Philippine Navy welcomes new guided-missile frigate BRP Diego Silang

The Philippine Navy officially welcomed its newest and most advanced guided-missile frigate, the BRP Diego Silang (FFG-07), at the Naval Operating Base in Subic.

The arrival of the BRP Diego Silang, the second Miguel Malvar-class frigate built by South Korea's HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, signifies a major advancement in the Navy's modernization and maritime defense capabilities.

Its sister ship, the BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG-06), was commissioned in May.

AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. described the warship as both a "strategic asset and a powerful symbol" of the nation's growing maritime strength and resolve to defend its territory.

The 3,200-ton frigate measures 118.4 meters long and is equipped with advanced weaponry including eight anti-ship missiles, a 16-cell vertical launching system, multiple torpedo launchers, a 76mm naval gun, and an active electronically scanned array radar system.

The two frigates were acquired under a 28-billion-peso contract signed in 2021 between the Department of National Defense and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, aimed at upgrading the Philippine Navy's surface combat capabilities amidst rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific region.