The Philippines is in the process of a substantial upgrade of its Coast Guard and it is getting a lot of help form Japan. They already have a contract for the delivery of ten 44 meter patrol craft, that fill a role similar to our own Webber class WPCs. The first of these can be seen on sea trials in the video above.
Now we have reports that the Japanese will be building two new much larger, 295 foot (90 meter) cutters for the Philippines. These may be an entirely new design, but it is more likely it will be closely related to a existing Japan Coast Guard design.
Which class seems likely? They will almost certainly be Kunigami class like the ships in the videos below.
Japan Coast Guard Kunigami class large patrol vessel TARAMA (PL-85)
PL11 RISHIRI, Yard: MHI SHIMONOSEKI SHIPYARD & MACHINERY WORKS
Filmed date: 2016/7/27
I haven’t been able to find a speed for the class, but apparently they are 1,700 tons full load, 96.6 m x 11.5 m (length 317 feet, beam 38 feet). They have a helo deck, but no hangar. They appear to have three boats, two smaller ones on davits, and a larger boat launched by crane. The gun is probably a 20 mm Sea Vulcan Gatling gun.
None of the Philippine CG vessels have a weapon larger than an old 20 mm and almost all have .50 cal. (12.7 mm) M2 crew served machine guns and/or lighter weapons. If they wanted to mount something larger, the Mk38 mod2 (or 3) 25 mm is likely, since it recently entered service with the Philippine Navy.
Perhaps more importantly, the Japan Coast Guard ships also have a water cannon that might come in handy.
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The PCG should just ask for the Navy’s old Andrada class boats, 25mm guns on them, take those off and place them on the new cutters, then just leave the old Andradas with their MG’s for fishery operations
The Navy will be getting new FPB’s anyway
The Andrada class are 79 foot, 28 knot patrol boats. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jose_Andrada-class_patrol_craft
Chuck I meant with their plan too buy four small 24m boats, they shpuld have just asked the Navy for four Andradas when the Navy gets their new Shaldags
what are the pros and cons of this class compared to the USCG Marine Protector in a Maritime Security situation whether it be peace time or war?
And is the Marine Protector based on this. They do look a lot alike?
@Lyle, My impression would be that the Marine Protectors being larger are probably a bit better in heavy weather. The Andradas are faster and most are better armed given that they have a 25mm auto-cannon. The 87 footers also have a better boat and better boat handling arrangement.
Nick, the CG needs small 24m boats to secure ports and shallow waters, and also do SAR, they’ve been planning to buy four from France, which is dumb, as the Navy has more than 20 of them in service and the Navy is also getting new Shaldags which will put some small boats up for decomm, the PCG would have been betetr off splurging on big OPV’s and accepting old PN ships for their inshore work
The Andradas are far from retiring, they’re the littoral fleet’s backbone until the Navy gets new Cyclones and Shaldags
Then again, I don’t expect the PCG to do much other than Maritime law enforcement and Maritime SAR. The boats they are getting, are not going to be able to stand up to China.
Though for the Philippine Navy, they should talk to the USCG on taking the 270’s and 210’s off our hands when the OPC comes online. The 270’s and 210’s would fit the Philippines well for their OPV role. I also think the USCG should approach the Philippines on taking the 110 Island class Patrol boats as well.
They are old boats. What the Philippines needs is a new Military and a Shipbuilding program.
Nick they aren’t that old yet, the Andradas are only about to reach their mid-life years, they will still serve for a good 10-20 years
Those boats were built in the 1989-2000. So I think they are starting to reach the end of their life sometime between 2020 and 2025
Built to uscg specifications, so they can probably go another 15 years.
Nicky, vessels tend to have long lives in Philippine Navy service.
Compared to what they are facing, aka China. I doubt the PCG has ships that are capable of staring down China. I do recall one incident that the Philippines faced down china and the Philippines were too chicken to act on.
The Andradas are not meant for fighting the Chinese OPV’s in a white-hull battle
20 years old is young in PN standards, the damned boats will serve ’till they fall apart
One interesting tidbit I ran accross was that Japanese CG and Navy ships use different fuels. They are not compatable and could not fuel the other services vessels.
Makes me wonder about the vessels the Philippine CG are getting.
Because JMSDF vessels run on COGAG engines, while JCG cutters run on diesels
The USCG runs their diesel ships on the same fuel (still JP5, I believe) as their turbine ships. Same as USN.
I believe JCG cutters run on CODAD, pure diesels, and the JMSDF uses COGAG, pure GT’s
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Philippine CG gets their second 44 meter patrol craft from Japan.
http://www.marinelink.com/news/patrol-vessel-new419315
PCG gets their third 44 meter Parola class MRRV from Japan.
http://coastguard.gov.ph/index.php/11-news/1498-dotr-secretary-commissions-3rd-mrrv-to-pcg-service-today
This class slots in the middle of the requirements of the PCG.
[IMG]http://i57.tinypic.com/2nlahdf.jpg[/IMG]
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Philippine CG receives seventh and eighth of ten 44 meter patrol boats from Japan. https://www.bairdmaritime.com/work-boat-world/maritime-security-world/1959-philippine-coast-guard-commissions-seventh-and-eighth-mrrvs-into-service
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