The country’s newly acquired guided missile corvette for the Philippine Navy arrived Tuesday at the Naval Operating Base in Subic, Zambales.

Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Romeo Brawner Jr. led the arrival ceremony of the guided missile frigate, which will be named BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG-06) in the future.

In welcoming the country’s new naval asset, Teodoro said the ship would serve as a “critical step toward developing a self-reliant and credible defense posture.”

He then outlined four key areas of focus for the DND and the AFP, including developing core capabilities and strategic basing; identifying continuous sources of revenue for sustainment; training and education; and integrating domain awareness and multi-threat response systems.

“This includes, not only investing in capabilities but once again, training capable and competent people in the appropriate technical skills,” Teodoro said.

“Miguel Malvar is here today not only to serve as a deterrent and protector of our waters but also as an important component in joint and combined operations as we work alongside allies and uphold the norms of international law,” he added.

The Defense chief also highlighted the country’s enduring partnership with the Republic of Korea.

Teodoro cited the Korean government’s continued support in providing capabilities and investments that promote sustainability, resilience, and job creation in the country.

“We thank our reliable partners, the people and the government of the Republic of Korea… not only in providing capabilities, but in building sustainability, redundancy, and resilience through actual capital investments,” he said.

The BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG-06), the lead ship of the new Miguel Malvar-class guided missile frigates, departed from the Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea.

The Miguel Malvar-class frigates are an improved and enlarged version of the HDF-2600 platform used for the Jose Rizal-class.

This ship measures 118.4 meters in length, with a beam of 14.9 meters, and displaces approximately 3,200 tons. Its combat systems and weaponry are designed for multi-domain operations.

It is powered by four MTU STX diesel engines, reaching a top speed of 25 knots and a cruising range of 4,500 nautical miles at 15 knots. The vessel also features a helicopter flight deck and hangar, extending its operational capabilities.

The armament includes a 16-cell vertical launch system (VLS) for surface-to-air missiles, two quadruple launchers for LIG Nex1 SSM-700K C-Star anti-ship missiles, a 76mm Oto Melara naval gun, a 35mm ASELSAN GOKDENIZ close-in weapon system (CIWS), and four 12.7mm heavy machine guns.

For anti-submarine warfare, the ship is equipped with two triple torpedo launchers for K745 Blue Shark torpedoes.

The procurement of this naval asset is initiated under the Corvette Acquisition Project, part of Horizon 2 of the Revised AFP Modernization Program from 2018 to 2022, aimed at upgrading the country’s naval capabilities to address regional security challenges and maritime threats.

Prior to the delivery of the Miguel Malvar-class, HHI had already delivered two Jose Rizal-class frigates— BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150) and BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151)— commissioned in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

The Philippine Navy aimed to acquire frigate-sized vessels equipped with advanced weaponry and enhanced sensor systems, surpassing the capabilities of the Jose Rizal class.