SEA has been appointed to supply its Torpedo Launcher System to Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) for two new Philippine Navy corvettes. The contract follows the successful delivery of SEA’s TLS for the Philippine Navy’s frigates and further cements positive relationship with both HHI and the Philippine Navy. As part of the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program (RAFPMP), the multi-million-pound contract will see the first corvette delivered in 2023 and the second in 2025. The state-of-the-art modular design of the TLS also enables easier and cost-effective upgrades throughout its service life and significantly reduces the risk of capability obsolescence based on ammunition supply.
David Hinds, Vice President Strategic Accounts at SEA, said: “The inherent flexibility of our TLS will provide the Philippine Navies with a capability that helps future-proof the corvettes against new weapon developments and obsolescence, whilst also ensuring commonality across the fleet. This contract is the positive result of collaboration with our in-country partners, the British Embassy, HHI, and the Philippine Navy, and signifies the increasing global appeal of weapon agnostic defence capabilities that deliver greater operational flexibility. We look forward to working with our partners across Southeast Asia and further strengthening our relationship with HHI and the Philippine Navy.”
Mr Kyunghyun Cho, from HHI said: “This contract is part of a significant modernisation programme for the Philippine Navy. Following the successful delivery of SEA’s TLS for the Philippine Navy’s frigates, we were impressed by the performance and reliability of the system and are pleased to be collaborating with SEA to deliver the same superior capability to the Navy’s corvettes.”
SEA’s TLS is a weapon-agnostic, close range and rapid-reaction system capable of firing a variety of NATO-compatible standard light weight torpedoes, including the US Mk44, Mk46 and Mk54 torpedoes, UK Sting Ray, Italian A244S, French MU90 and the Korean Blue Shark. Highly flexible due to its unique modular design, the system can also be configured to use other weapons on an individual basis. This will enable the Philippine Navy to retain control of its supply chain through a choice of suppliers for ammunition, delivering greater flexibility and long-term value.
