The Philippine Navy plans to upgrade its two Hamilton-class cutters with Harpoon anti-ship missile and systems radar systems, converting the former coast guard cutters into combat vessels.
The Philippines is already operating the BRP Gregorio Del Pilar and is expecting the second Hamilton class cutter BRP Ramon Alcaraz by the end of 2012. The vessels were originally equipped with an AN/SPS-40 air-search radar Mark 92 Fire Control System, and armed with one Oto Melara Mark-75 76mm gun, two Mark K-38 25mm machinegun systems, two Mark 36 SRBOC systems, one Phalanx CIWS missile defense gun, along with multiple mounted M2HB .50 caliber machineguns, and M240 7.62mm machineguns. But under the PN service, the weapons and sensor systems were removed with the exception of the Oto Melara Mark-75 76mm main gun. According to defense officials in the Philippines, the vessels will be equipped with the Harpoon anti-ship missile system, the work is likely to be done in the United States under a government-to-government sale. This upgrade will satisfy the Philippine’s minimum deterrent capability.
The cutters will be also equipped with new radars providing surface target detection, detecting and tracking targets for the missiles. the vessels will also be refitted with torpedo decoying systems.
The official said the Harpoon is the ideal missile system for Del Pilar and Alcaraz, noting that a sister-ship of the vessels, the USCGC Mellon (WHEC-717), has been fitted with the Harpoon missile launchers and test fired the weapons in January, 1990. Both Del Pilar and Alcaraz were acquired from the United States Coast Guard (USCG).
