New Philippine Navy OPVs to Operate VTOL Drones

The Philippine Navy’s most current battleship was identified with upright liftoff and touchdown (VTOL) drones, which might make it possible for improved marine domain name understanding procedures from the solution’s brand-new overseas patrol vessels (OPV).

A minimum of 2 VTOL drones got on BRP Rajah Sulayman’s (PS 20) trip deck throughout its arrival ceremony this week at Naval Operating Base Subic Bay. The 2,450-ton vessel is the initial of a 6 ship course purchased from South Oriental shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) to enhance the solution’s maritime visibility throughout the Philippine unique financial area. Manila’s marine innovation initiatives have actually focused on surface area pressures in order to respond to boosted Chinese tasks in the South China Sea.

According to HHI, the OPV style that the Philippines obtained might sustain unmanned airborne lorry procedures.

This is the very first time that these rotorcraft-type drones have actually shown up on a Philippine Navy vessel. Formerly, just ScanEagle unmanned airborne cars have actually been shown off on the solution’s surface area contenders and aquatic vessels. While it is vague what design of VTOL drone Rajah Sulayman was releasing, comparable drones of this course such as the Schiebel Camcopter S-100 and High Eye Airboxer might run at series of as much as 180 kilometers.

These varieties might significantly boost the solution’s maritime domain name understanding abilities, in addition to possibly relay details back to higher-command authorities throughout experiences with Chinese pressures. Manila has actually long depended on unmanned airborne cars to offer live-feeds of experiences with Beijing’s armed forces and paramilitary pressures at numerous questioned maritime functions, consisting of 2nd Thomas Shoal. The release of these VTOL drones might broaden and reinforce this existing security network.

Contrasted to the 6 HHI guided-missile frigates presently in solution or readied to be created for the Philippine Navy, these OPVs will certainly be utilized for lower-end patrol objectives and anti-submarine responsibilities. Their arrival will certainly additionally supplement older Philippine blue water patrol properties, which have actually been overloaded with taskings over the last years because of boosted functional needs in the South China Sea. The solution has additionally eyed modular objective containers for possible installment aboard its vessels, which Naval News covered during the Asia Defense and Security exhibition 2024.

Combination of unmanned abilities right into the Philippine Navy has actually increase in recent times as the nation changes its protective position on the surface. Previous Navy principal Toribio Adaci Jr told Naval News in a 2024 interview that the solution required unmanned surface area vessels for security functions. ” That’s exactly how modern-day navies currently develop, making use of unmanned systems to match manned systems,” Adaci claimed.

The blog post New Philippine Navy OPVs to Operate VTOL Drones showed up initially on Naval News.