BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150) - [DND/PHL Navy's Frigate Acquisition Program]

[baybum7]

I remember the issue regarding Data Link 16, is this data link format also implemented?. If CIWS and TASS are "Fitted For But Not With", I am hoping that Data Link 16 is included in the delivery.

Link16 is a FFBNW item because it is actually JUSMAG that has to install it, in cooperation with. JUSMAG-selected contractor and the PN. What isn’t discussed is that the same process would have been followed had Thales won the CMS bid.

Given that FA-50s in the PAF already have Link16 support, that shouldn’t be an issue.

More details here:

Frigate Acquisition Project: Tactical Data Link

But wasn't the question more about the compatibility of the CMS to Link16 as the NS Baseline 2 is a new system that has not been certified yet to use this system? While the Tacticos is already known to be compatible with it

[adroth]

But wasn't the question more about the compatibility of the CMS to Link16 as the NS Baseline 2 is a new system that has not been certified yet to use this system? While the Tacticos is already known to be compatible with it

That was the allegation. Along with all manner of claims.

How much of that is a legitimate issue -- given how such integrations actually work -- remains questionable.

[LionFlyer]

The exact specifications by PN is "fitted with a space and ready for installation of Link 16 and 22."



As for the specifications of the CMS, the definition of data links are used loosely.  http://defenseph.net/drp/index.php?topic=2366.0

So strictly speaking, that obligation can be fulfilled by literally have a physical space for the system since this is FFBNW. FFBNW can be as simple as plug and play or plug and play with some NRE involved (Non-Recurring Engineering) for the integration.

If the expectation is for pure plug and play like what is being suggested, the words that are missing is "compatible with".  It is unfortunate but one cannot go on the basis of "expectations" and "common sense" when there is a written specifications in a contract.

[adroth]

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=546007196338453

Aotearoa conducting Replenishment At Sea (RAS) Station Keeping Trials off the South Korean coast recently. Accompanied by a Philippine Navy Light Patrol Frigate, the trials assessed the ability for a ship to approach and remain alongside Aotearoa as a confirmation of the ship’s pressure and suction zones during refuelling or replenishment. She passed with flying colours

[Ayoshi]

https://www.janes.com/article/95549/new-zealand-s-oiler-conducts-replenishment-trials-with-philippine-frigate

New Zealand’s oiler conducts replenishment trials with Philippine frigate
15 April 2020

Key Points
* A tanker on order for the New Zealand Navy has completed a series of replenishment trials with a frigate on order for the Philippine Navy
* The trials have validated these vessels' ability to undertake replenishment-at-sea operations, ahead of deliveries to the respective operators

The Royal New Zealand Navy’s new oiler, Aotearoa, conducting replenishment trials with the Philippine Navy’s new frigate, José Rizal, off the coast of South Korea. Source: Screenshot from a Royal New Zealand Navy video

[adroth]

https://www.theguru.co.kr/news/article.html?no=9415

Via Google Translate. Errors to be expected.

< Edited >

According to related industries and Philippine media Inquire on the 17th, Navy General Giovanni Carlo Barcordo said on the 10th (local time), "The introduction of the frigate is ongoing without delay." .
 
The certification process that the Philippine Navy is waiting for is whether the CMS of Hanwha Systems mounted on the Philippine Export Escort is compatible with the US Tactical Data Link (LINK16).

The certification process that the Philippine Navy is waiting for is whether the CMS of Hanwha Systems mounted on the Philippine Export Escort is compatible with the US Tactical Data Link (LINK16).

In the beginning, even though Hanwha Systems proposed to the Philippines to test with ADSI, a Link-16 simulator, to verify compatibility, the Philippines side requested verification of ADSI reliability.
 
Hanwha Systems proved its authenticity by providing an official letter from the United States' original ADSI manufacturer to the Philippines, but the Philippine authorities said that the letter of the company was not sufficient and that they had to go through the certification process by asking for US government documents. 
 
From the standpoint of Hanwha Systems, the Philippine authorities are embarrassed by the establishment of a flagship with ADSI certification while the delivery schedule is being completed without any delays, such as the successful completion of a frigate trap equipped with its CMS.

< Edited >

[LionFlyer]

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Navy’s first missile-capable frigate, BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150), will start its journey to the Philippines next week.

The ship will set sail from South Korea on May 18 and arrive in Subic Bay on May 23, where it will first undergo technical inspection and acceptance, said Navy chief Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo in an interview with radio station dzRH on Friday (May 15).

BRP Jose Rizal was supposed to be delivered in late April but it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its sister ship, BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151), is set for delivery before yearend.

The Philippine government signed a deal with Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) for the construction of two frigates for P16 billion in 2016.

Bacordo said the frigates are built with anti-air warfare, anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare and anti-electronic warfare capabilities.

“This is our first brand new fighting ship,” he said. “This is the first time that we will have this kind of vessel in the Philippine Navy.”

Controversy marred the selection of the combat management systems (CMS) for the two frigates in 2017. It remains to be seen whether or not the CMS is compatible with Link 16, one of the requirements set in the contract
The Link 16 is a military network used by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and allied forces to exchange data in real time.

A defense official privy to the ship delivery said the BRP Jose Rizal will be brought home by 60 Philippine Navy and 40 Korean crewmen.

Read more: https://globalnation.inquirer.net/187709/ph-navys-first-missile-capable-vessel-arriving-may-23#ixzz6MZPVBHhx
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

[adroth]

From the HHI Website

https://english.hhi.co.kr/biz/special_over

[LionFlyer]

https://janescom.sitefinity.cloud/defence-news/news-detail/2020/05/18/be6cf6ea-2d6d-4350-a37d-6bed47605667

18 MAY 2020 00:00 GMT+0

Philippine Navy's first Jose-Rizal class frigate leaves South Korea
The Philippine Navy’s (PN’s) future BRP José Rizal multirole frigate left the facilities of South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in the southeastern coastal city of Ulsan on 18 May en route for the Philippines, according to a statement by the Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN).

The 107.5 m long frigate, which was launched on 23 May 2019 and is the first of two warships of the class built by HHI, is expected to arrive in the Philippine province of Zambales five days later – on the first anniversary of the ship’s launch – after which an official acceptance ceremony is set to be held.

In recent months the frigate (with pennant number 150) conducted a series of sea trials, including replenishment trials off the coast of South Korea with the Royal New Zealand Navy’s future fleet tanker/replenishment vessel HMNZS Aotearoa, which was also built by HHI.

The second frigate of the class, which will be known as BPR Antonio Luna (pennant number 151) once commissioned, entered the water at HHI’s facilities in Ulsan on 8 November. It has been scheduled for delivery to the PN between September and October 2020, but it is unclear whether the handover will be delayed due to the impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

The ships are derivatives of the HDF-3000 frigate design, which is a smaller version of the Incheon (FFX-1) frigate class operated by the RoKN.

Both vessels were ordered by Manila under a PHP16 billion (USD315 million) contract awarded to HHI in 2016, with an additional PHP2 billion set aside for weapon systems and munitions, according to the state-owned Philippine News Agency (PNA).

[adroth]

Sailors man the rails aboard the future BRP Jose Rizal as the warship departs Korean waters

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=543554633003078

WATCH: Sailors man the rails aboard the future BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150) as the warship departs Korean waters (source of the video said it was taken just today). The ship is expected to arrive in Subic Bay on May 23. Video shared to INQUIRER.net | Via Frances Mangosing


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[baybum7]

Is there an ETA on when the SSM-700K tubes would be installed?

[LionFlyer]

Higher resolution

[LionFlyer]

Where things stand on the Link 16 issue: question is whether you want to take these words at face value. it is after all, one sided.

HHI promised in 2017 that Hanwha Systems’ Naval Shield ICMS would be compatible with Link 16 by 2019 or before the first frigate was delivered.

In the same letter to Lorenzana, Yeong said HHI had demonstrated compatibility with Link 16 using the Air Defense System Integrator (ADSI) equipment of Ultra Electronics during sea acceptance tests in February 2020.

But HHI could not yet produce the US Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) certification required by the TIAC to validate these tests.

Yeong said in his letter that HHI and Hanwha Systems representatives had visited Ultra Electronics in the US and “verified the certificate with their naked eyes.”

“However, as it is a classified document that requires the prior approval of US government for provision to third parties, it has been confirmed that it is a force majeure that the certificate cannot be submitted at this time,” Yeong wrote.

“Therefore, we have no choice but to submit the confirmation letter by the ROK Minister of National Defense as well as relevant document by DAPA (Defense Acquisition Program Administration) in lieu of the certificate of the ADSI test equipment,” he added.

INQUIRER.net learned from a security official familiar with the project that the standard conformity tests by the US JITC for the Naval Shield ICMS and Link 16 may be moved to 2021.

Korean Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeongdoo also wrote to Lorenzana on April 20, providing guarantee that the ADSI of Ultra Electronics is accredited to conduct Link 16 compatibility tests.

“It has been verified with the US manufacturer of the ADSI, Ultra Electronics Limited, that the ADSI has received the Link 16 compatibility certification of the US JITC,” said Jeong.

He said that the ROK Defense Communication Command and the Agency for Defense Development have also adopted the ADSI from the same US manufacturer, Ultra Electronics, and are conducting Link 16 compatibility tests. 

“With these facts as basis, I would like to request your active support so that the approval of for the compatibility of the Philippine frigate’s combat management system with Link 16 may be given soon and lead to the successful delivery of frigate number 1,” Jeong said.

Lorenzana responded to Yeong on April 20, approving the request of HHI to deliver the BRP Jose Rizal to the Philippines.

The defense chief said the letter of guarantee from HHI and confirmation by the ROK Ministry of National Defense were sufficient for the Philippine DND to accept HHI recommendation to conduct final acceptance tests for the frigate in the Philippines.

Lorenzana listed a few conditions, however.

The final acceptance evaluation of the vessel shall be subjected to technical inspection and acceptance standards and procedures provided in the contract;
The HHI shall warrant the vessel and still be accountable until such time that the final acceptance evaluation has been concluded and the vessel has been accepted by TIAC. In addition, HHI will submit certification of the frigate CMS being compatible with Link 16 once this was available.
Link 16

The Link 16 compatibility, set in the contract requirements for the frigates deal, would have been the first for the Philippine Navy.

If future Navy ships would be eventually installed with Link 16 equipment later on, sailors would have enhanced monitoring of battle space operations, share information in real time and level up interoperability with allies and other local platforms fitted with this capability.

Everything that a ship at sea could detect or all information that it would gather, could also be seen by other local platforms and allies connected to the network. There would be real-time data swapping without getting hacked or being intercepted by the Chinese or other hostile force, explained one Navy official familiar with the frigate project.


Read more: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1279940/philippine-navys-first-brand-new-warship-comes-home#ixzz6NHNI8BS7
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

[adroth]

https://www.vesselfinder.com/?mmsi=457900483

[adroth]

PH Navy’s newest missile capable frigate arrives in the Philippines

https://www.facebook.com/philippinenavy/posts/10157529670232956

The Philippine Navy’s first missile-capable warship, which will be christened BRP Jose Rizal (FF150) once it is commissioned to service, finally arrived in Subic, Zambales today, May 23 after its five day maiden voyage from Ulsan, South Korea.

Upon reaching the Philippine waters early morning of May 21, FF150 exchanged signals and communications through radio with BRP Quezon (PS70) that is currently deployed in Mavulis Island, Batanes.

On early morning of May 22, the Naval Forces Northern Luzon welcomed FF150 by rendering a meeting procedure with its first patrol boat division composed of three patrol boats at the vicinity of Bolinao, Pangasinan. Later in the afternoon, BRP Andres Bonifacio (PS17) with one Augusta Westland (AW) 109 helicopter and C-90 Fixed Wing Aircraft conducted a meeting procedure with FF150 along the vicinity of Sta. Cruz, Zambales. It was then escorted by PS17 to its designated anchorage area.

Earlier today, frigate Jose Rizal was accorded the traditional passing honors with PS17 and three multipurpose assault crafts (MPACs). The momentous event was captured during the fly-by of two naval helicopters – the anti-submarine helicopter, AW159 and AW109.

The Commander, Offshore Combat Force, Commodore Karl Decapia who presided the arrival of FF150 indicated that this signals the realization of a modern navy that is capable of imposing the Navy's territorial defense mandate. This frigate is capable of fighting the four dimensions of warfare. He then thanked Philippine leadership for standing behind the PN modernization in pursuit of a credible and modern navy.

In a separate statement, the Philippine Fleet commander, Rear Adm. Loumer Bernabe greeted all the officers and men of FF150, PN Frigate Owners representatives and the support team from Republic of Korea, saying, “We are one with the Filipino people in expressing our profound gratitude in bringing pride and honor to the Philippine Navy and the AFP".

"Our countrymen expect nothing less than the selfless and honorable service that we in the Fleet have sworn to uphold and protect. I enjoin everyone to sustain the momentum that you have gained and continue to aspire for competence and excellence", he added.

While at anchor, the sailing crew will undergo two-week quarantine in adherence to the strict health protocols being implemented by the Philippine government to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Technical Inspection and Acceptance of the frigate shall commence after the quarantine period. A simple arrival and commissioning ceremony is poised to be conducted on June 19 coinciding with the birth anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal, the ship’s namesake.

The arrival of FF150 in the country is yet another major leap toward the fulfillment of the PN’s thrust of having modern platforms and systems which provide opportunities for its personnel to develop modern mindsets and propel the whole organization into becoming a multi-capable naval force responsive to our maritime nation’s defense and development.

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