Philippine Navy News

Marilyn Hubalde still remembers the first time she heard the thunderous chop of military helicopters swooping over this northernmost outpost of the Philippines, less than 90 miles from Taiwan. It was April 2023, when Filipino and American troops descended on the cluster of 10 emerald green islands of Batanes province for amphibious warfare drills.“We were terrified,” the 65-year-old Hubalde recalled. “We thought China might attack when they learned there were military exercises in Batanes.” Hubalde’s helper…

The navies of the Philippines, Australia and Canada were conducting a joint sail in the South China Sea on Tuesday, an area of flaring tensions following a collision between two Chinese vessels last week.The Philippine frigate BRP Jose Rizal, Australian destroyer HMAS Brisbane and Canadian frigate HMCS Ville de Quebec were participating in the operation, which a Philippine military official said was not directed at any country."Our activity is based on the premise that the exercise is anchored on the free and open Indo-Pacific with peace and prosperity in the region…

The Philippines expressed serious concern on Tuesday over what it described as "dangerous manoeuvres and unlawful interference" by Chinese vessels during a coast guard supply mission for Filipino fishermen in the Scarborough Shoal on Monday."Their actions not only posed a grave danger to Philippine personnel and vessels, but also resulted in the unfortunate collision between the two Chinese vessels," the Philippine foreign ministry said in a statement.A Chinese navy ship collided…

Japan will export used navy destroyers to the Philippines to strengthen its deterrence against China's maritime expansion, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Sunday, as the two U.S. allies increase cooperation to counter Beijing.The export plan involves six Abukuma-class destroyer escorts in service with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force for more than three decades, the Japanese daily said, citing multiple unnamed government sources.Defence ministers Gen Nakatani and Gilberto Teodoro agreed to the destroyer export when they met in Singapore last month…

China has flexed its muscles this month by sending an unusually large number of naval and coast guard vessels through a swathe of East Asian waters, according to security documents and officials, in moves that have unnerved regional capitals.Since early May, China deployed fleets larger than usual, including navy, coast guard and other ships near Taiwan, the southern Japanese islands and the East and South China Seas, according to three regional security officials and documents of regional military activities reviewed by Reuters.On May 21 and May 27…

Coast Guard vessels of the Philippines and the United States have taken part for the first time in joint maritime exercises with naval and air force units in the contested South China Sea, Manila's armed forces said on Wednesday.The exercises, held on Tuesday in waters off Palawan and Occidental Mindoro, involved the Philippine Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard, alongside the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stratton and a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.The "maritime cooperative activity…

The Philippine Navy said a Chinese aircraft carrier battle group had passed near its northern maritime boundaries in the run-up to a six-day maritime exercise with the U.S. that began on Thursday as part of their annual Balikatan military drills.The coordinated naval drills, focused on enhancing interoperability, maritime domain awareness, and regional security, would be carried out within Philippine waters, spanning from the vicinity of Subic Bay up to the Northern Luzon, the Philippine military said.Japan and other regional partners are increasingly taking part in Balikatan, which means "shoulder-to-shoulder," amid tensions with China over its activities in the South China Sea and around Taiwan.

More than 14,000 Filipino and American soldiers kicked off annual military exercises on Monday for a "full battle test" between the two defense treaty allies in the face of regional security concerns, including tensions in the South China Sea.The annual "Balikatan" (shoulder-to-shoulder) exercises will run for three weeks until May 9, showcasing an array of U.S. weapons that include the NMESIS anti-ship missile system and HIMARS rocket launchers.The Philippines will test its own modern missiles in live-fire exercises with American counterparts…

German naval conglomerate Thyssenkrupp and Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri have signed an Industrial Cooperation Agreement as part of a broader strategic partnership to provide the Philippine’s Navy with advanced submarine capabilities solutions.As part of the Horizon III military modernization initiative, the Philippine Navy aims to enhance its archipelagic defense by acquiring cutting-edge weapon systems. In particular, the introduction of submarines would be a game-changer in securing territorial waters…

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed the United States' unwavering commitment to its decades-old defense treaty with the Philippines during a visit to Manila on Friday, pledging to bolster the alliance with advanced military capabilities in the face of increasing tensions with China. Meeting with Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Hegseth underscored Washington’s support for its Indo-Pacific ally, particularly as Manila continues to accuse Beijing of aggressive behavior in the South China Sea.

The Philippines is exploring the possibility of converting two islands that were once part of a U.S. navy base into a military reservation, its defence department said on Thursday, a move to bolster its presence in waters facing the South China Sea.Grande and Chiquita islands are located in Subic Bay, which was once a sprawling U.S. base until the Philippines rejected a lease extension in 1991. The U.S. military pulled out a year later and the strategically located facility has…

The fifth Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo, hosted by the Indonesian Navy, began on February 16.The biennial exercise will continue until February 22 in Bali, Indonesia, and will involve over 30 ships from more than 15 countries. Russia, China, India and the US are among the participating nations.The non-combatant exercise is themed “Maritime Partnership for Peace and Stability” and will emphasize multilateral maritime cooperation and disaster response protocols. The exercises will include an officer exchange forum…

The Philippine navy said on Friday its ships were holding drills near a contested shoal in the South China Sea, a day after Manila and Beijing agreed to seek common ground and find ways to cooperate despite ongoing disputes.The exercise around the Scarborough shoal, one of Asia's most hotly contested areas, was aimed at enhancing the navy's capability to secure what it said were Philippine waters and the country's territorial integrity, the navy said in a statement.It described…

The Philippines held maritime drills with the United States and Japan inside its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, its military said on Friday, two days after a maritime confrontation with Beijing around a disputed shoal.The drills, which brought together a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft, Philippine Navy ship BRP Andres Bonifacio and a C-90 small plane, and Japan's Murasame-class destroyer JS Samidare, are the Philippines' latest round of exercises with allies…

Japan and the Philippines signed a 1.6 billion yen ($10.65 million) security assistance deal on Thursday to boost the Southeast Asian nation's maritime security and surveillance abilities amid heightened tensions in the South China Sea.Both the Philippines and Japan, two of the United States' closest Asian allies, have taken a strong line against what they see as aggressive behavior by Chinese vessels amid decades-old disputes over maritime sovereignty.Japan will provide the Philippine…

Satellite images obtained by Reuters on Thursday show a build-up of Chinese civilian vessels near contested Thitu Island, Manila's key outpost in the South China Sea, but a senior Philippine navy officer said they are "not a cause for concern".One of the images taken by Maxar Technologies on Monday and reviewed by Reuters shows about 60 vessels, some within 2 nautical miles of Thitu, a strategically important island from which Manila monitors Chinese vessels and aircraft in the busy waterway.Vice Admiral Alfonso Torres…

The U.S. Coast Guard is watching an "uptick" in Chinese and Russian navy activity around Alaska and the northern Pacific but encounters to date have been very professional, a senior commander said on Friday.Vice Admiral Andrew J. Tiongson, U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area Commander, noted on a call with regional reporters while visiting Japan that his country and Russia share a maritime boundary line between Alaska and the Russian Far East"Russian naval vessels, certainly we've seen an uptick in their presence in that particular region.

China said on Monday "illegal" beaching of Philippine warships at the Nansha islands in the South China Sea had "gravely damaged" the coral reef ecosystem in the area, as both countries tussle over disputed territory at atolls in the vast waterway.China's Ministry of Natural Resources, in a comprehensive report, said Philippine warships have been "illegally beached" around Second Thomas Shoal near Nansha Islands for a long time, "and it has seriously damaged the diversity, stability…

Robert Allan Ltd. said that YT 027 and AT 010, a RAmparts 2700 and RAmparts 3000-W respectively were delivered to the owner, the Philippine Navy, in May 2024. The tugs were built at Josefa Slipways Inc. in Sual, Philippines and are designed by Robert Allan Ltd. to provide support to the navy’s surface vessel fleet.Propulsion machinery of YT 027 consists of two MTU 12V4000M53 diesel engines rated at 1380 kW at 1800 rpm coupling with Schottel SRP 340 Z-drives with 2.1 m diameter…

The Philippine Navy in May accepted delivery of a pair of new tugs built at Josefa Slipways Inc. in Sual, Philippines.The vessels, YT 027 and AT 010, a RAmparts 2700 and RAmparts 3000-W respectively were designed by Robert Allan Ltd. to the navy’s surface vessel fleet.Propulsion machinery of YT 027 consists of two MTU 12V4000M53 diesel engines rated at 1380 kW at 1800 rpm coupling with Schottel SRP 340 Z-drives with 2.1 m diameter fixed pitch propellers.Propulsion machinery of AT 010 consists of two MTU16V4000M63 diesel engines rated at 1920 kW at 1600 rpm…

The Philippine military on Tuesday rejected Chinese allegations that troops stationed on a warship grounded on a disputed South China Sea shoal had pointed guns at its coast guard, insisting its personnel maintained professional conduct.Philippine troops are governed by rules of engagement and acted with the highest level of professionalism, military spokesperson Francel Margareth Padilla told a press conference.Chinese state media said on Sunday personnel on a Philippine ship pointed guns at China's coast guard last month at the Second Thomas Shoal…

Chinese state media said on Sunday that personnel on a Philippine ship pointed guns at China's Coast Guard in disputed waters of the South China Sea last month.At least two personnel on the Philippine vessel near the Second Thomas Shoal were carrying guns on deck, pointing them in the direction of China's Coast Guard, CCTV said in a social media post.An accompanying 29-second video appeared to show a masked man momentarily holding up a blurred black object that resembled a rifle.China claims almost the entire South China Sea…

Cerberus Capital Management agreed to lease part of its 350-hectare Philippine shipyard in Subic Bay to HD Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering, which plans to build a facility there to manufacture offshore wind platforms.The shipyard was run by Hanjin Philippines before it defaulted on loans worth $1.3B in 2019.