The Department of National Defense (DND) and Anglo-Italian
aircraft manufacturer AgustaWestland formally signed the contract for the
Navy's first two anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters Tuesday.
The signing took place at the DND main building in Camp Aguinaldo ,
Quezon City
Department of National Defense (DND) undersecretary for
finance, munition, materiel and modernization Fernando Manalo confirmed the
signing of the deal in a message to the PNA Wednesday.
DND Secretary Voltaire Gazmin signed the contract for the
Philippine side while AgustaWestland senior vice president for sales and
strategic sourcing Stefano Bortoli inked in behalf of the aircraft
manufacturer.
Manalo said AgustaWestland will supply two of its brand-new
AW-159 "Wildcat" for the DND's ASW program.
The contract is worth PHP5.360 billion or lower that the
stated PHP5.4 billion.
The ASW helicopters will be deployed aboard the two
missile-firing frigates being acquired by the DND for the Navy.
Projected delivery of the first helicopter will take place
within a year's time, Manalo said.
AgustaWestland was selected by the DND as the possible
supplier of its two ASW helicopters late in 2015.
The AW-159 (previously called the Future Lynx and Lynx
Wildcat) is an improved version of the Westland Super Lynx military helicopter.
It is ordered for the British Army and the United Kingdom
It has a crew of two, has a maximum speed of 291 km/h (181
mph), range of 777 km (483 miles), ferry range of 963 km (598 miles) and an
endurance of one and a-half hours (fours hours and 30 minutes if fitted with
auxiliary fuel)
The AW-159 is fitted with forward firing CRV7 rockets and
machine guns, pintle mounted machine gun, Sea Skua missiles and Sting-Ray
torpedoes and depth charges.
The ASW helicopter project is one of the seven military
modernization projects which President Benigno S. Aquino III has given DND the
green-light to go into a "multi-year contract" in November 2015.
Projects placed under the "multi-year contract"
include the two missile-armed frigates, eight amphibious assault vehicles, two
long-range patrol aircraft, six close-air support aircraft, munition for the
brand-new FA-50PH jet fighters and surveillance radars.
Payment from the seven projects will run from 2015 to 2018.
Granting of the "multi-year contract" will allow
to pursue the military modernization program beyond Aquino's term, he added.
Total value of the seven projects is about PHP44 billion.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=871423
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