

Referencing the infographic image provided by a warship-oriented website Naval Analyses, the Ada-class Corvettes of the Turkish Navy came with their locally-made subcomponents, preferably those produced by ASELSAN, which is an Ankara-based Turkish defense corporation that also provided some of the subcomponents for the Philippine Navy's Jose Rizal-class Frigates such as its SMASH 30mm gun system.

Take note also that their design came with an Oto Melara Super Rapid Gun mount, which is also a common sight on board the ships in service within the Philippine Navy from the older Del Pilar-class and Jacinto-class Offshore Patrol Vessels to the recently-procured ones like the BRP Conrado Yap (PS-39), a Pohang-class Corvette acquired from South Korea and the fully-discussed Jose Rizal-class Frigates.

Speaking of the Jose Rizal-class Frigates, or the improved variant that the Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) offered to the Philippine Navy as a competition for the Corvette Acquisition Project, both came with a Vertical Launch System or VLS installed onboard the vessel between the main cannon and the bridge superstructure, which is something that is not seen in the MiLGEM Block 1 Ada-class Corvettes of the Turkish Navy (while this is available on the modified Ada-class variant that ASFAT offered to the Pakistani Navy, which is also the one that they offer to the Philippine Navy).

In the Philippine Navy's case, they will be offered a modified variant of the Ada-class Corvette similar to the one offered to the Pakistani Navy with a Vertical Launch System (VLS) subcomponent installed onboard the ship, alongside other weaponry fitted onboard such as its anti-ship missile batteries and the other mentioned cannon and gun systems that came along with the warship unit, plus the Istanbul-class Frigates are presented as an optional candidate for the project.

To complete this up, let it be noted that the Istanbul-class Frigates came with 113.2 meters in length while keeping the same meters in the beam as the Ada-class Corvettes while having a displacement of 3,000 tons, almost as similar as the HDC-3100 offered by Hyundai Heavy Industries, only that both of the vessels mentioned came with a maximum speed of 29+knots, faster than what the South Korean shipbuilder has provided with its ships for the Philippine Navy.

WHAT REMAINS TO BE SEEN

The Ada-class Corvette variant (image above) was offered to the Pakistani Navy. Image Source.

The Philippine Navy is still materializing its Corvette Acquisition Project, with the preferences more likely to stick with the South Koreans and their HDC-3100 warship design, which in itself is an improved variant of the HDF-2600 that in itself served as a basis for the Hyundai Heavy Industries to produce the Jose Rizal-class Frigates that the Philippine Navy currently has in its inventory.

That, however, is not yet certain and final at the time this article was published as there may still be changed in the preferences of the decision-makers, in a sense that ASFAT is still betting on the chances that they secure this acquisition project from the Philippine Navy, adding the roster of Turkish-made weaponry provided to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, along with the T-129 ATAK Helicopters of the Turkish Aerospace Industries or TAI.

As the Philippine Navy contingent managed to visit Turkey, especially the main Headquarters of ASFAT in the capital city of Ankara, the Turkish defense contractor has provided an opportunity to showcase their offers before the contingent in the hopes that their bid will be chosen for the Corvette Acquisition Project, in a sense that this will enable them to deal with the Philippine Armed Forces in the long term, especially that they have provisions of producing the ships in the country.

Also, ASFAT's MiLGEM warship offer presents an opportunity of improving defense-related ties between Turkey and the Philippines, as this posture strengthens the bond of both the supplier and the buyer, promoting confidence that a successful deal may happen and with it came the trust that the supplier will provide the needs of the buyer, basing the latter's requirements.

With ASFAT's aspirations came clear, it will be at the discretion of the Philippine Navy in choosing the best candidate design presented for its Corvette Acquisition Project, as this came at a price tag far more expensive than the ones allotted for the first Frigate Acquisition Project, which is pegged at Php 28 Billion, now with the buyer's aim that the chosen proponent of the project will provide the goods that are worth the price.

(c) 2021 PDA.

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