The Philippine Navy through Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM) successfully tested its Spike ER Missile which was launched from one of the Multi-Purpose Attack Crafts (MPAC) of the 3rd Boat Attack Division during Naval Surface Fire Support (NSFS) events at vicinity 17.8 nautical miles South West off Salkulakit Island, Basilan Province last October 28, 2021. The missile was fired from MPAC BA489 and hit its target dead center from a distance of 4 kilometers. For the exercise, floating targets were constructed for the live firing exercise. Aside from the missile firing, participating warships also fired and tested their naval guns.
According to Naval Forces Western Mindanao PAO, the event was part of the 5-day PN Exercise Pagsisikap 2021 which aims to test wartime and peacetime doctrines in the conduct of amphibious operations, maritime interdiction operations, surveillance and reconnaissance of the maritime areas, civil-military operations, and a host of other traditional and non-traditional naval operations.Aside from validating techniques, tactics and procedures during the exercise, Exercise Pagsisikap 2021 also serves as a venue for the training of sailors and marines deployed in western Mindanao.
The Spike-ER Missile is the navy’s first missile capable of penetrating 1,000-mm (39 inches) of rolled homogeneous armor. It is a flexible missile system proven by its dual guidance system, that is the command and homing guidance, capable of hitting targets at a maximum distance of 8 km. This is the second time the Spike ER Missile was successfully launched and tested after its delivery to the Philippine Navy in 2018. However, this is the first time that the missile was operationally tested during a live firing exercise. The successful firing of the missile and its accurate hitting of the target also highlights the much-enhanced capability of the Philippine Navy.
Multi-Purpose Attack Craft (MPAC) is a type of fast attack/assault craft developed for the Philippine Navy. Originally designed to transport troops at a high speed and then land them on the beach, they have since expanded their roles to include interdiction, search & rescue and surface warfare. A total of 42 boats are needed by the Navy of which 12 have been completed as of September 2019. The Mk 3 version of the MPAC are the very first ships in the entire history of the Philippine Navy to be officially armed with missiles. MPAC MK 3 are 16,5-meter-long vessels capable of running at a speed of 30 to 45 knots.
