Philippine Navy prepares to inspect Japan's Abukuma frigates

The JMSDF Abukuma-class frigate, JS Sendai . (JMSDF)

Manila has received an official invitation to carry out a visual inspection of Japan's Abukuma-class frigates, the Philippine Navy confirmed in an 8 July reply to Janes questions.

In view of this invitation, the Philippine Navy is “undertaking preparatory steps” to assemble a team that will be carrying out the joint visual inspection with officials from Japan, the service said.

“A delegation of naval experts from the Philippine Navy will be despatched to conduct an in-depth assessment of the ships,” the service said.

“The outcome of this inspection will guide further deliberations on the potential acquisition and its alignment with the Philippine Navy's modernisation efforts,” the service added.

The Abukuma class is a fleet of six frigates referred to by Tokyo and Manila as destroyer escorts, which were commissioned by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) between 1989 and 1993.

Each warship displaces about 2,500 tonnes at full load and has an overall length of 109 m with an overall beam of 13.4 m. It can accommodate a crew complement of 120.

Powered by two Kawasaki/Rolls-Royce Spey SM1A gas turbine engines and two Mitsubishi S12U-MTK diesel engines driving two propellers, the frigate can attain a top speed of 27 kt.

In terms of weapons, the class is armed with an Oto Melara 76 mm/62 Compact gun in the primary position, two Phalanx close-in weapon system (CIWS) turrets, launchers for McDonnell Douglas RGM-84C Harpoon Block IB anti-ship missiles, and an octuple launcher for anti-submarine rockets.

To prosecute submarines, the Abukuma class is equipped with the Hitachi OQS-8 hull-mounted sonar and six 324 mm torpedo tubes. It is designed to accommodate a towed sonar array system at aft.