Type 88 Anti-Ship Missiles for the Philippine Military?

The activities that have taken place during the Joint Exercise Balikatan 2026 introduced a lot of first instances that are unthinkable in the previous iteration of the annually conducted exercise, as a new active participant of the exercise deploy their coastal-based anti-ship missile platform, that might improve the capabilities of the Philippine Armed Forces, especially on the period where arms sales from this country likely getting expanded in the upcoming years.

FOR THE FIRST TIME

A Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force Type 88 surface to ship missile launched from its launcher during the Sinking Exercise phase of the Joint Exercise Balikatan 2026.
From the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS).

Every year, both the Philippines and the United States, along with other countries that have either taken part in a limited capacity or on an observer status, engaged in a primarily bilateral exercise between allied nations that are usually taking place at around April and May of every year. 

This refers to the Joint Exercise Balikatan, whereby both countries, along with others taking part, get an opportunity that involves interoperability of new capabilities, camaraderie, exchanges of subject expertise, among others.

But the 2026 iteration of the exercise provided a primary opportunity for another country to take part in this activity, alongside Filipino and American troops that are part of what counts as a routine bilateral exercise conducted annually. 

For the first time, the Japan Self-Defense Force or JSDF took part in this Joint Exercise, whereby they showcase existing capabilities in their inventory, aside from actually deploying its troops and equipment in the country for the first time since the Second World War. 

The first time participation took place when both the Philippine and Japanese governments signed and ratified the Reciprocal Access Agreement or RAA in 2024 and 2025 respectively, enabling the militaries of both the Philippines and Japan to get deployed on both countries’ territorial domain, particularly emphasizing more on military exercises such as the Joint Exercise Balikatan where like-minded nations take the opportunity of improving the needed interoperability between the militaries of both nations.

With that first time also comes another opportunity for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force to field its coastal-based anti-ship missile system, whereby they take part on the sinking exercise (SINKEX) phase of the entire joint exercise, involving the former Philippine Navy vessel the BRP Quezon (PS-70), an Auk-class minesweeper during the Second World War where it served as a patrol corvette within the naval service branch until its decommissioning in 2021.

In sinking, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force fielded the Type 88 anti-ship missile system, whereby a launcher unit fired at least two (2) missiles in a salvo, effectively hitting the former BRP Quezon as a target during the sinking exercise phase. 

This resulted in extensive damage inflicted on the decommissioned Second World War ship, which effectively showcased the capabilities of the Japanese-made anti-ship missile, which then made the said ship sink into the depths of the sea off the coast of Western Luzon.

This resulted for the Armed Forces of the Philippines to express interest on the Japanese-made anti-ship missile system and other systems in Balikatan 2026, all of it will help improve the capabilities of the country’s defense capabilities, coming alongside the interoperability between nations that took part on the Joint Exercise as intertwining military hardware use helps multiply the needed deterrence that the country needs amidst the aggression imposed by the northwestern neighbor in the West Philippine Sea.

It also gives Japan the consideration of exporting the Type 88 anti-ship missile platform to the Philippines, after its outstanding success in sinking the BRP Quezon during the Joint Exercise Balikatan 2026. This development gives the increasing prospect that the Armed Forces of the Philippines might get this anti-ship missile platform aside from the reported transfer of the Abukuma-class Destroyer Escorts to the Philippine Navy, both of which will boost the country’s maritime defense prospects.

THE MISSILE DEVELOPMENT

The Type 80 anti-ship missile munition, originally designed as an aircraft-launched warhead, became the basis for the development of the truck-based Type 88 surface to ship missile.
From Wikimedia Commons.

In the 1980s, at the time that the Abukuma-class destroyer escorts were being built for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries or MHI developed the Type 88 anti-ship missiles, which itself is a land-based version of the air-launched Type 80 (ASM-1) anti-ship missile. 

Mounted onboard trucks like the ones Japan deployed during the Joint Exercise Balikatan, its excellent performance still reflects relevance even for a late 1980s-era missile technology incorporated at its time.

This likely come as Japan’s attempt at creating and expanding its indigenous missile production, whereby a ship-based variant of the Type 88 also got developed during the period, intended for integration onboard the warships belonging to Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force or JMSDF, such as the Murasame-class destroyers and Akizuki-class destroyers, which is the Type 90 anti-ship missile. For context, the Abukuma-class destroyer escorts originally came with Harpoon anti-ship missiles installed.

Since its development in the 1980s, the Type 88 and the multitude of anti-ship missile iterations that Japan developed became the backbone of the Japan Self-Defense Forces’ missile capability, coupled with its domestic industry which primarily focuses more on developing and producing military technology that is only limited for its own use, as the government’s pacifist policy prevented any transfer or sale of military hardware, until just recently with the relaxation of restrictions imposed to this prospect.

The Philippine Armed Forces’ interest in the Type 88 surface to ship missile platform presents an opportunity, taking a deep understanding regarding its capabilities by examining its specifications as presented in this detailed entry here. At a glance, the Type 88 missile, as a truck-launched based platform, comes with a mass of 661 kilograms, a length of 5.08 meters, a diameter of 350 millimeters, and a warhead weighing at around 225 kilograms of high explosive round that has the capability of sinking a ship.

Going on its trajectory performance, the Type 88 missile gets propelled by a Mitsubishi TMJ2 turbojet engine and a single solid rocket booster as it gets launched from its truck launcher, giving out an operational range of around 180 kilometers and a low, skimming flight altitude of just 5-6 meters. 

Going further, it has a maximum speed of 1,150 kilometers per hour, which is almost reaching the speed of Mach 1 (1,238 kilometers), and has an onboard inertial guidance and terminal active radar homing system.

In comparison, the SSM-700K ‘Haeseong’ C-Star anti–ship missile that the Philippine Navy employs onboard both the Jose Rizal-class and Miguel Malvar-class of guided missile frigates comes with a warhead weighing at around 250 kilograms, while the entire missile’s mass comes at around 718 kilograms, which is heavier compared to the Japanese Type 88 missile. The C-Star’s size is 5.46 meters and a diameter of 340 millimeters, which makes it longer than the said Japanese-made missile.

With the speeds coming at 1,010 kilometers per hour and operational range of around 150 to 320 kilometers, the C-Star missile as Philippine Navy’s ship-based weaponry comes hand-in-hand with the coastal-based anti-ship missile features brought by the Type 88 surface to ship missile system from Japan as part of the broader push for a sufficient anti-access area denial (A2/AD) layer in areas of concern like in the northern and western parts of mainland Luzon.

TYPE 88 SUCCESSOR IN JSDF SERVICE

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force's Type 12 surface-to-ship missile.
Image Source.

Interest in the Type 88 surface to ship missile platform by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and its successful firing during the Joint Exercise Balikatan 2026 comes alongside the ongoing capability upgrades that are taking place within the Japan Self-Defense Force, one that served as an impetus to this development relative to the purported sale of the 1980s-era missile munitions to the Philippines. This refers to the development and deployment of their Type 25 surface to ship missile.

Being a hypersonic missile in itself, the Type 25 surface to ship missile serves as a continuous missile development path that the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force undertake for its truck-launched platform, and the third succeeding missile type that followed both the Type 88 and Type 12 surface to missile platform. Being an upgrade over the Type 12 surface to missile platform, the Type 25 surface to ship missile has the capability of destroying targets well within its 1,000-kilometer range.

Before the Type 25 surface to ship missile’s introduction into the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s array of missiles capable of striking naval targets that threaten the Japanese home islands, they maintain the Type 12 surface to ship missiles which count as a successor to the older Type 88 missiles, with the latter likely getting phased out from the Japanese military stocks and, if pushed through, will help improve the capabilities of the Philippine Armed Forces alongside its BrahMos and C-Star anti-ship missiles.

In terms of capabilities, the Type 25 surface-to-ship missile exhibits a leap in technological advantages, especially when compared to the Type 88 surface-to-ship missiles that originally came from the late 1980s. Aside from its reported range of around 1,000 kilometers, the Type 25 actually has at least two (2) variants, one of which being an upgraded variant of the legacy Type 12 SSM, while the other being the hyper velocity gliding projectiles (HGVP) missile variant.

Completing the link between the Type 25 surface to ship missile to the Type 88 that the Armed Forces of the Philippines might likely get in this case, is the Type 12 surface to ship missile, where procurement of the said missile took place in 2012, and its deployment happened two (2) years later, in 2014. 

Like the Type 88, this missile is also a development made by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for Japan Ground Self-Defense Force requirements, emphasizing the capability evolution exhibited by Japanese technology for its defense.

Going through its technical specifications, the Type 12 surface to ship missile’s size comes with its 350mm diameter width, 5 meters length, overall weight of around 700 kilograms, range of 200 kilometers, and a maximum speed of 1,111 kilometers per hour. 

It kept ‌most of its size as compared to the Type 88 surface to ship missile, along with the overall projectile speed of the newer version of the missile, although the Type 12 is heavier compared to the 661-kilogram mass of the Type 88. 

What technically differentiates the Type 12 surface to ship missile compared to its older Type 88 predecessor is the onboard systems configuration, whereby the former comes with an advanced guidance system that will provide enhanced precision against its intended target. Specifically, it comes with a guided launcher, fire control device, relay device, and GPS-based updated guidance system.

THE EXPORT PROSPECT

The Philippine Navy will receive the Abukuma-class destroyer escorts as part of the deal between the Philippine and Japanese governments.
From Wikimedia Commons, shared through an article source.

The Philippine Armed Forces’ desire to secure Type 88 surface to ship missiles from Japan and the Japanese’ interest in providing them to the Philippines goes beyond the technical specifications and the firepower-building capabilities of the Philippine Armed Forces as part of its own ongoing modernization push, whereby it presented a multitude of firsts for both sides relative to this development, along with the set of agreements and policies from the governments of the said countries that have made this possible.

For both Japan and the Philippines, the exporting of the Type 88 surface to ship missiles comes with multiple milestones that have come with this move - for one, the Philippines might likely be the first overseas user and the other one aside from Japan that operates and maintains the said Japanese-made missile technology from the 1980s shall this export pushes through. This also entails the first export for the Japanese relating to missile technology since its lifting of arms export restrictions in April.

Speaking of the lifting of arms export restrictions made by Japan, this actually refers to the revisions made to the country’s three principles on equipment transfers and their implementation guidelines, which serves as the primary policy paper of the Japanese government that justify its need of transferring and sale export of its military hardware, of which it now includes the same intended for lethal military hardware, which were previously prohibited before the approved revisions.

For the Philippine Armed Forces, this will mean having three (3) types of anti-ship missiles in active service, alongside the Indian-made BrahMos missiles and the South Korean-made SSM-700K Haeseong ‘C-Star’ Missile, and the second (2nd) coastal, ground-based missile launching solution, alongside the aforementioned Indian-made missiles. The export of Japanese-made missiles helps expand the coastal defense capabilities of the Philippines and its deterrence on a broader scale.

In this purported export of the Type 88 surface to ship missiles from Japan to the Philippines, this also paves the way for both countries to take any future export of newer missile variants that Japan currently has in service, most notably both the Type 12 and the recently introduced Type 25 missiles that will probably replace the old, 1980s-era missile system that became the primary premise of the exports. This is important as the Philippine military also looks at other options like the NSM-armed NMESIS system.

Aside from the Type 88 surface to ship missiles, the Armed Forces of the Philippines also has the interest in the Abukuma-class Destroyer Escorts, of which recent reports from a Japanese outlet suggest that the Philippine Navy will probably get at least five (5) out of six (6) destroyer escorts as part of its fleet expansion planning, going alongside ongoing purchase of both the Rajah Sulayman-class Offshore Patrol Vessels and the repeat order of Miguel Malvar-class guided missile frigates.

All the mentioned export prospects relative to the Type 88 missile, destroyer escort transfer to the Philippine Navy, and the upgrading of Philippine-Japanese defense ties into a full Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, gives added support to the foundation of not only reinforcing the resolve of both countries as an important component of the first island chain, but also increasing of support for the country’s defense supply chains, joining the likes of South Korea in providing defense material support to the Philippines.

LOOKING FORWARD

The decommissioned BRP Quezon after being hit by a Type 88 missile during the Sinking Exercise (SINKEX) phase of the Joint Exercise Balikatan 2026.

As the bilateral defense relations between the Philippines and Japan improve, along with the multitude of factors that refers to the relaxation of arms exports and the Type 25 missile’s first deployment within the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force or JGSDF, makes the export of Type 88 surface to ship missiles an ideal one for the Armed Forces of the Philippines to consider, with both the Philippine Army and the Philippine Marine Corps being the primary beneficiary of this development if it pushes through.

The capabilities of the said 1980s-era developed Japanese-made missile showcased during the first mainstream involvement of the Japan Self-Defense Force in the 2026 Joint Exercise Balikatan, whereby it successfully targeted the decommissioned World War 2 era corvette, a success that caught the attention of the Philippine military leadership where its capabilities, if bought, transferred, and secured in numbers, adds strength to the anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy of the country.

Currently, at the time this article gets published, the purported export of Type 88 surface to ship missiles to the Philippines from existing Japanese Self-Defense Force stocks is still at the talking level, although the assessment comes is once the deal pushes through, its delivery will come with phases, parallel to the entry of additional Type 25 missile launchers and munitions in the Japanese military service - a process that will take years until the entire transition gets completed.

Even with the plans for Type 88 surface to ship missiles for the Philippines made rounds in the country’s multiple defense communities and spaces, this might likely not stop the Armed Forces of the Philippines into seeking other anti-ship missiles available in the market, aside from an ensured supply chain associated with the most likely repeat orders of both the BrahMos and SSM-700K ‘Haeseong’ C-Star missile, both are already serving in the Philippine Navy’s weaponry arsenal.

As the planned export of Type 88 surface to ship missiles from Japan to the Philippines is still at the discussion level, that are likely to come as part of the improving defense ties between both countries as part of the newly forged Comprehensive Strategic Partnership cemented by the approved Reciprocal Access Agreement ratified by both governments, its overall direction might still change, especially in whether the entire plan pushes through, in the numbers involved, and in the process of transferring the said materials.

Still, the entire discussion presented for this type of missile system that might get introduced in the Armed Forces of the Philippines gives a promising prospect, a positive note even, that there is an opportunity open for the military leadership to further improve the expanded capabilities of all the service branches of the organization, even in the note that the procurement plans and programs of the Revised AFP Modernization Program is still actively ongoing and in process.

Ultimately, this development is something worth looking forward to, especially with the firepower benefits it presents for the Philippine military to get its hands on as it continuously expands its territorial defense deterrence under the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept or CADC umbrella. Admittedly, the Armed Forces of the Philippines have achieved so far for its territorial defense, with the Type 88 surface to ship missiles will help add to that achievement even further.

(c) 2026 PDA.

Published from a station in Eastern Visayas. 

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Discussing the Philippine Army's Additional 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzer (PGM Ready) Project

As the other service branches of the Philippine Armed Forces expand their capabilities, such as in the case for the Philippine Navy's additional naval vessels and the Philippine Air Force's never-ending pursuit in securing its comprehensive multi-role fighter jet package, the Philippine Army continues to expand its existing capability, with this one revolving around the increase of its self-propelled howitzers in service.

AS REPORTED IN THE 2025 DND PROCUREMENT MONITORING REPORT (PMR)

The Ceasar MKII self-propelled howitzer from KNDS (formerly Nexter) is among the likely candidates of the Philippine Army's additional self-propelled howitzer project.
Image gathered from the KNDS website.

On the previous two (2) projects discussed regarding the additional Miguel Malvar-class frigate and additional anti-submarine warfare helicopters of the Philippine Navy, its primary source of information originated from the same report presented on the transparency section of the Department of National Defense’s own website for the 2nd half of 2025, as this is always a routine among government agencies to post their respective procurement monitoring reports, done by semesters within a fiscal year.

Still on that same report, the Department of National Defense presented a single acquisition project intended for the Philippine Army, one that will help increase the number of self-propelled howitzers active within the service branch. 

Currently, the Philippine Army maintains at least twelve (12) ATMOS 2000 self-propelled howitzers made by the Israeli firm Elbit Systems, the same manufacturer that provides military hardware to the service branch, such as the Sabrah light tank.

The interest in the Philippine Army’s self-propelled howitzer platform speaks volumes for its satisfactory performance as used by the service branch’s artillery personnel in terms of its field use, as its shoot and scoot feature gives quicker response time for the troops to provide artillery support on the ground at a shortest time possible, while reducing the risk for the personnel in getting caught from a counterattack, as the platform can get pulled out from its area of concern.

While getting a platform from the same source is an excellent way to go in terms of logistical aspects of operating and maintaining it, other factors are at play that might prompt the planners at the high level to consider other candidates that will help complement the capability and key features for a self-propelled howitzer. This point of concern comes as the discussions on this topic will delve deep into the path this acquisition project will proceed.

Aside from the logistical concerns involving the supplier of the ATMOS 2000 to the Philippine Army, part of the discussion will also cover the preferable candidates for the additional orders made for a self-propelled howitzer platform, whereby multiple references will provide the likely preferable one that the planners of the service branch to consider, as this will help factor in the satisfiable end-user requirements relative to the overall thrust of the service branch under the Revised AFP Modernization Program.

'NOT A REPEAT ORDER OF THE ATMOS 2000 SELF-PROPELLED HOWITZER'

The Philippine Army maintains at least twelve (12) total ATMOS 2000 self-propelled howitzer pieces.
Image (c) Army Artillery Regiment, Philippine Army (via Wikimedia Commons)

From a logistical point of view, the purchase of additional self-propelled howitzer units for the Philippine Army will give more sense, especially if this project comes with the order of additional ATMOS 2000 self-propelled howitzer units from Israel’s Elbit Advanced Systems, especially that the service branch already has this type in inventory, and the personnel already having the experience on gaining needed skills relative to its operational, maintenance, and repair requirements.

However, the ongoing situation in the Middle East, which stemmed out from a 2023 conflict that involves the country of Israel itself against the aggression waged by a Palestinian-based group named Hamas, makes the supply chain situation worse, whereby the Israeli defense industrial production takes its country’s military supply needs first before exported products, which affects any prospect that the Philippine Military has in securing Israeli-made weapons like the ATMOS 2000 SPH.

This only got further exacerbated by the silent policy shift from the Philippine government in avoiding established Israeli suppliers like Elbit and Rafael Advanced Systems inexplicably, where the other factor, aside from the supply chain stretch that came as the result of the ongoing conflict that the country has with Hamas, points to the Israeli government’s lack of support to the Philippines’ sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea, especially on both the Kalayaan Island Group and Panatag Shoal.

The backlog that came as the result from the increase in demand for Israeli-made military hardware, especially by the Israeli Defense Force itself, coupled with the not-so-warm reception from the Israeli government in supporting the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea, makes any future military deals with Israeli-based companies a bit of undesirable for the Philippine Armed Forces to consider, likely resulting for the Philippine government through the Department of National Defense to seek other supplier options.

With this primary basis coming into consideration, the Philippine Army’s additional self-propelled howitzer program is now open for other prospective military suppliers to take part in the project. 

With this new procurement deal that will probably not be a repeat order of ATMOS 2000 that is already in service within the service branch, this paves the way for interesting self-propelled howitzer designs that will probably have its way into the hands of the country’s troops, providing artillery support in the battlefield.

THE NEW CANDIDATES OF THE PROJECT

One of the self-propelled howitzer platforms included in the shortlist is the Excalibur Army's DITA 155mm artillery platform.
Image Source.

With the idea of just buying additional ATMOS 2000 self-propelled howitzer out of the picture, this paves the way for the Philippine Army into seeking different platforms that will complement the Israeli-made artillery pieces already in service, in a manner that it comes with the same performance that the end-user seeks for a self-propelled howitzer, while securing the assurance of timely delivery and an unhampered supply chain that is not affected by any military affairs its host country undertake.

There are at least two (2) platforms that are in the shortlist of what will be the next self-propelled howitzer of the Philippine Army, after Israel’s shortcomings in both the diplomatic and material support front as the Department of National Defense’s desire in improving its materials supply chain limiting to like-minded partners that support the government’s official stance in the West Philippine Sea. These are the Czech-made DITA 155mm SPH and the French-made KNDS CAESAR SPH.

Do take note that while both of the platforms aforementioned are in the shortlist by the Department of National Defense as reported, the details might still change from the time this article publishes as negotiations and the entire procurement process itself is ongoing, with changes on the shortlist might even happen and likely getting narrowed down to the preferred platform by the Philippine Army as the end-user. In this topic, the shortlist will cover the said two platforms, all for the sake of this discussion.

The DITA 155mm self-propelled howitzer is a Czech-made artillery product made by Excalibur Army, the same entity that should have supplied the Pandur II 8x8 armored vehicle chassis for the wheeled variant of the Sabrah Tank under the Philippine Army’s Light Tank Acquisition Project. As marketed, it sports a 155mm NATO caliber barrel, capable of firing artillery rounds of this size while having a maximum firing range of around thirty-nine (39) kilometers.

Compared to the ATMOS 2000 self-propelled howitzer that the Philippine Army currently has in its inventory, the Excalibur DITA has the advantage with its automatic gun aiming along with its armored, air-conditioned cab with a filtration unit. The howitzer cannon of this platform acts as a gun turret, effectively providing artillery support at a wider angle while coming with an onboard guiding system that gives helpful analytics for an effective fire effect results of the Czech-made artillery piece’s salvo.

Such technological advancement for a self-propelled howitzer will be new for the Philippine Army’s personnel if it gets chosen, as this complicates the skills needed to operate, maintain, and overhaul this artillery throughout its service life, with the learning curve going steeper for the personnel who have the skills and experience operating and maintaining the current ATMOS 2000 self-propelled howitzer currently active within the Philippine Army service.

This leaves the second shortlisted platform to be likely the preferable platform that the leadership within the Philippine Army and the Department of National Defense to consider, as the French-made self-propelled howitzer shared most of the operational and maintenance principles to the Israeli-made system where the steep learning curve will probably lessen as familiarity between the ATMOS 2000 and this system will help the service branch in considering this platform.

THE CLOSEST ONE TO THE ATMOS 2000 HOWITZER SETUP

The KNDS CAESAR self-propelled howitzer is one of the shortlisted candidates of the Philippine Army's self-propelled howitzer acquisition project.
Image Source.

The said competitor to the Excalibur Army’s DITA 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzer solution is the KNDS CAESAR SPH, in which it is basically similar to the ATMOS 2000 in terms of its artillery configuration, with the howitzer basically fitted on a truck chassis and the ending tip of the artillery aimed to the front of the unit rather than the rotating turret configuration that came with the Czech-made self-propelled howitzer. This configuration gives it an advantage in terms of operational skills and experience-based familiarity.

Like both the DITA 155mm SPH and the ATMOS 2000, the KNDS CAESAR SPH also comes with a 155mm barrel, basically sharing munitions standards across the said platforms that ensures the interoperability of each system in firing the standard 155mm/52 caliber ordnance. The said standardized caliber ordnance for artillery rounds counts as a NATO standard that countries like the Philippines usually follow relative to the firearm calibers used by the armed forces, such as the 5.56mm NATO ammunition standard.

Developed in the 1990s by KNDS predecessor GIAT (Groupement des Industries de l'Armée de Terre) at the time it was a defense entity fully controlled by the French government, the CAESAR self-propelled howitzer has since then become widely used by multiple militaries across the world, which included the French armed forces itself. In Southeast Asia, the operators of this self-propelled howitzer include the countries of Thailand and Indonesia, with the former also possessing the Israeli-made ATMOS 2000 self-propelled howitzer.

This means that for the Philippines, having the KNDS CAESAR self-propelled howitzer helps not only on a smoother and less steep learning curve for the Philippine Army personnel who have the experience in operating and maintaining the ATMOS 2000 self-propelled howitzer from Israel’s Elbit Systems, but also having the benefit of an abundant source of spare parts resource with its number of users, lessening the stress on the country’s logistical chain for maintenance and overhaul purposes.

With its similarity in mind, there are chances that the Philippine Army will consider the French-made self-propelled howitzer system for its expanded capability use for this specialized type of artillery fitted on a vehicle for shoot and scoot operations, although the DITA 155mm self-propelled howitzer solution made by Excalibur Army comes with its own advantage, as its howitzer turret mount comes as a capability plus that expands its circular target area radius as compared to the competition.

IN SUMMARY

Any of the two (2) preferred self-propelled howitzers will complement the current ATMOS 2000 in service.
Image (c) Army Artillery Regiment, Philippine Army (via Wikimedia Commons)

The Philippine Army’s acquisition plan regarding the additional 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzer (PGM Ready) Project is simply one part of the service branch’s ongoing efforts into expanding its firepower capability, which coincides with the wider push by the entire Armed Forces of the Philippines to further modernize its capabilities that align to territorial defense posture. This acquisition project entails the organization’s enhancement of coastal-based defense bombardment capability.

Currently, the said service branch possesses at least twelve (12) units of the ATMOS 2000 self-propelled howitzer pieces from Israel’s Elbit Systems Ltd, until a government policy makes the prospect of buying additional units of this type of self-propelled howitzer a less-preferable choice to take. Hence, the tender for this project is now open for other prospective suppliers to secure the contract, hoping that the winning supplier will take a piece of the country’s national defense market.

This push, with the Israel-made self-propelled howitzer now out of the picture, enabled the Philippine Army to get this project with two (2) shortlisted candidates that might get its way into the service branch’s inventory, which as the Excalibur Army DITA 155mm self-propelled howitzer from Czechia, versus the KNDS CAESAR 155mm self-propelled howitzer from France. Each of the presented offers came with its advantages and disadvantages that might entice the end-user to consider each offer.

In terms of interoperability and having a flatter learning curve for existing ATMOS 2000 crew, the French KNDS CAESAR 155mm self-propelled howitzer presented itself at this advantage, as it shares similar artillery fitting design to the Israeli-made one that the Philippine Army currently operates, hastening the integration process for the platform should the end-user choose it as its preferable platform. Meanwhile, the turreted howitzer solution of the DITA 155mm is a marketed feature for Excalibur Army.

Ultimately, the Philippine Army will expand its self-propelled howitzer capability in terms of numbers fielded and overall firepower projection regardless of which platform gets chosen, as this supports the expanded capability of the service branch relative to its mandated duties and responsibilities in ensuring the preservation of the country’s sovereignty and freedom of its populace, all of which are important push for the security and defense of the entire republic from both domestic and foreign threats. 

(c) 2026 PDA.

Published from a station in Eastern Visayas. 

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Philippine Navy's Additional Anti-Submarine Helicopter Procurement

As the Philippine Navy increases the number of ships in its fleet, followed by the successful awarding of the Frigate Acquisition Project - Full Complement for the construction and delivery of two (2) additional Miguel Malvar-class guided missile frigates by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, adding more anti-submarine helicopters into the fleet comes as a follow-on to this development relating to the service branch's ongoing fleet expansion.

AT A GLANCE

A single AW-159 Wildcat anti-submarine helicopter of the Philippine Navy on display.
Image Source.

Through the end of the year 2025, the service branches under the Armed Forces of the Philippines are securing one project after the other, especially with the Philippine Navy securing most of its fleet expansion and capability building programs as highlighted in the Procurement Monitoring Report issued by the Department of National Defense encompassing the second half of the said year. We already discussed one project as covered in this monitoring report, involving the purchase of two additional frigates.

Another project of the Philippine Navy covered in the procurement monitoring report covers the purchase of additional Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Helicopters for the Philippine Navy, whereby it secured both the contract and the notice to proceed documents on December 29, 2025, just days before the calendar year ends. The pre-procurement conference took place on September 30, 2025, with Negotiated Procurement being the mode of acquisition as prescribed in Republic Act 12009.

The deal, which comes through an items-based form of procurement, will probably come with the Philippine Navy dealing with the Italian defense manufacturer Leonardo, involving the production and delivery of at least six (6) AW-159 Wildcat anti-submarine helicopters for the service branch's Naval Air Warfare Force unit or NAWF. 

Currently, the unit maintains and operates at least two (2) AW-159 Wildcat anti-submarine helicopters, typically in tandem with the Jose Rizal-class guided-missile frigates currently in service.

Amounting to Php 42.290 billion at its contract price, this is one of the most expensive acquisition project that the Philippine Navy has undertaken at the time this article gets published, at par to the contract price for two (2) additional HDF-3200/Miguel Malvar-class guided missile frigate under the Frigate Acquisition Program - Full Complement, which has a contract price of Php 42.195 billion. This increases the number of AW-159 Wildcats in Philippine Navy service to at least eight (8) units.

In this discussion, the details will delve less on the platform itself, as this was covered in a previous article on this website published in 2019, referring to the two first units already serving the service branch ever since. Instead, the details will cover the lineup of current and future naval warships for the six (6) AW-159 Wildcat anti-submarine helicopters that might get assigned into, along with the anti-submarine capabilities that came with the units ordered by the service branch.

THE DEAL WITH THE ITALIAN DEFENSE SUPPLIER

The AW 109 helicopter currently maintained by the Philippine Air Force.
From Jet Photos.

Since the start of the Revised AFP Modernization Program Horizon Levels in 2013, the Italian defense supplier Leonardo (then Finmeccanica) has provided rotary aerospace support for the Armed Forces of the Philippines as its weaponry requirements becoming more complex and expensive over time, as this is exhibited with the type of helicopter and the number of units that a service branch of the Philippine military has bought through the years through this supplier.

For context, the Philippine Air Force bought at least eight (8) AW 109 helicopters for its air support operations in a contract signed on November 2013, making it as the service branch’s mainstay attack helicopter until the purchase and arrival of the six (6) T-129 ATAK helicopter that they bought from Turkish Aerospace Industries through a contract that was signed in July 2020. The contract price for the Turkish-made attack helicopters amounted to US$269 million or Php 12.9 billion.

With the contract price of Php 3.441 billion during the contract signing in 2013 (Php 5.178 billion as adjusted to inflation), the perspective of the AW 109 helicopters bought by the Philippine Air Force today might count as a minor one compared to the current budgetary requirements for the purchase of six (6) AW 159 Wildcat anti-submarine warfare helicopters, as the latter comes with more complex and more sophisticated sensors and weaponry onboard fitting for anti-submarine operations.

The presented numerical perspective gives an insight into the growth of the relations between Leonardo as the supplier and the Armed Forces of the Philippines through the Philippine Navy as the end-user, although this deal comes at the basis of an inventory-based form of procurement, whereby the aforementioned service branch already has the skills and experience maintaining and operating the AW 159 Wildcat Helicopters, with the aim of just adding the units being the most logical way to go.

As the deal involves the purchase of six (6) units of anti-submarine warfare helicopters meant for the operational requirements of the Naval Air Warfare Force (NAWF) as a support component of the Philippine Navy’s Offshore Combat Force (OCF) and its primary naval combatants deployed at sea, the next point of discussion will delve primarily to the naval vessel composition of the Philippine Navy fleet where these naval helicopters will probably end up getting assigned into, along with its crew.

THE FLEET COMPOSITION AND PROJECTED HELICOPTER ASSIGNMENT

The Miguel Malvar-class guided-missile frigates are among the likely recipients of the new anti-submarine helicopters. 
From Clinton J Down Photography, via Image Source.

The orders made for the additional AW 159 Wildcat anti-submarine helicopters always gives correspondence to the tandem of warships that the units are most likely get assigned into, as this completes the capability of the Philippine Navy’s formidable combatant vessels relating to the detection and eliminating any underwater threats that are lurking in areas of concern, specifically on areas of water that are within the country’s archipelagic geography during the times of heightened conflict in a scenario.

For context, the purchase of two (2) AW 159 Wildcat anti-submarine helicopters in 2019 goes in tandem to the purchase and construction of two (2) Jose Rizal-class guided missile frigates that have gotten delivered in 2020 and 2021 for both BRP Jose Rizal and BRP Antonio Luna, respectively. 

This means that the purchase of both the ship and the helicopter forms a comprehensive anti-submarine warfare package for the Philippine Navy that applies to the purchase of six (6) additional anti-submarine helicopters of the type.

In this current setup, two (2) units out of six (6) units ordered will go to the newly commissioned guided missile frigates of the Philippine Navy from 2025, namely the ships BRP Miguel Malvar and BRP Diego Silang, respectively. The other two (2) units will go to the pair of ships produced under the Frigate Acquisition Project - Full Complement Program, which are basically a repeat order of the Miguel Malvar-class frigates already in service with the fleet, increasing the number of such ships in the class to four (4) vessels.

This leaves the remaining two (2) units ordered under this program for anti-submarine warfare helicopters, whereby it will go as intended by the end-user, either as a land-based anti-submarine platform or as a complementary one for the likely second batch of vessels under a new iteration of the Corvette Acquisition Project - similar to the one that the Philippine Navy did for the Frigate Full Complement Program that are now under construction in HD Hyundai shipyard at the time of this writing.

Upon completion, eight (8) anti-submarine warfare helicopters will form part of the Philippine Navy’s added capabilities in conjunction to the guided missile frigates already in service, plus two (2) more vessels should the service branch pursue it, whereby it adds the coverage into the territorial and exclusive economic zone waters of the country against threats that are lurking beneath the surface, where it will surely disrupt the country’s economic activity at the time of conflict.

KNOWING THE THALES UNDERWATER FLASH DIPPING SONAR

Dipping sonar systems play a crucial role in an anti-submarine helicopter's capability.
Image Source.

One crucial capability of an anti-submarine helicopter that was not previously discussed on previous articles made relating to this topic involves an essential detection feature that not only helps detect a submarine at a glance but also helps triangulate the detection of submarines, enabling both the helicopter pilots and crew onboard a surface combatant warship to close coordinate for eliminating the target from threatening the national interest of an archipelagic country, especially if it took place within territorial waters.

This essential capability refers to the anti-submarine helicopter’s own flash-dipping sonar, whereby it plays a crucial role in detecting submarines that is complementary to a warship’s hull-mounted and towed array sonar systems installed onboard. 

The said feature enables the navy to detect submarines without having much risk of retaliating back, as employing active sonar system features to detect submarines also reveals the location of the ping’s origin, making an unprepared vessel vulnerable to counterattack.

For the Leonardo AW-159 Wildcat anti-submarine helicopters that the Philippine Navy currently has, plus the additional units already on order, such capability comes through the Thales Underwater Flash Dipping Sonar, which comes from the supplier that provides the CAPTAS family of towed array sonars that have offered to the service branch for its surface combatants belonging to the Offshore Combat Force as shown in a demonstration during the 2024 Asian Defense and Security (ADAS) Exhibition in the country.

The Thales Underwater Flash Dipping Sonar comes with its own capabilities, one of which is already given among dipping sonar systems, which is to minimize exposure while hunting a submarine. 

Its capabilities also come with optimization regarding the automation of its deployment and recovery, giving added agility to the anti-submarine helicopter’s performance during demanding operations, aside from having an optimization of its detection by having a 750-meter maximum depth deployment. 

Already operated by eighteen (18) navies worldwide, including the Philippine Navy, the dipped sonar system provided by Thales for the AW159 Wildcat anti-submarine helicopters help complete the performance needed for these units as intended for its original design elements, as this gives an essential tool for the service branch’s Offshore Combat Force personnel to conduct operations that deter underwater threats that put risk both on security and maritime logistics lifeline of the country.

ENDING NOTE

The AW-159 Wildcat anti-submarine helicopter will be the Philippine Navy's mainstay ASW helicopter platform.
Image Source.

The purchase of six (6) additional anti-submarine warfare helicopters for the Philippine Navy provides a significant benefit not only in expanding the capabilities of the service branch’s Naval Air Warfare Force in deterring underwater threats, but also gives expanded detection coverage of the country’s continental shelf domain, as it is the duty for an archipelagic country like the Philippines to ensure the safety and security of the country’s maritime-related national interest.

This also presents an opportunity for the supplier, like Leonardo, to expand its share in the Philippine defense market, adding up to the portfolio of products successfully sold to the Armed Forces of the Philippines that are still in operation at the time this article has been written. 

Aside from the expanded market share, this also gives expanded benefits for a streamlined supply chain for spare parts support for the helicopter’s upkeep, as sharing a similar type provides smooth logistics and learning skills on its operations.

To add further, the additional AW-159 Wildcat anti-submarine helicopter presents itself as a continuous investment of both the Department of National Defense and the Philippine Navy in its expanded capabilities under the Revised AFP Modernization Program as enacted under the Republic Act 10349, as this comes in tandem with the ongoing and future fleet expansion projects of the service branch. The Miguel Malvar-class guided-missile frigates are among the recipients of this development.

With the ongoing purchase of additional frigates under the Frigate Acquisition Project - full complement and the likely plans for the future purchase of corvettes, the numbers presented for additional AW-159 Wildcat anti-submarine helicopter orders give sense, as its designed role in the fleet usually goes complementary to the ship it gets assigned into, especially with the ship’s onboard sensors and weapons suite also comes with hunting underwater threats like submarines in mind.

On its entirety, the Philippine Navy’s additional anti-submarine warfare capabilities presents an opportunity for the fleet to increase its capabilities on this specialized field, coming alongside its proposals relating to the purchase of its own submarines that gives added symmetry to the warfare dynamics that intertwine the country’s geography to its aspirations for a comprehensive Maritime Domain Awareness. This forms part of an external defense posture that is not limited to just weapons and arms purchases.

(c) 2026 PDA.

Published from a station in Eastern Visayas. 

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Frigate Full Complement Project - Additional Miguel Malvar-class FFG

After the outstanding success of the two Miguel Malvar-class frigates delivered under the Corvette Acquisition Project, the Philippine Navy now embarks on another acquisition program, which now calls for the purchase of two (2) additional frigates under the project entitled 'Frigate Acquisition Project - Full Complement'.

As the project becomes clear that its direction aims on basically a repeat order of a naval asset already in service within the Philippine Navy fleet, this discussion aims primarily to this acquisition program where different designs got presented as usual, until the contract signing and confirmation that gives an affirmative on what is ideally be the increase of number of ships belonging to the same class of vessels in service.

OVERVIEW - THE CONTRACT HAS JUST SIGNED

The BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG06), mooring at port during the commissioning ceremony.
Image (c) Philippine Navy

In the final days of the year 2025, specifically on the day of December 26, the Department of National Defense signed a contract with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries for the purchase of two (2) additional frigates under the Frigate Acquisition Project - Full Complement Program, which come as an ongoing defense partnership between the DND and the said South Korean shipbuilder, now totalling at least twelve (12) ships ordered under this arrangement.

The frigate mentioned in this deal involves the production and delivery of two (2) frigates based on the HDF-3200 design, from which the Miguel Malvar-class frigates currently serving in the Philippine Navy, derives from. 

With the mention of the design at hand, it gives a clear signal that the service branch now likely aims to streamline its fleet of ships, as this inventory-based item of a purchase will come likely as a repeat order of the Miguel Malvar-class frigate, with it having its own set of subcomponent upgrades.

The update regarding the Frigate Acquisition Project - Full Complement’s procurement phase reflects on the Procurement Monitoring Report released by the Department of National Defense for the second half of 2025, showing that the department’s bids and awards committee took only five (5) months from pre-bid conference into the contract signing and issuing the notice to proceed document, easing the materialization of documents for the production to start.

Adding to this is that choosing a proven design and the one already serving within the Philippine Navy will surely lessen the time required to undertake the needed Critical Design Review, in which will give shorter time between the notice to proceed issuance to the delivery of ships to the Philippine Navy fleet. 

The move will also increase the number of Miguel Malvar-class frigates to at least four (4) vessels, with more likely to come , depending on the discretion of the leadership.

In this writeup, it will only delve on the primary key details relating to the Frigate Acquisition Project - Full Complement, on the other designs considered before settling into getting the additional Miguel Malvar-class frigate, the subsystems that will probably find its way on the new ships that are currently absent on the warships currently serving in the fleet, and other relevant details that will give a full scope encompassing this key topic under the Philippine Navy’s capability upgrade efforts.

THE FRIGATE ACQUISITION PROJECT - FULL COMPLEMENT PROGRAM

The eyes initially looked at this HDF-3500 frigate design, until the Procurement Monitoring Report confirmed that it is an item-based approach, suggesting a repeat order of the Miguel Malvar-class.
File image from ADAS 2024.

This program presented itself as the second iteration of the Frigate Acquisition Project as part of the Philippine Navy’s ongoing modernization efforts, amounting to Php 34 billion in contract price for Lot 1, encompassing the delivery of at least a pair of guided missile frigates complete with armaments onboard (hence, the full complement description), while a separate lot is for the delivery of the ship’s onboard munitions, ranging from missiles to the ammunition of the 76mm main gun and the Close-In Weapons System.

Before the awarding of the contract to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, the design preferences for this acquisition project of the Philippine Navy narrowed down to only two (2) designs, both of which were presented by the South Korean shipbuilder during the 2024 Asian Defense And Security (ADAS) Exhibition. 

The designs mentioned refer to both the HDF-3200 frigate design that became the Miguel Malvar-class guided missile frigate, and the larger, 129-meter HDF-3500 frigate design.

As expected, the initial prospects went to the larger HDF-3500 design, of which it sports a larger hull, a bridge design similar to the Rajah Sulayman-class Offshore Patrol Vessels, a superstructure portion that linked the bridge to the exhaust funnel, and a similar design and subsystems principle found onboard the Miguel Malvar-class frigate with the 76mm Oto Melara Super Rapid Gun, 16-cell Vertical Launch System, a GOKDENIZ CIWS, 8-cannister C-Star anti-ship missiles, and two (2) triple-tubed torpedo launchers.

Since it is more of an item-based procurement, the awarding of the project to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries will probably be a repeat order of the Miguel Malvar-class frigate, which means the design will stick to the all-familiar HDF-3200 frigate design. 

This means that there is a lesser need for a critical design review, and a delivery date before the year 2028 will be achievable, provided that the queue for the remaining Rajah Sulayman-class OPVs gets cleared for the frigate construction to start.

With the prospects for a four (4) unit Miguel Malvar-class frigate for the Philippine Navy, the next case for this discussion will probably dwell on the current fleet configuration of the Philippine fleet’s Offshore Combat Force or OCF, as it already has four (4) frigates already serving the fleet as of this time the article gets published, composing of two (2) Jose Rizal-class frigates, and the two (2) Miguel Malvar-class frigates that have joined the fleet recently.

THE FLEET COMPOSITION AND THE NAVY SAIL PLAN

Here is one of multiple iterations of the Philippine Navy's Sail Plan, of which this one calls for the fleet to get at least six (6) frigates.
Image from the Philippine Fleet.

In the original Philippine Navy desired force mix that was presented in the early 2010s when the Revised AFP Modernization Program was a newly enacted law, the fleet calls for at least six (6) frigates for its operational requirements, of which it originally aims for anti-air warfare capabilities. The same sail plan calls for at least twelve (12) corvettes that specialize more on anti-submarine warfare, creating a distinction of roles between the two types of vessels in the fleet.

From this point of view, this will mean that the frigate acquisition project - full complement will be the final one, as the Jose Rizal-class frigate and the first pair of Miguel Malvar-class frigate already in service, with the pair of Miguel Malvar-class repeat orders under the said acquisition project completing the minimum six (6) frigate requirements. 

That, of course, might still depend on the leadership’s discretion, as reclassifying the Jose Rizal-class to corvettes might mean another room for 2 more frigates to purchase.

In this hypothetical scenario, if the Jose Rizal-class frigates got reclassified as corvettes, then it gives the impetus for the purchase of two (2) additional frigates, likely another repeat order of the Miguel Malvar-class frigate, to satisfy the six (6) frigates that the desired force mix calls for. But this hypothetical scenario only applies if the desired force mix is still the one that the Philippine Navy follows,‌ which changes are already taking place since its first iteration in the early 2010s.

Ultimately, hypothetically securing at least six (6) Miguel Malvar-class frigates or another repeat order after the current procurement of two (2) frigates from this class will adhere to the rule of three (3) arrangement for ship deployment cycles, whereby one ship undertakes maintenance schedules and routine subcomponent upgrades, the second ship conducting actual naval operations underway, and the third ship on standby, ready for deployment at a moment’s notice, all ensuring the combat readiness of the naval force.

As the Miguel Malvar-class frigate might likely end up increased to four (4) ships operating by the Philippine Navy following the repeat order, a procurement for another batch of two (2) warships of this class won’t be that bad for the leadership planning to consider, as it gives optimization for the operation of the frigates for deployment, balancing its time on undertaking maintenance downtimes and on its actual at-sea operation requirements.

THE ‘FULL COMPLEMENT’ DESCRIPTION

Thales offered the CAPTAS-1 Variable Depth Sonar to the Philippine Navy.
(c) Thales, via Naval News.

One thing noticeable in this second batch iteration of the frigate acquisition project is its added description for ‘full complement’, which is an impression that this project will come with complete subsystems onboard, something that is absent on both the first frigate acquisition project that came the Jose Rizal-class guided missile frigate (FF), and the corvette acquisition project that eventually get reclassified into what is now the Miguel Malvar-class guided missile frigates (FFG).

The first thing that comes into mind in discussing the ‘full complement’ part of purchasing two (2) additional guided missile frigates for the Philippine Navy to use is on the towed array sonar inclusion into the ship’s construction, of which it initially comes absent from the purchase of Miguel Malvar-class frigate of the Philippine Navy and counts as a separate purchase under the ‘fitted for, but not with’ or FFBNW scheme. This project now has this subcomponent as part of the package.

There are multiple towed array sonar solutions that the second batch of Miguel Malvar-class frigates might take, of which there are still no final details on the specific sonar solutions for consideration. One potential candidate for a sonar solution will be the Thales CAPTAS family of sonars, specifically the CAPTAS-2 sonar variant. The cheaper CAPTAS-1 sonar variant that Thales offered to the Philippine Navy during the Asian Defense and Security Exhibition (ADAS) 2024 will also count as a preferable candidate.

While there are no certain specific solutions for the frigate acquisition project - full complement’s towed array sonar system, its inclusion already gives a boost to the capabilities of these repeat order of the Miguel Malvar-class guided missile frigates, so much that they may get the first two (2) ships of the class already in service in the Philippine Navy undertake its first repair/maintenance schedule to receive a similar system for commonality on capabilities.

Ultimately, the capabilities that will probably be found on the full complement version of the Miguel Malvar-class guided missile frigate will probably find their way to the first two ships of the class, effectively making the batch 2 procurement of the additional guided missile frigate a primary basis on improving the capabilities of existing ones in the fleet. This effectively gives both commonality and expanded fleet size, which might serve as a reference for future repeat orders, especially if they are to be pursued. 

IN SUMMARY

BRP Miguel Malvar moored at port.
File Image.

The Frigate Acquisition Project - Full Complement Program of the Philippine Navy incorporates previously absent subsystems that counted as ‘Fitted For, But Not With’ into the new ships, which then will count as a fully packaged guided missile frigates with new subsystems that might get its way onboard will eventually trickle to the other active vessels on the fleet, expanding the capabilities on the broader ecosystem provided by the service branch’s Offshore Combat Force.

On the area of warship design, the decision of sticking to the HDF-3200 frigate variant that the Miguel Malvar-class guided missile frigates are based on makes it ideal for the Philippine Navy’s delivery prospects, particularly in the sense that significant time for a critical design review gets reduced as they choose a design already approved previously for end-user requirements. This will hasten the time needed for the construction of the ships and eventually their introduction into the fleet.

Aside from faster construction and delivery date, the decision of having the Frigate Acquisition Project - Full Complement based on the HDF-3200/Miguel Malvar-class guided missile frigate design also helps the Philippine Navy streamline its commonality and logistical chain in training, operating, maintaining, and sourcing spare parts for the upkeep of the vessels, as keeping similar design features helps identify the areas for troubleshooting and improvements better.

With the current numbers now increased to at least four (4) frigates of the type, it will not be surprising if the Philippine Navy pursues more of this proven ship design for its expanded fleet of surface combatants that form the Miguel Malvar-class guided missile frigate, as it gives the effectivity of it being the backbone of the fleet’s offshore combat force capabilities, especially as part of a naval force that augments the security of the country’s national territory as the current focus of the Philippine Armed Forces.

Ultimately, this might help the fleet improve and secure a formidable naval force that secures the country’s territorial and exclusive economic zone waters, befitting for an archipelagic country surrounded by multiple bodies of water that it serves as a vital lifeblood of the entire nation, from providing food security to its citizenry through the vast marine resources it contains through shipping lanes that drives economic growth and development. 

All of which gives importance to the role of a formidable navy in securing the country’s survival.

(c) 2026 PDA.

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