Philippine Navy receives first surface-to-air missiles

The Philippine Navy over the weekend said it has received the first surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) that will boost the country’s territorial defense.

The Mistral 3 SAMs will be installed on the BRP Jose Rizal (FF150) and the BRP Antonio Luna (FF151), after being delivered at the Subic Bay International Airport in Bataan on Friday, October 8, 2021.

The SAMs will be among the primary weapons of both FF150 and FF151 and are seen to boost the Philippine Navy’s anti-air warfare capability and enhance the capacities of the JRC frigates in maritime operations.

The procurement and delivery of equipment is in line with the Philippine Navy Frigate Acquisition Project awarded to France-based MBDA Missile Systems, and the Revised AFP Modernization Program signed in 2012.

According to the AFP, the procurement is “cost-effective” and a “reliable addition” to the layered defense system, capable of denying intrusion and deterring future attacks by external threats. — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/BM, GMA News