Anti-surface warfare capabilities of Gregorio Del Pilar frigates to be enhanced

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 12): Anti-surface warfare capabilities of Gregorio Del Pilar frigates to be enhanced

Weaponry that will boost the anti-surface warfare capabilities of the two Gregorio Del Pilar frigates (formerly the Hamilton-class cutters) are now in the pipeline.

"The weapons are now in the pipeline. Once installed, the anti-surface warfare capabilities of the two Gregorio Del Pilar frigates will be definitely boosted," a military official said.

However, he refused to comment on what type of weaponry the two Filipino frigates will be getting, except that it is capable of engaging naval surface targets at long range.

Observers said that this could be the Harpoon anti-ship missiles that defense officials earlier said that will be fitted to the BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (PF-15).

Aside from the Harpoons, the two ships will also be fitted with more sophisticated radars capable of detecting and tracking down incoming surface threats and anti-missile and torpedo decoying systems.

He said that the Harpoon is the ideal missile system for the Gregorio Del Pilar-class frigates as the USCGC Mellon (WHEC-717), the sister ships of the two in Philippine Navy service, has been fitted with the Harpoon missile launchers and test- fired the weapons in January 1990.

She also received an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) suite, including the AN/SQS-26 sonar and Mark 46 torpedoes.

The ASW suite and Harpoon capability were removed due to fiscal constraints in the latter part of the 1990s, but served as a proof of capability for all USCG cutters.

The Harpoon is an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile system, developed and manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing Defense, Space & Security).

In 2004, Boeing delivered the 7,000th Harpoon unit since the weapon's introduction in 1977. The missile system has also been further developed into a land-strike weapon, the standoff land attack missile.

The regular Harpoon uses active radar homing, and a low-level, sea-skimming cruise trajectory to improve survivability and lethality. The missile's launch platforms include:

* Fixed-wing aircraft (the AGM-84, without the solid-fuel rocket booster).

* Surface ships (the RGM-84, fitted with a solid-fuel rocket booster that detaches when expended, to allow the missile's main turbojet to maintain flight).

* Submarines (the UGM-84, fitted with a solid-fuel rocket booster and encapsulated in a container to enable submerged launch through a torpedo tube).

* Coastal defense batteries, from which it would be fired with a solid-fuel rocket booster.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=683648