Philippine Navy To Receive Two Advanced Mark-III Assault Craft By September End

Philippine Navy will receive two of the three Multi-Purpose Attack Crafts (MPAC) with options for missile armament by third quarter of this year.

“These two MPACs will be delivered by this third quarter and will have provisions for missile armament,” Philippine Navy spokesperson Captain Lued Lincuna said in an interview with the Philippine News Agency Tuesday.

These MPACs, also known as Mark IIIs, are far more advanced and capable than the earlier ordered Mark Is and IIs currently in service, Update.PH reported today.

The Navy is operating around six gun-armed MPACs as of this posting.

Mark IIIs will be armed with the Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd’s Spike ER (extended range) in anti-ship mode.

It is capable of penetrating 1,000 mm (39 inches) of rolled homogeneous armor and has a maximum range of five miles.

Rafael is also providing Mini-Typhoon Remote Controlled Weapon Station for MPAC Mark III. Mini-Typhoon has a variant which incorporates a machine gun and surface-to-surface missiles.

MPAC Mark IIIs have provisions for remote weapon system for 12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun M2HB; missile launch system and its respective remote operating console inside the craft. MPAC Mk III also have provisions for two M60/7.62mm Light Machine Gun. These MPACs will also be capable of storing 2,000 rounds for 12.7mm, 4,000 rounds for 7.62mm and 10 canisters of surface-to-surface missiles.

Filipino shipbuilder Propmech Corporation and Taiwanese builder Lung Teh Shipbuilding Co. joint venture is building the MPACS, while Rafael will provide the weapons system.

The PN’s missile-armed MPACs, of which three are in the pipeline, has a contract price of PhP268,880,000 (US$5.3 million) for the attack crafts, and PhP 594,319,550 (US$11.8 million) for Weapons System and Missiles.

The contract includes mission essential equipment. Mission essential equipment includes day/night electronic navigation systems, communication suites, safety-of-life-at-sea, propulsion system and seamanship and ship-handling gears.