BRP Antonio Luna, the second of two Philippine Navy frigates built by South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), got underway from Ulsan on February 5 to start her journey home.
The Jose Rizal-class frigate started her trip to Subic Bay after entering water in November 2019. It had originally been scheduled for delivery by October 2020.
The Philippine Navy bought BRP Jose Rizal and BRP Antonio Luna from HHI as part of its Frigate Acquisition Project. The 2,600-ton ships were ordered in 2016 following an international tender.
The multi-purpose ships have anti-air warfare, anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare and electronic warfare capabilities. They are set to carry surface to surface missiles, surface to air missiles, and torpedoes. The primary gun is the 76mm Super Rapid gun while the secondary is a 30mm gun. It also has chaffs and decoys as defense against incoming missiles.
The two frigates are 107 meters long, have a beam of 14 meters and a hull draught of 4 meters.
