TSAMTO, March 3. The URO (151) frigate "Antonio Luna" of the Jose Rizal class, built by the South Korean company Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), arrived in Manila.
According to the Philippine news agency PNA, the ceremony of the meeting, held on February 26, was attended by the Commander of the Philippine Navy, Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo.
(151) The Antonio Luna is the second Jose Rizal-class frigate built in the Republic of Korea by Hyundai Heavy Industries. The frigate left Ulsan after completion of acceptance on 5 February, and on 9 February, in the territorial waters of the Philippines, she was met by the previously delivered lead frigate of the series, (151) "Jose Rizal". The AW-109 helicopter and three Philippine Air Force FA-50 light combat aircraft also took part in the meeting procedure. On February 10, the ship arrived at Subic Bay base (Philippines), where the crew underwent mandatory quarantine. As planned, the official acceptance ceremony of the frigate into service will take place at the end of March.
As reported by TSAMTO, on October 24, 2016, the Ministry of National Defense of the Philippines and Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) signed a contract for the construction of two 2,600-ton URO frigates, which are a smaller version of the multi-purpose frigate HDF-3000 ("Incheon" (FFX-I)), which is in service with the Navy of the Republic of Korea. The ships are designed for anti-submarine, anti-ship warfare, air defense and electronic warfare.
Lead ship of the series, (151) "Jose Rizal", was commissioned into the Philippine Navy on July 10, 2020. Steel cutting for the construction of the second ship of the series, (151) "Antonio Luna", began on September 17, 2018, the keel laying took place on May 23, 2019, the launch took place on November 8, 2019.
The contractor, Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), was running ahead of schedule and the ship was expected to be delivered in September 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the delivery was postponed to October 2020, and then to February 2021.
