SEOUL (Bernama-Yonhap): South Korea has clinched a contract worth some 850 billion won (US$587 million) to deliver two frigates to the Philippines' naval forces, the state arms procurement agency said Friday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, under the deal, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., the country's leading shipbuilder, will build two 3,200-tonne frigates and deliver them to the Philippine Navy by 2029, according to the Defence Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).
The latest agreement comes as South Korea-manufactured weapons systems have emerged as a mainstay of the Philippine armed forces, which previously adopted two frigates under the first such contract in 2016.
The two Jose Rizal-class guided-missile frigates were delivered in 2020 and 2021, respectively, and are currently in service, DAPA said.
DAPA hailed Friday's deal as a result of the government's active "sales diplomacy," as well as the competitive edge of South Korean defence firms and their strong maintenance, repair and overhaul support capabilities. -- Bernama-Yonhap
