HUGE Goliaths are known to end up dead after being hit by accurate slingshots made by small courageous and swift-footed Davids.
This comparison is very apt for the Philippine Navy’s (PN) newly acquired and commissioned fast attack interdiction craft-missiles (FAIC-Ms), which the naval leadership intends to use to protect the country’s porous maritime territories, a result of its archipelagic nature.
“As you know, the Philippines’ geographic configuration is unique. It is characterized by complex and contested waters, porous borders and proximity to major regional sea lines. This archipelagic nature of our country therefore presents both opportunities and challenges to the Philippines’ maritime security,” PN Flag-Officer-in-Command Rear Admiral Toribio Adaci Jr. said during the commissioning of two FAIC-Ms on November 28.
The FAIC-Ms are also known as the “Acero” class gunboats in the PN service and based on the Shaldag Mark V, an Israeli-made, combat-proven, all-aluminium light and fast vessel with high payload capacity, providing exceptional maneuverability and seakeeping. It has a high firepower-to-displacement ratio designed to operate in naval security missions and can efficiently protect exclusive economic zones and littoral waters.
The first two out of a batch of nine are named BRP Nestor Acero (PG-901) and BRP Lolinato To-ong (PG-902). “The two FAICs are specially designed to equip the Navy’s capability in addressing threats within this complex and unique archipelagic condition in a precise and swift manner,” Adaci said.
The Navy chief added that “quick intercept capabilities” of the FAIC-Ms—brought by its maximum speed of 40 knots—are ideal for “addressing current and emerging security threats.” These vessels are named after two Philippine Marine Corps heroes and Medal of Valor recipients—the late Private First Class Nestor Acero and the late 1st Lt. Lolinato To-ong.
‘Acero’-class capabilities
THESE 32-meter high-speed vessels are also equipped with remote stabilized weapons, and short-range missiles that are capable of delivering precision strikes against larger hostiles and high-value targets on land and sea.
Four of these FAIC-Ms will be armed with non-line-of-sight (NLOS) missiles with pinpoint accuracy and a range of 25 kilometers, while the other five will be armed with Typhoon-mounted 30mm main cannons and .50-caliber heavy machine guns.
These ships also have a displacement of 95 tons and a range of 1,000 nautical miles.
The acquisition of these FAIC-Ms is among the 2019 projects approved by former President Rodrigo R. Duterte under the Horizon 2 List of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program.
These nine FAIC-Ms were acquired by the Philippines from Israel Shipyards Ltd. for P10 billion.
The NLOS advantage
DESPITE its relatively small size, Adaci said the FAIC-Ms can hit any target up to 32 nautical miles, thanks to its NLOS missiles.
“It is designed for NLOS missiles; if you recall we have the multipurpose attack craft [MPACs], which is fitted with a missile system and has a range of more or less eight kilometers, but these Shaldag Mark V, when fitted with this missile system, can have a range of approximately 32 kilometers,” he explained.
The PN chief was referring to the 12 MPAC units of the Navy, of which six are armed with the Spike-ER surface-to-surface missiles. Adaci said that the NLOS could hit anything as long as its target acquisition system is operating properly.
“It can be fired indirectly; even if the target is on the other side of the mountain, you can still hit the target as long as target acquisition is accurate,” he added.
Enhancing littoral defense
MEANWHILE, PN spokesperson Commander Benjo Negranza said the acquisition of these ships is a boost to the Navy’s littoral defense capabilities. Littoral refers to the near shore that is part of a sea, lake, or river that is near a shore.
“This acquisition aims to strengthen the country’s naval capability in terms of enhancing littoral defense and maritime interdiction operations as it will complement the previously acquired 12 MPACs of the PN,” he added.
Negranza also said the addition to the PN is a significant step forward in their ongoing capability upgrade geared towards achieving a minimum defense posture.
He added that FAIC-Ms will be useful in defending vital choke points, key sea lines of communication, and littoral areas of the country where terrorist groups and other lawless elements operate. These ships are expected to replace the force of patrol killer medium (PKM) or medium-sized patrol craft.
Negranza said the FAIC-M acquisition program also represents a major leap in the country’s Self Reliant Defense Posture Program as the deal involves the transfer of technology that allows local manufacturing of the ships in the PN shipyard in Naval Station Pascual Ledesma, Cavite.
Earlier, then PN chief Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo said the FAIC-Ms will also give the Navy the capability to defend key sea lines of communications, such as the Mindoro, Balabac, Sibutu, Basilan Straits, against conventional threats.
15 more FAIC-Ms eyed
ACCORDING to Adaci, there are plans to acquire 15 more Israel-made Shaldag Mark V missile boats, which are the basis of its Acero-class patrol gunboats. “We are planning to get 15 additional Acero-class gunboats [to beef up the] nine [now in the pipeline],” Adaci said.
The additional Acero-class gunboats would help them meet their requirements in “patrolling the seas of the country.”
He also said the FAIC-Ms will be assigned to the Littoral Combat Force. Four more FAIC-Ms, the other name of the Acero class in the PN service, will be delivered sometime in 2023.
“I don’t know the exact delivery dates next year but this shall be throughout [next year],” Adaci.
The last batch of three will be built at the PN shipyard in the Naval Station Pascual Ledesma in Cavite, and is scheduled for 2024.
Adaci said Israel Shipyard Ltd. would help the PN rehabilitate the old shipyard and make it more modern and allow it to build these types of ships.
“In that way, our people can learn how to do it, maintain these Acero-class boats and that will be the start of the transfer of technology,” he said.
Image credits: Israel Shipyards Ltd. CC-BY-SA-3.0, Philippine Navy