Philippine Navy's newest corvette arrives in home waters

The future BRP Miguel Malvar, the Philippine Navy's newest guided-missile corvette, finally arrived in Philippine waters on Tuesday, April 8.

The corvette departed South Korea in late March following completion at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI). Sister ship BRP Diego Silang is still under construction at HHI's facilities.

The future Miguel Malvar has a length of 118.4 metres, a beam of 14.9 metres, and a displacement of 3,200 tonnes. The ship is fitted with an AESA radar, a 76mm naval gun, a 35mm close-in weapon system, 12.7mm machine guns, anti-ship cruise missiles, and a vertical launch system for surface-to-air missiles.

Aviation facilities include a flight deck and hangar for use by a 12-tonne helicopter.

The corvette honours Miguel Carpio Malvar, a Filipino general who fought in the Philippine Revolution from 1896 to 1898 and the Philippine-American War from 1899 until his surrender in 1902.

The Miguel Malvar-class corvettes were built in fulfilment of a contract awarded in late 2021 by the Philippine Department of National Defense.