A decommissioned warship of the Philippine Navy will once again be used as a target and sunk as part of this year’s Balikatan exercises with the United States forces.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has announced that the decommissioned BRP Miguel Malvar will serve as the designated target in the upcoming "MARSTRIKE" (Maritime Strike) event.
Moreover, the maritime strike activity is set to be conducted in the waters off San Antonio, Zambales, on May 5.
In 2024, the Chinese-built BRP Lake Caliraya was sunk by the missile frigate BRP Jose Rizal during live-fire drills, using its C-Star anti-ship missile.
The Philippines is expected to once again use the same missile in this year’s Balikatan drills, alongside the U.S. military’s NMESIS shore-based anti-ship missile, which will be featured in a separate exercise in the northern region.
While the decommissioned BRP Miguel Malvar is slated to be sunk, the Philippine Navy is scheduled to commission a new guided missile corvette bearing the same name.
Previously, the Department of National Defense (DND) and the AFP have officially received their most advanced naval asset to date, the FFG-06 from South Korea, which will be commissioned as the new BRP Miguel Malvar.
The AFP stated that the warship is equipped to carry out anti-ship, anti-submarine, and anti-aircraft missions.
