BRP ''Antonio Luna'' (FF-151) is the second ship of the
''Jose Rizal''-class of
guided missile frigates in service with the
Philippine Navy. She is able to conduct multi-role operations such anti-surface warfare (ASUW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and limited anti-air warfare (AAW). She is one of the service's primary warships until the introduction of new and more powerful contemporaries.
Service history
The BRP ''Antonio Luna'' sailed to Palawan on their first deployment.
The BRP ''Antonio Luna'' conducted a man overboard drill in the
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phi ...
on February 21, 2022.
The BRP ''Antonio Luna'' participated in
RIMPAC
RIMPAC, the Rim of the Pacific Exercise, is the world's largest international maritime warfare exercise. RIMPAC is held biennially during June and July of even-numbered years from Honolulu, Hawaii, with the exception of 2020 where it was held ...
2022 where it was adjudged one of the best Gunnery Ships in the Exercise, earning third Place in the Naval Surface Fire Support (NSFS) Rodeo despite joining the Exercise for the first time and being commissioned into Service for just over a year.
On 27 April 2023, ''Antonio Luna'' departed Naval Operating Base Subic to take part in the ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (AIME) 2023 to be held on May 2–8 in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
.
Construction and design
The BRP ''Antonio Luna'' was designed and built by
Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) of South Korea and is a derivative of the
''Incheon''-class frigates of the
Republic of Korea Navy
The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN; ko, 대한민국 해군), also known as the ROK Navy or South Korean Navy, is the naval warfare service branch of the South Korean armed forces, responsible for naval and amphibious operations. The ROK Navy i ...
. Changes were made on the base design by making use of features found on
newer frigates of the R.O.K. Navy, considering reduced radar cross-section by having cleaner lines, smooth surface design, reduced overhangs and a low free-board.
On September 17, 2018, the steel cutting ceremony was held for P160 (project number of second of two frigates) at HHI shipyard at the Shin Hwa Tech facility in
Pohang City, South Korea, marking the first step of the ship's construction journey.
On December 20, 2018, Lorenzana announced at a press conference the names of the two future frigates being built by HHI: BRP ''Jose Rizal'' and BRP ''Antonio Luna''.
On May 23, 2019, HHI held the keel laying ceremony for P160 at HHI shipyard, marking the formal start of the construction of the ship. In the press briefing the same day, a Hanwha official said that Link 16 will likely not be compatible for the frigates until 2020 because of issues between US and South Korea.
[
On November 8, 2019, HHI launched the second ship, the prospective BRP ''Antonio Luna'', at Ulsan shipyard in South Korea.
The ship's outfitting, sea trials and delivery were affected by restrictions due to the ]COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. HHI conducted sea trials to test the ship's seaworthiness, propulsion, communications, weapons and sensor systems.
On December 18, 2020, the Philippine Navy's Technical Inspection and Acceptance Committee declared that the ship is compliant with the agreed technical specifications after witnessing its sea trials.Capones Island
Capones Island, also known as Grand Capon or Capon Grande Island (Spanish: ''Isla de Capon Grande'') is a small island approximately long by wide, at its widest point, lying some off the coast of the province of Zambales on western Luzon islan ...
, Zambales
Zambales, officially the Province of Zambales ( fil, Lalawigan ng Zambales; ilo, Probinsia ti Zambales; Pangasinan: ''Luyag/Probinsia na Zambales''; xsb, Probinsya nin Zambales), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon re ...
after leaving South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
four days ago.Delfin Lorenzana
Delfin Negrillo Lorenzana, OLH, KGOR (born October 28, 1948) is a retired Philippine Army general who served as Secretary of National Defense in the Cabinet of President Rodrigo Duterte from 2016 to 2022. He served in the Philippine Army fr ...
and Philippine Navy Rear Admiral Adelius Bordado.
See also
* BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150)
BRP ''Jose Rizal'' (FF-150) is the lead ship of her class of guided missile frigates of the Philippine Navy. She is the first purpose-built frigate of the service, as its major warships were mostly obtained from retired patrol ships of other ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Antonio Luna (FF-151)
Jose Rizal-class frigates
2019 ships
Ships built by Hyundai Heavy Industries Group