Israel Shipyards to supply Shaldag Mk V fast patrol boats to Philippine Navy

Israel Shipyards announced on 12 May that it has won a tender to supply Shaldag Mk V fast patrol boats to the navy of an East Asian country, which Janes understands to be the Philippines.

The company said in a statement that the agreement ‒ which was signed between Israel Shipyards, the Israeli Ministry of Defense, and the customer ‒ includes a knowledge transfer and training regarding the construction and maintenance of the 32.65 m-long vessels, as well an upgrade of the customer’s shipyard for this purpose.

No further details were provided about the deal, including the identity of the customer, but Janes understands that it is meant to meet a Philippine Navy (PN) requirement for missile-capable fast attack interdiction craft (FAIC-M) to further improve the service’s Littoral Combat Force and help protect the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone.

Israel Shipyards announced on 12 May that it had won a tender to supply Shaldag Mk V vessels to the navy of an East Asian country, which Janes understands to be the Philippines. (Israel Shipyards )

The announcement comes after the Philippine Department of National Defence (DND) issued a notice of award (NOA) to Israel Shipyards earlier this year for eight FAIC-M craft. The DND put the award’s contract value at USD127.9 million, including upgrade works to PN facilities, as Janes reported

Janes understands that Manila has been considering the Shaldag Mk V as a replacement for its Tomas Batilo (Sea Dolphin)-class fast attack craft, the last two of which were decommissioned on 1 March. The Tomas Batilo-class boats had been transferred from South Korea in the mid-1990s.