TSAMTO, November 10. On November 4, a ceremony of cutting the first steel for the third Miguel Malvar-class frigate designed for the Philippine Navy took place at the shipyard of the South Korean company HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) in Ulsan.
This is the first frigate of two ships of the second batch ordered in 2025, which will be built on the basis of the Miguel Malvar class frigates project, which have already been adopted by the Philippine Navy (2 frigates), but will feature a number of improvements aimed at increasing their combat capabilities. The transfer of the new frigates to the customer, which will receive the tail numbers FFG-8 and FFG-9, is tentatively scheduled for 2029. Nevertheless, HD HHI announced its intention to speed up the construction process, based on the existing experience in building ships for the Philippine Navy, as well as increased production capacity.
As reported by CAMTO, the first two HDC-3200 class frigates, built by the South Korean company HD Hyundai Heavy Industries under a contract signed in December 2021, were commissioned by the Philippine Navy in 2025. The cost of this purchase amounted to 28 billion Philippine pesos (551 million dollars).
The Philippine Department of National Defense signed a contract with HD HHI on December 26, 2025, to supply the country's Navy with two new frigates. The agreement provides for the supply of ships to the Philippine Navy by 2029. The company did not disclose the value of the contract, but according to the corporate report for December 2025, the deal is estimated at 844.7 billion. won (583.7 million dollars). This amount significantly exceeds the cost of the contract for the construction of the first pair of Miguel Malvar-class frigates, due to the improved package of detection and weapons systems on board.
The contract was signed as part of the third stage (Horizon 3) of the Philippine Armed Forces modernization program and is a continuation of the procurement of warships from HD HHI. Since 2016, the South Korean company has received orders to build 12 ships for the Philippine Navy – six frigates and six patrol vessels (OPVs). Two Jose Rizal-class frigates, ordered in 2016, were previously delivered to the Philippine Navy. After completing the construction of the first pair of Miguel Malvar-class frigates, HD HHI is currently implementing an order for six Rajah Sulaiman-class patrol ships, two of which have already been delivered to the customer.
The new frigates, which are about 115 m long and have a displacement of about 3,200 tons, are expected to be equipped with a CODAD-type combined power plant, which allows them to reach a maximum speed of 26 knots. The range at a speed of 15 knots will be 4,500 nautical miles. The set of weapons is likely to include a 76-mm artillery system, vertical launchers of anti-aircraft guided and anti-ship missiles, torpedoes and missiles. Presumably, the ships will also carry a helicopter, which will expand the range of tasks they perform.
On December 31, 2025, South Korea's Hanwha Systems announced the signing of a 40 billion contract with HD HHI. won ($27.6 million) for the supply of combat control systems and data transmission systems for new frigates of the Philippine Navy.
