The Philippines is planning to acquire 10 additional Acero-class patrol gunboats for the naval force as part of the government’s broader defense modernization initiative.
Revealed by Philippine Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner, the potential adoption of these vessels will expand the service’s current fast attack interdiction fleet to 19.
Similar to the current Acero fleet’s sixth to tenth vessels, the 10 planned ships will be equipped with Spike non-line-of-sight precision-guided missiles developed by Israeli arms producer Rafael.
The acquisition’s terms could possibly be based on Manila’s previous contract with Israel Shipyards Ltd., which built the older Aceros based on the Israeli Navy Shaldag V patrol boat design, according to Naval News.
Details revealed by Brawner included the potential transfer of technology that will support the Philippine Navy to locally assemble and sustain the incoming platforms at a base in Cavite.