Philippine
Navy flag-officer-in-charge Vice Admiral Jose Luis Alano has said that its
frigates and naval helicopters are essential in maintaining the country's
sovereignty.
He
made this statement during the sidelights of the commissioning ceremony of the
Navy's three latest AgustaWestland AW-109 "Power" helicopters.
These
helicopters, along with two armed versions coming by the third quarter of 2014,
are worth around P1.33 billion.
"All
of these (frigates and naval helicopters) are essential to ensure that we are
able to secure our sovereignty (and) protect our national interest," Alano
stressed.
He
pointed out that these naval assets are also very useful in maintaining regional
security and ensuring that there is peace and stability in the region.
The
PN chief earlier said that the AW-109s will greatly extend the patrolling and
monitoring capabilities of the two Gregorio Del Pilar class frigates in
service.
"With
it, it would be able to provide an increase in its ability to have a larger
coverage of maritime surveillance and to cover a larger area. The seas are so
vast and to ensure that we are able to cover it on the fastest part of time,
these helicopters will be able to do that," Alano said.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=598527
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.