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Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. (front row, seventh from right), HD Hyundai Heavy Industries CEO Lee Sang-kyun (front row, eighth from right), and other officials pose at the launch of the Philippine corvette Miguel Malvar in Ulsan on Tuesday. (HD Hyundai) |
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has launched the Miguel Malvar, the first of two corvettes ordered by the Philippine Navy in 2021.
A corvette is the smallest type of warship used for coastal patrols, surveillance and escort duties. The Miguel Malvar is scheduled for delivery to the Philippine Navy by 2025 after commissioning and final outfitting.
The christening ceremony for the 3,200-ton vessel was held at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Ulsan headquarters on Tuesday. The event saw attendance from high-ranking military officials from both nations, including Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr., chief of staff Gen. Romeo S. Brawner Jr. and flag officer in command Adm. Toribio Adaci Jr.
During the ceremony, Monica Prieto-Teodoro, Philippine special envoy to UNICEF and wife of Secretary Teodoro, served as the ship’s godmother.
South Korean officials included Vice Chief of Naval Operations Gang Dong-gil, Vice Minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration Kwang Hwan-seok and CEO and President of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Lee Sang-kyun.
The Miguel Malvar, named after a Filipino independence hero, measures 118.4 meters in length and 14.9 meters in width. It has a cruising speed of 15 knots, or 28 kilometers per hour, and a range of 4,500 nautical miles, or 8,330 kilometers. Equipped with advanced weapon systems such as antiship missiles, vertical launch systems and advanced radar tech, the ship can detect and track multiple targets simultaneously.
As part of its naval modernization program, the government of the Philippines has ordered 10 vessels from HD HHI, including two frigates in 2016, two corvettes in 2021 and six offshore patrol vessels in 2022. The second Philippine corvette will be launched in December and delivered next year.
