Local shipbuilder refurbishes 3 Navy missile boats

Multipurpose Attack Craft Mk. 3 version with hull number 493 shows its capabilities during a demonstration in Subic, Zambales. PHOTO FROM PROPMECH
MANILA, Philippines — A local shipbuilder finished the refurbishment of three missile-capable warships of the Philippine Navy as part of the government’s thrust towards bolstering external defense capabilities.
Propmech Corporation on Thursday announced that it has completed the “comprehensive maintenance and refurbishment work” for three out of 12 Multipurpose Attack Craft (MPAC) of the Navy.
This move is in line with the government’s new Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept which aims to protect the country’s national patrimony within its own exclusive economic zone especially the West Philippine Sea and even the Philippine (Benham) Rise.
“We are poised to uphold the operational readiness of Philippine Navy assets and contribute further to the nation’s defense capabilities, including the development of advanced maritime vessels,” said Glenn Tong, Director of Propmech, in a statement.
The company refurbished Navy’s MPACs Mk.3 version with hull numbers 488, 492 and 493 which it presented in its shipyard in Subic, Zambales.
Article continues after this advertisementThe MPACs are the first boats in the navy to be officially armed with missiles called Spike ER.
Article continues after this advertisementThe Spike ER missile system onboard an MPAC was successfully tested for the first time in 2018. The missiles have a range of eight kilometers.
Commissioned by the Navy in 2009, the MPACs, mainly designed for littoral zones, also became an asset in critical operations like in counterterrorism operations in Mindanao.
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