Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) held on November 8 a launching ceremony of the second state-of-the-art frigate built for the Philippines at its Ulsan-based headquarters.

The ceremony, attended by over 100 people including President & CEO Han Young-seuk of HHI, Secretary Delfin Lorenzana of National Defense of the Philippines, Chief of Staff Noel Clement of the AFP, Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad Flag Officer in Command of the Philippine Navy and Minister Wang Jung-hong of Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), witnessed the launching of this cutting-edge battleship with a displacement of 2,600 tons.

On this day, the frigate was named after a national hero Antonio Luna, a 19th-century army general who led the Philippine Revolutionary Army during the Philippine–American War.

Designed as multi-purpose battleship with a length of 107 meters and a width of 14 meters, Antonio Luna boasts a maximum speed of 25 knots (46㎞/h) and a range of over 4,500 nautical miles (8,300㎞), capable of conducting patrol mission for a long time in the ocean and the shore.

HHI signed in October 2016 a contract with the National Defense of the Philippines for the construction of two frigates of the same class, launching the first of the two vessels Jose Rizal in May this year.

After completing sea trials and final outfitting, HHI plans to deliver Jose Rizal to the Philippine Navy next year and Antonio Luna in 2021.

Along with the launching ceremony, Secretary Delfin Lorenzana of the Philippine National Defense and President & CEO Ka Sam-hyun of HHI, in the presence of Minister Wang Jung-hong of Korea’s DAPA, signed an exclusive MoU for the Philippines’ follow-up program, namely the construction of new patrol combat corvettes, which reaffirmed solid cooperation between the two countries and increased the likelihood of HHI winning further contracts from the Philippines going forward.