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The problem for any study on the corvette market in Asia is that the terms corvette and OPV are blurred. The best example is Malaysia’s Kedah class New Generation Patrol Vessels (NGPV) based upon the Blohm & Voss MEKO 100 design with a displacement of 1,650 tonnes. These vessels, as befits their official designation, are being used for OPV duties but they feature shaped hulls to reduce their radar signature and other measures to reduce their infra-red sig-
A corvette famous for all the wrong reasons is the Republic of Korea corvette Chon An (FSG 772), shown here recovered after a torpedo attack resulted in the death of 46 sailors © US DoD
nature. They have a Cassidian (formerly EADS) TRS-3 air/surface search radar and an Atlas Cosys combat management system but apart from the 76mm and 30mm Oto Melara guns they embark no other weapon systems although they can be fitted with sonars, sur-
Philippine navy corvette BRP Artemio Ricarte (PS-37) in the South China Sea during an exercise © US DoD
face-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles and an electronic warfare suite. These ships are clearly corvettes-in-waiting which can be upgraded at relatively little cost when funds become available. Kuala Lumpur is planning to order a batch of Second Generation Patrol Vessels (SGPV) with the first entering service by 2015 and these will be larger than the Kedahs being 99 metres-long with a displacement of 2,200 tons and will be more heavily armed.
China, one of the few Asian navies to retain faith in the fast attack craft and has no corvettes, is steadily expanding its OPV fleet
By contrast the Philippines operates 15 ‘corvettes’, most of Second World War vintage, but none carry missiles. All are effectively OPVs, indeed the three Jacintos were built for this role as the Royal Navy’s Peacock class, and all operate in the policing role. The importance of the OPV has been demonstrated early in this year with a series of incidents off East Asia triggered by fishing disputes.
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ASIAN MILITARY REVIEW
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