Zambales: Crew members of the Philippines' latest guided missile frigate, the BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG-06), conducted extensive familiarization and training exercises on Wednesday to enhance their operational knowledge of the ship's systems.
According to Philippines News Agency, the personnel trained with the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to gain a comprehensive understanding of the ship's advanced systems. These drills were conducted while the vessel sailed in the waters off Zambales. Commander Randy Garbo, the spokesperson for the Philippine Fleet, emphasized that the exercises were focused on OEM training and system familiarization.
Following the drills, the BRP Miguel Malvar returned to Naval Operating Base Subic in Zambales. Commander Garbo noted that the ship would be officially deployed once the higher headquarters is satisfied that the crew is fully trained and familiar with its equipment. Commissioned on May 20, the BRP Miguel Malvar is the first Filipino warship equipped with a vertical launch system (VLS) designed to neutralize air threats. The VLS is a sophisticated system for storing and launching missiles from naval vessels.
The BRP Miguel Malvar is the most advanced and heavily armed ship in the Philippine Navy's service. Weighing 3,200 gross tons and measuring 118.4 meters in length with a 14.9-meter beam, the frigate boasts a range of 4,500 nautical miles, a cruising speed of 15 knots, and a maximum speed of 25 knots. It is outfitted with cutting-edge sensors, surveillance systems, and weapons platforms for multi-combat operations, enabling it to detect and engage surface, sub-surface, and air threats.
The ship's armaments include an Oto Melara main gun, a 35mm Aselsan close-in weapons system, four .50 caliber heavy machine guns, eight C-Star surface-to-surface missile tubes, two triple Blue Shark torpedo tubes for anti-submarine warfare, and 16 VLS tubes for air defense. On Wednesday, the BRP Miguel Malvar participated in the seventh iteration of the Philippine-US maritime cooperative activity off the coast of Zambales, alongside a Philippine Air Force W-3A "Sokol" rescue helicopter and the Philippine Coast Guard's patrol vessel BRP Cabra (MRRV-4409).
