Navy tests Israel missile system in drill in Bataan

November 21, 2018

Three Philippine Navy (PN) missile-firing fast attack craft “intercepted and sank three unidentified vessels earlier monitored to be ferrying heavily armed men” off the coast of Lamao Point, Limay, Bataan Wednesday.

The drill, witnessed by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Navy chief Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad,  tested the ER Missile Launching System acquired from Israel as well as a Mini-Typhoon Machinegun System .

"Impressive. Not one (missile) round was wasted," Lorenzana said after two missile firing Multi-Purpose Attack Craft (MPACs) and engaged and blasted with Israeli-made missiles, the dummy vessels, to include the navy’s decommissioned Patrol Craft 117, BRP Dionisio Ojeda.

The drill began with naval intelligence monitoring unidentified armed men aboard three several vessels sailing to Corregidor Island for a planned attack.

Upon confirmation, the Navy, after careful planning, sent three-MPACs to intercept these "vessels."

Supported by Navy floating and air assets, one of the MPACs initially fired its mini-typhoon automated target-locking machine gun on one on the dummy floating targets and sunk it with the AW109  providing air cover.

At the final phase of the exercise, the two remaining unidentified “vessels” were blown out from the sea by Spike ER missiles fired by two MPACs from four kilometers.

"(Modern) technology has come to the Navy and we will use this technology to protect our seas," Lorenzana said.

A single Spike-ER missile round costs around P10 million.

Empedrad said for swarming doctrine to be effective against invasion of foreign navies as well dealing with sea-borne internal security threats, the Navy needs at least 40  units more of MPACs.

The three  MPACs were built by the Subic-based Propmech Corp. and activated on May 22, 2017.

The PN MPAC Acquisition Project entered into a contract with Rafael, through SIBAT of Israel Ministry of Defense, for the supply and integration of the weapons systems to three Mark III MPACs. On April 15, 2017, Lorenzana approved the notice to proceed.

The Spike-ER system, which arrived last April, is the Navy's first missile weapon capable of penetrating 1,000-mm (39 inches) of rolled homogeneous armor and has a range of eight kilometers.

“We have to use these missiles only when we deemed it is already necessary,” he said.

He said the MPACs will help the military’s anti-terrorism campaign, as they can be deployed in the maritime border in Mindanao. DMS