Updates on the Philippine Air Force's C-130J-30 Super Hercules Cargo Aircraft

The Philippine Air Force aims to increase its fleet of cargo aircraft, which comes just as essential as its primary combat aircraft, like the upcoming Multirole Fighter Jets under the acquisition project of the same name and other ones in the Horizon 3 lineup of the air service branch.

This article presents some interesting updates about this specific acquisition project that deals with this type of cargo aircraft known and iconic for the Philippine Air Force, plus some startling information worth sharing for this community.

AS REPORTED

This is a C-130J-30 aircraft.
Image for Reference.

At the time this article published, several news outlets already provided the highlighted reports regarding the acquisition of brand new C-130J-30 Super Hercules Cargo Aircraft for the Philippine Air Force, pertaining to the procurement of at least three (3) units of this cargo aircraft aimed in complementing the older C-130H and C-130T variants that served as the primary airlifting workhorse of the air service branch.

In the news provided in-detail, it referred to the statement of the Department of National Defense regarding its release of a Notice to Proceed or NTP, a piece of document in accordance to the Procurement Law or R.A. 9184 that served as a go-signal for the winning bidder to materialize the production of goods needed as stipulated and required by the Philippine Air Force, with detailed specifications fully specified in an agreed contract between two parties involved.

As intended, the acquisition of these cargo aircraft from Lockheed Martin aims to achieve two things, first regarding the Humanitarian Assist and Disaster Relief or HADR operations of the air service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, as this focuses much on getting the relief goods in disaster-prone areas as quickly as possible. And second, regarding its use for delivery of goods and military equipment, along with the deployment of needed military personnel in areas of concerned as part of the Armed Forces' logistics chain.

With this acquisition project, the Philippine Air Force experienced a leap in its overall airlift capabilities, as this also means reducing the operational hours of its existing C-130 aircraft, allowing these cargo platforms to undergo necessary maintenance schedules without disruptions in airlift operations, while getting an expanded capability in airlift as the C-130J-30 aircraft comes with an expanded fuselage compared to the ones currently servicing the air service branch.

As other news reports already provided the primary developments regarding the updates of the C-130J-30 Super Hercules cargo aircraft that the Philippine Air Force is likely to receive by 2026 and 2027, respectively, this article will focus more on other information not available from the news outlets and resource websites, as these are the details that got shared to the Pitz Defense Analysis website from our reliable sources.

THE DETAILS

The letterhead of the Notice to Proceed document.

Here are several details regarding the developments of the C-130J-30 Super Hercules cargo aircraft of the Philippine Air Force, especially the two essential events that define the preferable outcome for the overall direction of this acquisition project as pushed by the Department of National Defense into the bidding stage. One of those events is the issuance of the Notice of Proceed document of the winning bidder.

Speaking of Notice to Proceed, contrary to the reports that the document has issued recently, have actually released to the representative of Lockheed Martin on June 5, 2023 or four (4) months since the recent media releases and the publishing of this article. This means that the process in producing the three (3) C-130J-30 cargo aircraft has already started, with queues ramping up in the production line that gives the reason regarding the 2026 and 2027 delivery dates.

Going further, the contract signing for this acquisition project actually took place on February 9, 2023, or another four (4) months ramping up to the Defense Department's issuance of the Notice to Proceed documents before the Lockheed Martin representative, which makes it at least eight (8) months from the signing of the contract up to the time this article has published. This further connects the timeline that the movements for the acquisition of the C-130J-30 Cargo aircraft take place within the year 2023 alone.

As described in the documents, the contract price for the delivery of the C-130J-30 cargo aircraft for the Philippine Air Force amounts to Php 22,199,999,983.47 or US$390,913,893.00, which means every aircraft in this contract costs at around Php 7,399,999,994.49, or Php 130,304,631. Also to point out that contrary to several reports, both the contract and the notice to proceed have actually signed and took place during the time of the Defense Officer-In-Charge Carlito Galvez.

Completing it up, the Notice to Proceed has received by the representative on June 7, 2023, and since then it formalizes the start of the production and eventual delivery of the C-130J-30 Super Hercules cargo aircraft that may substantially improve the airlifting capabilities of the Philippine Air Force upon the successful delivery of the units three (3) to four (4) years down the road.

THE PLANNED 'PHASES'

C-130 Production Line.
(c) Lockheed Martin, Flickr.

Aside from the information provided regarding the issuance of the Notice of Proceed documents along with other details about the dates of contract signing and the go-signal that starts the process for Lockheed Martin to produce and eventually delivering the C-130J-30s for the Philippine Air Force, here are some interesting information about the number of units purchased and the prospective plans in the long run.

Initially, the Philippine Air Force opts to get at least five (5) C-130J-30 Cargo aircraft as originally planned, until these gets reduced to three (3) units which is now the official number of aircraft purchased under this acquisition project that the air service branch is surely getting and is now in its current production phase in a Lockheed Martin facility that produces those C-130 aircraft (see image above).

These three (3) units of C-130J-30 Super Hercules aircraft purchased by the Philippine Air Force for this acquisition project have simply counted as the first phase of the entire process, as the original aim of getting at least five (5) units of C-130J-30s have not entirely abandoned by the leadership, but having it divided into manageable phases with the remaining units belonging to the second phase of this entire acquisition planning.

While these are the initial planning setup unfolded to us from the information shared to us from our source, this does not mean that such an arrangement comes as a final and absolute setup for this portion of the entire Revised AFP Modernization Program or R.A. 10349, as the current administration's push for external defense and revising the provisions and doctrine of the Philippine Armed Forces to this posture may put portions of projects like this into the back-burner.

Hence, there is still a standing chance that the original plans of getting at least five (5) C-130J-30s comes into fruition, although the implementation and decision of whether pushing the second phase of this planning is still with the leadership within the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Department of National Defense. Still, adding at least three (3) C-130J-30s into the current fleet of C-130 aircraft of the Philippine Air Force presents a leap of its own.

OTHER C-130-RELATED PURCHASES

The difference between C-130H and C-130J-30 is in terms of performance.
(c) Lockheed Martin

Another thing to point out is there are other acquisition projects that the Philippine Air Force expects to receive coming out from the United States, primarily regarding the used ones under the arrangements between the both governments during the visit of the entourage of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Washington D.C. to meet his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden. 

The ones referred to are the moves of the United States government in transferring at least three (3) C-130H cargo aircraft to the Philippine Air Force, of which they present their intention to make that undertaking, aside from the plans of transferring several of the United States Coast Guard's Island-class and Marine Protector-class patrol vessels. 

These latter two patrol vessels have the Philippine Navy as its primary recipient, with the details provided in a separate article entry we have through this link here.

This means that if the goods under this arrangement push through, the Philippine Air Force will receive at least six C-130s altogether, giving a huge leap to its airlifting capabilities over the existing ones currently serving the air service branch. This leap means lesser operational time for those existing ones, which also means reduced flight hours and continuous airframe stress that will wear its remaining serviceable life further, while having time for maintenance and repairs without disruption.

Going further, if we add the additional two (2) C-130J-30s under the original acquisition plan on top of the three (3) C-130J-30s currently in production and the C-130H pledged by the United States during the Philippine president's visit to the United States, this means that the Philippine Air Force may ending up having at least eight (8) newly added C-130s, ensuring a huge boost in capabilities that the organization needs not only to deploy troops and equipment but also in delivering relief goods in an event of calamities.

So far, there are no updates regarding the development of this pledges coming from the United States, and since the Department of National Defense is gearing itself to external defense, it may likely get a request on additional fighter aircraft like the F-16 Multirole Fighter Jets, of which this presented as an option through Excess Defense Articles or EDA,  as part of security arrangements that include additional sites under the Excess Defense Cooperation Agreement or EDCA.

WRAPPING IT UP

A C-130J-30 of the British Royal Air Force pictured in a sunrise during an exercise in Jordan.
Image Source.

With the official news about the C-130J-30 Acquisition Project of the Philippine Air Force coming out, we presented several insights and additional information that came from the sources that we have, with an idea and complete context of the developments from earlier this year when the contract gets signed on February 9, 2023, up to the release of the Notice to Proceed documents on June 5, 2023.

The delivery dates presented come reminiscent of the other acquisition projects of the Revised AFP Modernization Program, whereby the ones like the Long-Range Patrol Aircraft Acquisition Project of the Philippine Air Force have its delivery date completion slated on 2026, while others like the Philippine Navy’s Corvette Acquisition Project (HDC-3100 design) also have its delivery date slated in 2026.

Also, to recap a bit, the Philippine Air Force originally intends to get at least five (5) C-130J-30 Super Hercules cargo aircraft in its planning, although this seems like it reduced to three (3) units, with the info we gathered suggesting that the numbers have remained and the latter two (2) units are in the second phase of this acquisition planning process that may change given the Department of National Defense’ current shift into external defense posture.

The development comes on top of the pledges that the United States made earlier this year, of which it includes at least three (3) C-130H cargo aircraft whereby it also comes as a significant boost to the existing number of C-130s currently servicing the Philippine Air Force. Adding it together will give the air service branch a big leap in its airlifting capabilities, a much-needed capability for the country’s archipelagic geography with its vulnerability to natural calamities ranging from earthquakes to typhoons.

Overall, this development presented itself as good news among the first salvo of upcoming Horizon 3 lineup and acquisition plans that may take place in the next couple of months, as the entire Armed Forces of the Philippines upped its ante in terms of the need of additional budget to get the number it gets, while making sure that the country’s minimum credible defense posture that the entire organization is seeking is worthy with its capabilities that correspond to every cent of taxpayer’s money being spent.

(c) 2023 PDA.

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Japan's Type 74 Tanks for the Philippine Army?

Previously, Japan has provided the Philippine military a handful of air search radars from its own budgetary requirements, enabling the former to have the first of its defense and military export of its kind since the relaxation of laws that restrict the country from such arrangement.

The bilateral relations between both countries, especially regarding to national defense, have come more vibrant lately that the Philippine Army may get the likelihood of getting more armored vehicles, especially the one that is about to discuss in this article.

FROM THE REPORTS

Providing the Philippine Army with Type 74 tanks from JGSDF stocks may help boost its armor a bit.
Image Source.

Previously, discussions on Japanese military hardware possibly getting provided to the Philippine military came along, with the Philippine Army being the primary recipient of these assets, in an event that these plans push through. Typically, the discussions previously discussed on this website usually talk about the air assets that the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force may provide this service branch with, such as the UH-1J Combat Utility Helicopters and the AH-1S Cobra Attack Helicopters.

However, the aforementioned military hardware coming from stocks within the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force inventory isn't the only one that may likely end up in the hands of the Philippine Army, as there is a single type of armored vehicle that the Japanese shows some willingness to provide their Philippine counterparts that may boost its armored capabilities aside from the ones it already have like the Sabrah Tanks (of both ASCOD 2 and Pandur II chassis) coming from Israel's Elbit Systems Ltd.

The said armored vehicle refers to the Japanese-made Type 74 tank (see image above), as these platforms are something that the Philippine Army officials are interested to get on, as these main battle tanks, along with their UH-1J Combat Utility Helicopters, are on the process of getting a schedule for its eventual decommissioning out of active service from the Japanese military.

Japan's plans for decommissioning both its Type 74 tank and UH-1J Combat Utility Helicopters also coincide with their military's plans to decommission their AH-1S Cobra Attack Helicopters, as their security defense policy update sees these platforms obsolete and now in the process of getting replaced by unmanned aerial systems or drones that they may see as more relevant to their defense-related requirements. On the other note, the decommissioning of UH-1J Helicopters comes as the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force gets newer helicopters like the UH-2 Combat Utility Helicopter, itself a Bell 412 variant that the Philippine Air Force also have and has plans to add more later on (See page 84 of the SARO release list PDF File).

While some media outlets are quick to brand this information as 'fake', this information holds plausibility as the Philippine Army's idea of getting Type 74 Tanks has gotten rounds on several defense outlets that come with credibility even before the mainstream media gets it, along with the information that Pitz Defense Analysis have that gives full verification for this military asset from Japan.

Hence, the Type 74 Tanks deserves a discussion of its own for the sake of obtaining it, as the possibility for the Philippine Army of getting it is there, although it is not necessarily 100% guaranteed as plans changes from time to time and there are several cases that the end-user decided not to pursue the project itself, such in this case regarding both the Philippine Army and Marine Corps' Multiple-Launched Rocket System acquisition project, presumably what would be the K-136 Kooryong MLRS from South Korea.

In this topic, we will discuss its development, specifications, and an elaborate comparison with the other tanks that Japan Ground Self-Defense Force has, as the plans of decommissioning the tanks came as the Japanese are on the process of introducing its newest Type 10 Main Battle Tanks into service, as it really comes as a replacement to the older tanks like the Type 74.

TANK'S DEVELOPMENT

The Type 61 tank has served as Japan’s first Indigenously made tank since the end of the Second World War.
Via Wikimedia Commons.

Through the years, the fleet of armored vehicles like tanks within the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force or JGSDF constantly changes and improves in a manner that a new type of tank gets introduced in the Japanese military service, effectively replacing older ones in inventory that they may render as obsolete. This is actually what is happening with Type 10 Tanks slowly replacing the older Type 74 Tanks that have the possibility of getting its way to the Philippine Army’s inventory shall things push through.

This was also the case for the Type 74 Tanks when it was first developed in the early 1970s, whereby the Japan Ground Self Defense Force, in partnership with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, is looking for a new Tank that intends to replace the Type 61 Tank. The said tank was the first indigenously made Japanese tank in the early years of the Cold War and also the one made since the conclusion of the Second World War and the formation of Japan’s pacifist constitution that made the Japan Ground Self Defense Force today.

With the development of the Type 61 Tank took place in the mid-1950s by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the renewed experience in creating the design and having the tank mass-produced help the company and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force in developing far advanced tanks and armored vehicles along the way, enabling them to conceptualize and getting the works started in the early 1960s as a counter to the Soviet-made T-62 series that Japanese says that is out of scope for their existing aforementioned tank‌.

Once the work has started, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries produced different prototypes and started testing different design features and tank hulls such as the STB-1 prototype featuring an adjustable hydro-pneumatic suspension system of the discontinued American/German MBT-70 tank, while using a German Leopard 1 tank as its basic hull tank design and its main gun being a British 105mm L7 rifled main gun tied to an automatic loader developed and produced by Japan Steel Works Company. While the development is promising, its limitations forced the parties involved to make some necessary revisions in their design.

The revisions in the design became what they named as the STB-3 tank prototype, whereby the development pushed further in the early 1970s until they reached the STB-6, a final test prototype of the tank prior to its acceptance and compliance to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and eventually, the mass production of this tank design. In 1974, the JGSDF formally accepted it and has provided the designation ‘Type 74’ tank, which connotes the year it entered service and since then, became the mainstay tank of the Japanese military for years to come.

Since its introduction to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries produced at least almost 900 units of the Type 74 Tank, spanning at least 10 versions of the tank produced in the 1980s. The production line for the tanks has since then shut down in 1989 to give way for the newer, more sophisticated Type 90 tanks for production, of which it serves as a complementary main battle tank to the Type 74, itself a Second Generation tank of the Japanese military of the post World War 2 era.

The Type 74 tank served as Japan’s mainstay tank during the remaining years of the Cold War era, whereby the design features and weapons components come as applicable for the armored vehicles of that era. It is not surprising that the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force produced the modern Type 10 main battle tank as the 1970s-era Type 74 tank no longer suits their needs. As for the Philippine Army, having such tanks may provide a boost for its armor division, complementing the Sabrah Tanks it currently has in inventory.

SPECIFICATIONS

The detailed specifications are in the image provided.
Image © Wikimedia Commons, with spec-sheet reference from Military-Today website.

The specifications that the Type 74 Tank of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force or JGSDF comes as a byproduct of continuous development resulted from the previous prototypes that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has made, aiming to improve the prospect of a second-generation main battle tank designed to replace the Type 61 Tank, the first indigenously made main battle tank of Japan since its defeat in the Second World War and the adoption of having a defense-oriented armed forces, which it still has today.

According to the descriptions made by a spec-sheet oriented defense outlet about the Type 74, the tank provides an impression that the tank produced by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force that it entered service in 1975 as an already-obsolete tank, describing that other contemporary Western-made tank designs that entered service in the 1980s rendered the second generation Japanese-made tank as an out-of-date platform, in need of complementary and more capable platforms such as the Type 90 tank.

Delving into the details, the Type 74 tank’s dimensions come with a weight of 38 tons, length of 9.42 meters with gun forward, hull length of 6.7 meters, width of 3.18 meters, and height of 2.67 meters. In comparison, the Sabrah Light Tank - ASCOD 2 chassis of the Philippine Army comes with a weight of 30 tons, a length of 9.5 meters with gun forward, hull length of at least 7.6 meters (ASCOD 2), a width of 3.4 meters (ASCOD 2), and a height of 2.5-2.8 meters for the ASCOD 2 hull alone (with around 3.5-3.8 meters that includes the turret). 

The dimensions make the Type 74 tank of Japan Ground Self-Defense Force coming almost to par with the Sabrah ASCOD 2 tank in terms of size, with the latter being as a larger type for a Light Tank as the chassis comes originally designed as an Infantry Fighting Vehicle for both Spain and Austria. Despite the size differences, both tanks have the same 105mm caliber main gun, with the Sabrah Tank manned by at least three (3) people as opposed to the Type 74 tank’s four (4) personnel. The Sabrah Tank’s reduced crew configuration became possible as it comes with an automatic loading system onboard. 

The said Japanese tank’s engine comes with a single Mitsubishi 10ZF Model 21 10-cylinder diesel engine delivering 750 horsepower, an engine that is likely seen uniquely with the tank that it comes installed. In comparison, a Sabrah Tank with ASCOD 2 chassis comes with the 805 horsepower MTU V8 199 T21 diesel engine, making the latter more capable in terms of engine power that comes alongside with its weight that is lighter than what the Japanese Type 74 Tank comes with its design.

The power produced by the Mitsubishi-made engine enabled the Type 74 tank of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force to travel at a maximum speed of 53 kilometers per hour, at a range of 400 kilometers. The ASCOD 2-based chassis of the Sabrah Light Tank comes faster at its maximum speed of around 70 kilometers per hour, with its range of around 500 kilometers. This is not surprising as the ASCOD’s design comes with a requirement fit for an Infantry Fighting Vehicle or IFV.

Despite the difference, of which coming with a thick armor of 80mm on the upper body part of the tank and has a defensive ability of 195mm, the Type 74 that the Japan Ground Self Defense Force plans to decommission are a worthy consideration for the Philippine Army leadership to check, even though it remains to see whether getting this type of tank will push through, or not at all.

TO SUM IT UP

The Philippine Army aims to augment its Sabrah tanks in terms of numbers.
Image Source.

The Philippine Army aspires to get additional Medium Main Battle Tanks or a fleet of Light Tank units for its operations, as the Sabrah tank orders of both the ASCOD 2 and Pandur 2 6X6 chassis under its current contract does not suffice the numbers as we get the additional information discussed in the final part of this article, shortened for straightforward discussion under this topic.

Adding here are some sufficiently gathered relevant and fairly important types of information that provide insight about the Philippine Army’s acquisition plans relating to the Medium Main Battle Tank (MMBT) units for the Armor “Pambato” Division to use. The abbreviation and description provided come as the current designation of the service branch for a Light Tank, such as Elbit’s Sabrah Light Tank of both ASCOD 2 and Pandur 2 8x8 chassis.

One point of information here is the Philippine Army’s idea of getting and maintaining at least 144 units of Medium Main Battle Tanks or MMBTs, whereby the numbers provided are insufficient if we refer to the number of Sabrah Tanks ordered by the Philippine Army at its current contract arrangement of 28 units. The idea of filling it up comes when the idea of getting Type 74 tanks from JGSDF stocks gets into consideration. It shows that the numbers are still a requirement for the Philippine Army to have as part of its operational needs.

The idea of getting Japan’s Type 74 Tanks come as its eventual retirement from service becomes more inevitable with the entry of Type 10 Main Battle Tanks within the active service of Japan’s own Ground Self Defense Force units, coming along other potential offers that the said country has in offering to the Philippine Armed Forces, ranging from its locally produced UH-1J Huey Helicopters to the AH-1S Cobra Attack Helicopter that are potentially up for grabs, possibly benefiting the Army’s Aviation ‘Hiraya’ Regiment.

In summary, getting the Type 74 Tanks came as an interesting proposition that may help improve the capabilities of the Philippine Army’s armored vehicle capabilities, especially regarding into the idea of fielding the number of Medium Main Battle Tanks that augments the current number of Sabrah Tanks of both wheeled and tracked variants ordered from Israel’s Elbit Systems Ltd. While being idealistic, this concept remains as simply a plan, unless there is a clear emphasis that this prospect actually turns into reality.

(c) 2023 PDA.

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Navantia and their Submarine Offer to the Philippine Navy

The Philippine Navy is pursuing its submarine acquisition project in its full aspiration of having a capable naval force, whereby getting such platforms may help improve the naval service branch's minimum credible defense efforts that come alongside the overall aspirations of the Philippine Armed Forces. 

As the Philippine Navy submarine acquisition project usually comes with two competing shipbuilders that aim to secure the contract for this project, this topic will involve the third shipbuilder that recently joined the competition as they offer their indigenously designed platform as they aim to secure this segment of the country's national defense market for sophisticated military hardware.

DISCUSSION OVERVIEW

The Spanish shipbuilder offered their S-80 Plus Submarine to the Philippine Navy.
Image Source.

For the past few months, the Philippine Navy's Submarine Acquisition Project received multiple updates, of which we have it discussed on a separate article, although the highlight points out to the recent comprehensive packages that both France's Naval Group and South Korea's Hanwha Ocean has offered to the fleet, which at this point comes as a complete submarine acquisition package.

The former focuses much on providing a submarine base for the Philippine Navy on top of just providing a pair of Scorpene-class Submarines, comprehensive training for the aspiring submarine crew onboard, and a credit line financing arrangement with the French Government. The latter comes with their own set of offers that also provide their own credit line financing, training for personnel, and the delivery of a pair of DSME-1400PN submarines that are designed after the South Korean Chang Bogo-class.

On this report that involves a press briefing coming from the Spanish shipbuilder Navantia, their offer for the Philippine Navy's submarine acquisition project involves at least a pair of S-80 Plus submarines or more known in Spain as the Isaac Peral-class Submarines, while they also come with similar packages that involve training with the Spanish Navy, a credit line financing that comes directly from the Spanish government, and their own set of plans involving a submarine base.

Unlike the usual Agila Shipyard enhancements for a submarine base that the likes of Naval Group marketed before the planners within the Philippine Navy, the version provided by Navantia presented an entirely different location for a submarine base, specifically pointing to the place of Ormoc, Leyte. The location comes far from the West Philippine Sea, although the area presents an idea that the submarines can travel in the southern parts of the country in a short time.

Also in the same report comes Navantia's another offer to the Philippine Navy, this time with their Close-In Weapons System pitch, as they offer the Rheinmetall Oerlikon Millenium  35mm CIWS guns that are intended for the two Jose Rizal-class Frigates that are currently serving actively in service within the Philippine fleet. This means that they are directly in competition with Turkish ASELSAN GOKDENIZ 35mm CIWS gun, a platform that may likely on its way onboard the upcoming HDC-3100 corvettes.

This means that a shipbuilder like Navantia is actively pushing for its entry into the Philippine Navy's naval defense market, whereby getting such access may provide them multiple opportunities within this ever-growing defense market in the long term as the entire Armed Forces of the Philippines embark on its largest pool of acquisition projects yet under the 3rd Horizon of the Revised AFP Modernization Program or R.A. 10349.

In this topic, we will delve deeper into the shipbuilder that provides the submarines under this project, the submarine involved and its design, the specifications and subcomponents it have as compared to the two other competing platforms under the submarine acquisition project, and some other historical background that comes relevant to this discussion matter.

SPAIN'S HISTORY ON SUBMARINES

Spain has an interesting history of submarine development, with the likes of Isaac Peral designing his country's first submarine, which was an electric-powered vessel.
Image Source.

As the Philippine Navy seeks to have its own set of submarines in the year 2023 that this article gets published, Navantia's mother country of Spain comes with its interesting history of putting submarine concepts into design development and testing, whereby these things took place while the Philippines was still an overseas possession of Spain. It also comes as an explanation that there was once a road in Manila that got named after this person, before it became known as the United Nations Avenue today.

This person refers to Isaac Peral y Caballero, a great sailor and inventor that contributed to the development of Spain's maritime capabilities. The submarine he invented (see image above) comes apparently with an electric-powered capability, of which this counts as an advanced technology getting employed during his time. His career within the Spanish Navy prompt him to develop a war machine that can compete against other nation's most advanced naval weaponry employed in the late 1800s.

Isaac Peral was born in the Spanish Mediterranean coastal city of Cartagena, which is also currently the area where Navantia's shipyard for submarine construction situated, and the area where Spain developed and produced their S-80 plus submarines that it seeks to offer to the Philippine Navy, with first units made for the Spanish Navy submarine division. Dedicated to Spain's great electric submarine inventor, they named their first submarine as the S-81 Isaac Peral.

His notable invention is the electric-powered Peral submarine, the technologically advanced war machine that comes revolutionary with its design and military application in the late 1800s, well before the mainstream use of U-boats in the first and second world wars. The specifications of the Peral submarine comes with 22 meters in overall hull length, three meters in beam/width, and a maximum speed coming from its 60 horse-powered electric-powered motors of around eight (8) knots.

While the submarine comes as an advanced platform of its time in the late 1800s, the concerns of the leadership within the Spanish Navy of that period regarding its performance, coupled to the ever-increasing difference of opinion between the authorities and Isaac Peral himself, resulted to the dismantling and discontinuation of the project. 

Since then, the invention made by Isaac Peral served as an inspiration for the Spanish Navy to keep on improving its submarine program, which comes to this point that they have produced the largest non-nuclear submarine developed on-date, and aims to export this type of submarine to other countries like the Philippine Navy as they keep on competing against other shipbuilders like Naval Group and Hanwha Ocean.

Isaac Peral's life ended in Berlin, as his health worsened by skin cancer that have started when a barber accidentally cut off a wart during his duty in the Philippine islands, which was still a Spanish overseas territory during that period. While he, as a person, went away from a long time ago, his legacy still lives on, with a Spanish submarine with a class named after him currently being offered to a Navy of what is now the independent Republic of the Philippines.

KNOWING NAVANTIA

Navantia also produced the Avante 2200 OPV for the Venezuelan Navy. The same ship also marketed to the Philippine Navy for its Frigates, only to lose to South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries.
Image Source.

In terms of basic knowledge, Navantia is a Spanish state-owned shipbuilding entity, technically operating in a manner similar to Indonesia’s PT PAL Persero, with its primary customers being the Spanish Navy itself. Aside from the Spanish, it also delivered several naval vessels to countries like Venezuela and their Avante 2200 Offshore Patrol Vessel, and Australia with both of their Canberra-class Landing Helicopter Dock and the Hobart-class Aegis Destroyer.

The shipbuilder is 100% owned by the Spanish government’s primary holding company named SEPI, abbreviated as Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales or State Company of Industrial Participations as translated into English. SEPI operates more like a Sovereign Wealth Fund, managed by Spain’s Ministry of the Treasury with the purpose being a primary entity that oversees not only Spain's state-owned companies but also the investments made by this entity into other firms that generate income to the country.

Navantia has multiple shipyards across Spain, one of which includes the one that produces the S-81 Isaac Peral-class submarines in Cartagena, the place where the original Peral submarine visualized, developed, and produced a real functioning prototype. The other shipyard it has is with Ferrol in the province of Galicia, that is in Spain’s northwestern part. It is in the Navantia Ferrol Shipyard that the Alvaro de Bazan-class Aegis Frigates gets produced for Spanish Navy use. 

Navantia’s history traces back to 1717, when Spain received its first modern shipyard in the Real Arsenal de la Carraca by Quartermaster General José Patiño. The country’s modern shipyard expanded when it opened shop in Cartagena in 1731 and eventually into Ferrol in 1750. This comes earlier than Isaac Peral’s first invention of a modern electric-powered submarine in Cartagena that makes it not only as an iconic location to visit museums relating to the history of this submarine’s development but also Navantia’s current aims of getting the submarine it developed into production, eventually for the Spanish Navy to use it as its mainstay maritime asset while getting the Philippine Navy into considering their offer.

As with other government-owned shipbuilding entities, Navantia’s predecessor, presented by the three aforementioned shipyards, specializes primarily on the repair and construction of vessels, servicing the Spanish Navy and projecting Spanish influence to its overseas possessions that include the Captaincy General of the Philippines. Today, it still serves the Spanish Navy and exports its naval orders to other countries as it expands its market share in the global defense market as with other shipbuilding companies that want to win the Philippine Navy’s series of acquisition projects.

The Spanish shipbuilder isn’t a stranger regarding its participation in the acquisition projects under the Revised AFP Modernization Program with the Philippine Navy. At one point, it took part in the Frigate Acquisition Project before it got shortlisted between India’s Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers or GRSE and South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries, of which the latter won the bid and eventually delivered the Jose Rizal-class Frigates. Navantia’s offer was the 98-meter Avante 2200 Combatant.

With the record that Navantia has in producing warships of various types and exporting them into countries like Australia, Venezuela, and Saudi Arabia, the Spanish shipbuilder build its export market further, hoping that it will eventually penetrate the Southeast Asia’s national defense market for military and naval assets, especially that countries like the Philippines increased its budget for the acquisition of submarines, on top of forming its own submarine force from scratch.

S-80 PLUS SUBMARINE DEVELOPMENT

S-81 Isaac Peral submarine of the Spanish Navy seen launched from Navantia’s Cartagena shipyard.
Image Source.

Like any other military hardware, the S-80 Plus Isaac Peral-class submarine of Navantia undertook development phases, whereby the indigenously designed and produced submarine of Spain isn’t always came with smooth-sailing flow of getting the process step-by-step, as the phase of getting the submarine design altogether comes with miscalculations, delays, and cost overruns, even before getting it tested and eventually marketing it to other countries’ navies like the Philippines.

While its first test dive took place in March 2023, the initial plan for developing a new Spanish-made submarine actually traces back to 1989 under the Spanish Navy’s Project ALTAMAR, whereby Navantia’s predecessor Empresa Nacional Bazan, started studies from that period until its successful completion in 1991. It took the Spanish planners at least six (6) to seven (7) years for them in laying out clear objectives that may define the direction of the Spanish submarine development along the way.

Since the comprehensive program layout throughout 1997 and 1998, additional contracts secured signatures for four (4) more years until 2002, of which, by that time, Spain’s Empresa Nacional Bazan and its merger with Astilleros Españoles S.A. or (AESA) took place in 2000 to become IZAR, or Spanish for “hoist”. The approval for construction received a go-signal in 2003, followed by a construction award in 2004, which is the year IZAR’s military shipbuilding became what is now Navantia. 

From this point, it took almost two decades for Navantia to sort out the design development and revisions regarding the S-80 submarine design, pushing back launching deadlines and tests into 2023. Within this period, Navantia conducted a critical design review in 2007 that determined the submarine requirements that the Spanish Navy looks from the development of the first variant called as the S-80A Submarine, seeking submarine subsystems from different suppliers as this is a common practice across military shipbuilding.

Take note that when the S-80A comes in its early development, Navantia’s predecessor Empresa Nacional Bazan, then IZAR, has a partnership with Naval Group’s predecessor DCNS in developing and producing the Scorpene-class submarines, which is now the Naval Group’s offer to the Philippine Navy’s Submarine Acquisition Project. From this point, the significant process regarding the development of S-80 submarines by Navantia rendered it as a sign of the Spanish shipbuilder’s departure from this partnership with their French counterparts.

Going through 2010s, issues with the submarine design and the delays associated with it continued that there is a discovery of a critical design flaw regarding the submarines’ overall weight attributed to a single error in the input of a decimal point. This issue involving the submarine’s weight imbalance further delayed the project that the first vessel should enter Spanish Navy service by 2015, with a second one followed in 2016. 

It prompted Navantia to seek help from General Dynamics to get the design rehashed by increasing the submarine’s size, which makes it the largest non-nuclear submarine produced to-date. Since then, there has been progress regarding the ongoing tests of the S-80 Plus Isaac Peral-class submarines, especially with the ones that took place in the early 2020s. The launch of the first submarine, S-81 Isaac Peral, took place in 2021 and since then has progressed, with the latest one being its March 2023 sea trials.

CAPABILITIES, SUBCOMPONENTS, AND PACKAGES SHOWCASED

The S-80 Plus submarine came with an Air Independent Propulsion System as a feature.
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Understanding the capabilities of the S-80 Plus Isaac Peral-class submarine that Navantia offers to the Philippine Navy will never go complete without understanding the details of its subsystems and subcomponents that define the design rationale and requirements that Navantia and the Spanish Navy (Armada Española) comes in mind. Take note that the Spanish shipbuilder fully markets the advantages that the submarine they offer has as opposed to the competitors of the submarine acquisition project of the Philippine Navy.

The first featured capability that Navantia showcased with its S-80 Plus Isaac Peral-class Submarines to the Philippine Navy is that it came with an Air Independent Propulsion system or AIP, a much-needed feature for diesel-powered submarines that enable it to recharge its batteries while spending its time underwater. This increases the Spanish-made submarine’s overall endurance under the sea that lessens its need for surfacing, as opposed to its competitors in the project.

In context, the submarine offers made by France’s Naval Group and South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean regarding their Scorpene-class (Riachuelo variant) and DSME-1400PN, respectively, does not come with such feature, making their submarine offer less capable than Spain’s Navantia, although the contract price associated with their offers came less than the Spanish offer. This comes as all shipbuilders taking part have the support of their governments providing credit facility shall the Philippines choose their offer.

Another capability that the Spanish-made submarines possessed is that it can launch Tomahawk cruise missiles and the Harpoon anti-ship missiles from its torpedo tubes, enabling it to project power and deterrence for the Philippine Navy far beyond its usual role of sinking OPFOR warships without getting detected by their anti-submarine systems in place. France and South Korean submarines offered limited munition options to torpedoes and anti-ship missiles and could not launch Tomahawk cruise missiles.

The capabilities of the Spanish-made submarines offered make it a highly competitive one for the Philippine Navy officials and the key decision makers in the Department of National Defense to consider, as it further advance the submarine force of the Philippine Navy with its integrated subcomponents and design ability that enable it to be a more formidable threat far beyond than just the Philippine Navy having the submarines for operation.

Aside from the submarines offered, Navantia also offered packages as a way of competing with both Naval Group and Hanwha Ocean, whereby they also have their own respective packages for the Philippine Navy to weigh and consider. One of those offered is the credit financing for the submarines wherein the Spanish government may provide at least 100% of the contract as a way of support for its state-owned shipbuilder’s marketing pitch as it seeks to expand its reach into Southeast Asia through the Philippines.

While having such improved capabilities, its competitors have an edge on having the reliability and experience in producing, operating, and maintaining the submarine offers, whereby Naval Group’s Scorpene submarines are serving the navies of Chile, Brazil, India, and Malaysia, while DSME-1400PN derived itself from South Korean Navy’s Chang Bogo-class submarines. Navantia’s S-80 Plus Isaac Peral-class submarines, in this case, still need a lot of time to prove its reliability as it comes closer to entering Spanish Navy service.

SPECIFICATIONS

Here are the detailed specifications and other information regarding the S-80 Plus submarine.
Diagram Courtesy of H.I. Sutton.

This portion will tackle more on the dimensional specifications of the S-80 Plus Isaac Peral-class submarines, whereby the designs incorporated by Navantia define the capabilities it possesses, while providing a cross comparison of the submarine’s design and propulsion to the other two competitors’ offer for the Philippine Navy’s submarine acquisition project.

As gathered directly from Navantia’s website, the S-80 Plus Isaac Peral-class submarine comes with an overall length of 81 meters, maximum beam (width) of 11.6 meters, a draught of 6.3 meters, diameter of 7.30 meters, surface and submerged displacement of 2,965 tons, 50 days endurance, and accommodation of 32 crew plus 8 Special Forces. Its test depth is at around 460 meters (1,510 feet). The dimensions provided define it as the largest non-nuclear submarine developed and produced to-date.

Comparing it to the other offers provided by competitors like Naval Group’s Scorpene-class submarine, the latter comes with only 1,700/1,750 tons, a length of 66.4 meters (67.5 meters for Royal Malaysian Navy variant), 6.2 meter in maximum beam (width), and a draught of 5.8 meters (5.4 meters for Royal Malaysian Navy variant). Its operating depth is at around 350 meters or 1,148 feet, which is 160 meters or at least 362 feet less than what Navantia tested with its submarine. 

Meanwhile, regarding the Hanwha Ocean’s DSME-1400 PN submarines offered to the Philippine Navy from this South Korean firm, it primarily derives itself from the Chang Bogo-class submarines currently serving the South Korean Navy. As being patterned after the Type 209-1200 submarine design of Germany’s Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft, the South Korean submarine comes with 1,200-1400 tons, 56 meters in hull length, maximum beam of 6.3 meters, draught of  5.5 meters, and has an endurance of 50 days and a crew of 33. It also has the lowest operating depth, of around 500 meters or 1,600 feet.

As for the engines, the S-80 Isaac Peral-class submarines come with a propulsion capability of at least 12 knots on the surface and 19 knots when submerged, as its power plant configuration comes with at least three diesel engines rated at 1,200 kilowatts each, a 3,500 kilowatt main electric engine, and its main feature being the 300 kilowatt Air Independent Propulsion system or AIP. The latter of which is the primary marketing point of Navantia’s offer for the Philippine Navy’s submarine acquisition project.

In comparison, a Scorpene-class submarine’s propulsion system comes with a capability of getting a speed of at least 12 knots on the surface and over 20 knots when submerged, making it just as par as the capabilities presented by the Spanish submarine. The French submarine’s engine configuration comes with at least four (4) 2,500 kilowatt diesel generators. Take note that Naval Group’s submarine offer does not come with an Air Independent Propulsion system as opposed to what Navantia offered with their S-80 Plus.

Completing it up, a Chang Bogo-class submarine, using as a reference for the DSME-1400 PN offer made by Hanwha Ocean for the Philippine Navy, comes with a speed of 11 knots on the surface and 21.5 knots when submerged. Like the S-80 Plus Isaac Peral-class submarines, the engines onboard a DSME-1400 PN give it with an endurance of at least 50 days, as its engine configuration comes with at least four (4) MTU 12V 396 SE diesel engines and at least a single Siemens electric motor with 3,700 kilowatt power.

IN SUMMARY

The submarine base offered by Naval Group to the Philippine Navy.
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The Philippine Navy’s submarine acquisition project recently earned a third interesting shipbuilder, as this said shipbuilder refers to Spain’s Navantia and its S-80 Plus Isaac Peral-class offer, a submarine that comes larger and more capable than the two other offers from Naval Group of France and Hanwha Ocean of South Korea in terms of integrated subcomponents found onboard. The Spanish offer is promising, even though the two other offers are designs that are proven and currently serving recipient navies.

Case in point, Naval Group’s Scorpene-class submarines serve Chile, Malaysia, India, and Brazil, whereas the DSME-1400 PN design is a derivative of the Chang Bogo-class submarines currently serving the South Korean Navy. Navantia’s S-80 Plus Isaac Peral-class submarines are relatively new in this field even though its design came from a submarine concept within the Spanish Navy for its submarine fleet that took place a decade or two ago.

While the current submarine concept that the Spanish visualized in getting the S-80 Plus submarine design developed, the country itself is not a stranger to submarine developments as the S-80’s namesake, Isaac Peral, was an inventor that developed and produced the world’s very first electric-powered submarine in an era that still relies on steel gunboats and sees such technology as a state-of-the art and very advanced. Employment of similarly developed submarines didn’t take place until the First World War.

As the submarine acquisition project of the Philippine Navy pushes through, and with the increase of the contract price to around Php 97 Billion, this may push both Naval Group and Hanwha Ocean to provide better offers as opposed to Navantia, as all the three aforementioned shipbuilders provided the training of Philippine Navy personnel in maintaining and operating the submarines, along with submarine basing and credit line financing for the Philippines to avail that makes the acquisition bearable.

With the entry of Navantia into this project, this will encourage further competition between the three shipbuilders that are actively taking part in this acquisition project of the Philippine Navy, whereby any winning proponent under this submarine deal may also win entry into the country’s defense market and also those in the region, while the Philippine Navy benefits in the increase of its capabilities as it exerts effort in prepares to play a key role in the country’s external defense posture.

The Philippine Navy’s submarine acquisition project only comes as a part of its grand scheme of things within its modernization program alongside the other branches of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, whereby some of its projects like the Corvettes and the Offshore Patrol Vessels are already on their way into shipbuilding production. Getting the submarines may help the Philippine Navy increase the country’s minimum credible deterrence in the region, joining countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

In the end, the decision-makers in the Philippine Navy will choose the preferable shipbuilder for this acquisition project, as the options are now increased to at least three shipbuilders that are taking their part in this project, with Navantia presented its newly developed submarine and also the largest one among the candidates offered. All of which may help the Philippine Navy get the capabilities it needs in gearing itself into external defense, as with the other branches within the armed forces.

(c) 2023 PDA.

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