These Attack Crafts Used by the Philippine Navy are Locally Made
Earlier this year, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading House Bill 9713 or the Philippine Self-Reliant Defense Posture Program. This is basically a program meant to develop the country’s own defense capabilities and industry through military and civilian partnerships and local production of materials and equipment, including military aircraft and naval vessels, arms, and ammunition.
Propmech's Multi-Purpose Attack Craft Mark III
A local shipbuilder is contributing to the country’s push for self-reliance with a fleet of multi-purpose attack crafts (MPACs) that it built with and supplied to the Philippine Navy. Manufactured at the Propmech Corp. shipyard in Subic, these MPACs were first commissioned by the Philippine Navy in 2007 and delivered two years later in 2009. The first iteration of the MPAC measured 15 meters and was an armored and weaponized patrol boat with a max speed of 45 knots.
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“The MPAC was the first new design vessel for the Philippine military in over 30 years,” said Glenn Paul Tong, president and CEO of Propmech Corp. “It was a testament to us being able to build a vessel that no other country was interested in building. We were able to build the vessel and the capabilities beyond the price at the time.”
The company has so far built and supplied 12 units of the MPAC to the Philippine Navy. From 2009 all the way to 2019, Propmech has continuously upgraded and improved the design of the vessel, producing four versions of the MPAC from Mark I, Mark II, Mark III, and Mark IV.
The most recent variant of the MPAC measures 17 meters long and 4.76 meters wide. They are equipped with .50-caliber machine guns, missiles, and other weaponry, and are currently used by the Philippine Navy for a variety of naval operations, including patrol reconnaissance and surveillance; interception and interdiction; troop transport, insertion and extraction; as well as search and rescue.
Propmech invited members of the media to its shipbuilding facilities in Subic on Thursday (June 13) to present the completion of maintenance and refurbishment works on the MPAC units, which were to be turned back over to the Philippine Navy. The units were first turned over to the Philippine Navy in 2016 and sent back to Propmech for regular maintenance work.
During a brief press conference, Tong underscored the company’s commitment to further support the government’s push for defense self-reliance.
“I believe that every country should have a baseline capability,” Tong said. “It doesn’t make sense for us to acquire first class vessels from other countries only for us to require sending these out of the country to do maintenance. The Philippines is a maritime nation. We have the ability and the skillset to maintain, produce and support our own vessels. Given the opportunity, companies such as ourselves… and other industry experts can work together in the marine blue economy,” he added.
Tong, who is the third-generation member of the family that founded Propmech 75 years ago, said the company has so far produced a variety of marine vessels not just for the Philippine Navy but for other government agencies, including the Philippine National Police, the Philippine Coast Guard, and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. The executive said his company has turned over more than 1,000 boats and vessels to these agencies over the years.
Tong also said that his company is in the midst of negotiations with the government to supply more marine vessels although he declined to provide more details. He said he has received several inquiries about possibly supplying the MPAC to other countries but clarified that should these deals come to fruition, the MPAC will have slightly different dimensions and features than the ones supplied to the Philippine Navy.
“We are continuously finding ways to be of service to the nation,” Tong added “By collaborating with local and international partners, we are able to offer the best service and produce to the Philippines.”
