DND to Acquire Maestrale class frigates from Italy

Maestrale Class frigate of the Italian Navy (In Public Domain)
It has been recently reported that the Philippine Department of Deffense (DoD) is eyeing to purchase from the Italian Government, two of their Maestrale Class Frigates due to be decommsisioned early next year by the Italian Navy. 

According to a report in the Inquirer Global Nation
"Defense Undersecretary Fernando Manalo said this would be the first time that the Philippines would have warships with missiles and other modern armaments."
“These are warships,” DND Sec. Voltair Gazmin said in a press conference. “They have antisubmarine capabilities and surface-to-air missiles. This is really for battle. We could get the frigates by November next year.”
The Maestrale class frigates were primarily designed for anti-submarine warfare (ASW). However, with the ships high flexibility, it can also have an anti-air, and anti-surface operations capability. 

Ships of this class have been widely used in various international missions, either under NATO or ONU flag, and during normal operations of the Italian Navy.

The first of these ships entered in service in early 1982 with the rest of the fleet  launched over the next three years.  

General Characteristics:
Displacement: 3100 tons
Length: 122.7 m
Beam: 12.9 m
Draught: 4.2 m
Propulsion: 2 × GE/Avio General Electric LM2500 gas turbines
2 × D Grandi Motori Trieste BL-230-20-DVM diesels
2 × 5-blade propellers
Speed: 33 knots (21 on diesel)
Range: 6000 nmi at 15 knots
Complement: 24 officers
201 sailors
Armament: 4 × TESEO Mk-2 anti-ship missiles launchers
1 × octuple Aspide SAM launchers
1 × Otobreda 127 mm gun
2 × Oto Melara Twin 40L70 DARDO CIWS
2 × 533 mm torpedo tubes
2 × 324 mm triple torpedo tubes
Aircraft carried: 2 AB-212 helicopters


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