The Philippine Navy (PN) has announced that one of its two
strategic sealift vessels (SSVs) will be in service by the second quarter of
2016.
This was confirmed by Navy vice commander Rear Admiral
Caesar Taccad in a press briefing, saying the contract price for the two SSVs
is PhP4 billion.
"The first unit is expected to be delivered on the
second quarter of 2016 and the second unit is scheduled for the second quarter
of 2017," Taccad said.
"These ships can be used for military and non-military
operations such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions,
sealift, logistics, rescue operations or as a floating government center
platform," the PN vice commander stressed.
He added that the SSVs carries a crew of 126 officers and
enlisted personnel. It can also transport a battalion of troops (500 soldiers)
and their equipment.
Indonesian shipbuilder PT PAL confirmed Friday that it has
signed the contract to supply two strategic sealift vessels to the Philippine
Navy.
The Department of National Defense (DND) and the Indonesian
shipbuilder PT Pal signed the contract for the SSVs last July.
"The SSV is an integral part of the PN's Service Force
(logistic) and is needed to accomplish the Navy's missions in different areas,"
the Navy earlier said.
The ships are estimated to weigh around 7,300 gross register
tons.
The SSVs will also be used to improve the PN's transport and
lift capabilities.
These missions are needed especially in times of natural
disaster of which the Navy is one of the responders.
The ships are capable of acting as mini-helicopter carriers
as it is capable of carrying two helicopters at its flight deck and another at
its enclosed hangar area.
"SSVs must have helideck capacity for two 10-ton
helicopters (based on Sikorsky Black Hawk) and an enclosed hangar for another
10-ton helicopter (also based on the Black Hawk)," a DND supplemental
bulletin on the SSVs stated.
With the capability to carry three helicopters, the SSV has
the capacity to conduct long range patrol and conduct rescue work.
The DND supplemental bid bulletin also said that the two
ships must have a beam of 21 meters and a propulsion system consisting of two
diesel engines coupled to two controllable pitch propellers giving it a minimum
speed of 13 knots and a maximum of 16 knots.
It should also have a cruising range of 7,500 nautical miles
and a crew of 100 to 130 officers and men.
The SSVs must be also capable of carrying two landing craft
mechanized/utility at floodable well decks, two RHIB or LCVP on boat davits.
The SSVs must be also equipped with navigation, surface and
air search radars, electronic warfare suite, electro-optical fire control
system and combat management systems.
It must be armed with one main gun between 40mm to 127mm in
caliber and two 30 mm automated cannons and from four to six light machine
guns.
Money for the SSVs is sourced from the Armed Forces of the Philippines
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=718296
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