The signing ceremony took place in Manila at the Philippine Department of National Defense with representatives of the State-owned shipbuilder. PT PAL Indonesia is exporting its Landing Platform Dock (LPD) to the Philippines for the second time: The Philippine Navy is already operating two Tarlac-class ships. Tarlac (LD-601) was commissioned in June 2016 and Davao del Sur (LD-602) was commissioned in May 2017).
“We, the management of PT PAL Indonesia, are proud to be able to contribute to national defense in ASEAN. At the same time, we appreciate the trust of the Philippine government, which has chosen PAL for the second time as a defense equipment provider for the maritime domain.
PT PAL’s defense procurement capabilities and capacities are now increasingly entrusted to the global market. This is inextricably linked to the role of the Indonesian government, which has placed its trust and support in PT PAL. PT PAL is one step in Defend ID ‘s journey to become one of the world’s 50 largest defense companies.”
Willgo Zainar, CMO of PT PAL Indonesia
After a series of tendering procedures, PT PAL Indonesia was officially selected through a Notice of Award (NoA) from the Philippine Department of Defense, received on June 10, 2022.
The ship will be built at the PT PAL shipyard in Surabaya. They will be 123 meters long with a standard displacement of 7,200 tons, and have a cruising endurance of 30 days. According to PT PAL, the design will feature some alterations compared to the in-service Tarlac-class ships. The LPD will be capable to sail up in waters up to sea state 6, as well as operating ship facilities at sea state 4.
Renewal of the Philippine Navy fleet
The Philippine Navy is currently renewing its ageing fleet with new vessels. South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) announced on 27 June 2022 that it signed a contract to build 6 OPVs for the Philippine Navy.
HHI previously signed a contract with the Philippine Department of National Defense for construction of two Corvettes in 2021, as well as a contract for construction of two BRP Jose Rizal Class Frigates in 2016, which it delivered to the Philippine Navy successfully.
The Philippine Navy is also getting 9 Fast Patrol Craft from Israel.
In January 2022, India’s BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited signed a contract for the supply of Shore Based Anti-Ship Missile systems.
There were also plans for the creation of a submarine force, however the current status of this project is unknown.
