By Priam Nepomuceno
MANILA – One of the Philippine Navy’s (PN) most modern warships, the guided-missile frigate BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG-6), successfully took part in air defense drills conducted during the “Rim of the Pacific” (RIMPAC) exercises being held in Hawaiian waters.
In a statement Thursday, the Navy said the BRP Miguel Malvar took part in the exercises alongside the Republic of Singapore’s Formidable-class stealth frigate, the RSS Steadfast (FFG-70), and the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS Paul Hamilton (DDG-60) and USS Carl M. Levin (DDG-120).
These ships, it said, took part in the so-called defensive counter-air and raid exercise serials of RIMPAC on July 16.
The US Navy’s F-35 “Lightning II” multi-role stealth fighters, F/A-18 “Hornets” and Hawker Hunter fighter/bombers also joined the exercises, it said.
After the DCA drills, the task group, now headed by the BRP Miguel Malvar, immediately transitioned to RAIDEX.
Participating naval vessels also rotated the role of anti-air warfare (AAW) coordinator across multiple runs to test command-and-control flexibility.
“Anchoring in this iteration’s theme, ‘Partners: Integrated and Prepared,’ RIMPAC allows the PN to refine its tactics, techniques, and procedures and develop the muscle memory of its CIC (combat information center) team during a fast-phased AAW combat scenario, as it continues to reinforce its role as a credible and reliable maritime partner committed to regional peace and security,” the PN said.
RIMPAC, a biennial naval exercise led by the US Indo-Pacific Command, began on June 24 and ends on July 31. (PNA)
