AW 159 choppers to boost Jose Rizal class frigates' capabilities

MANILA -- Aside from giving the Philippine Navy’s (PN) first dedicated anti-subsurface platforms, the two newly-acquired AgustaWestland (now Leonardo) AW-159 "Wildcat" anti-submarine helicopters will also extend the capabilities of the two Jose Rizal-class missile frigates being constructed by South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI).

Navy spokesperson Capt. Jonathan Zata, quoting Offshore Combat Force head Commodore Caesar Bernard Valencia, said Friday that the two AW-159s, once fully integrated into the missile frigates, will extend the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) range of the ships, aside from providing over-the-horizon (OTH) targeting and surveillance capabilities of the ships.

"(Once the AW-159s are fully integrated into the BRP Jose Rizal frigates), the AW-159s exponentially increase the ASW range of the frigates and (provide) OTH targeting and surveillance," Zata said in a message to the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

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