The Philippines will receive five retired Abukuma-class destroyers from Japan.

【Philippines to Receive Five Japanese "Abukuma"-class Destroyers】

According to Army Recognition, a Belgian defense website, on July 10, 2026: On July 7, the Philippines officially confirmed signing a defense agreement with Japan. Under Tokyo's "Government Security Capability Enhancement Support (OSA)" framework, the Philippines will receive five retired Abukuma-class destroyers from Japan. This transfer is provided at no cost and aims to rapidly expand the Philippine surface combatant fleet amid rising tensions in the South China Sea and Indo-Pacific region. Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro stated that delivery is expected within two to three years. The Philippine Navy must upgrade domestic port infrastructure and bear all future logistics, maintenance, and operational integration costs.

These five 2,000-ton multirole warships will be equipped with 76 mm naval guns, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and ASROC anti-submarine rocket systems—enabling an immediate increase in the number of Philippine Navy vessels. However, it should be noted that these ships will have reached 35 to 40 years of service life upon delivery and lack built-in helicopter decks or modern sensor fusion capabilities. The Philippines must therefore possess sustainable capabilities for managing aging hulls.

After Japan completes decommissioning, inspection, refurbishment, legal approvals, crew reassignment, and infrastructure preparation, delivery is anticipated between 2028 and 2029. The class originally consisted of six vessels: JS Abukuma (DE-229), JS Chūkō (DE-230), JS Ōmata (DE-231), JS Sendai (DE-232), JS Sugeta (DE-233), and JS Tsurugine (DE-234), which were commissioned between December 12, 1989, and February 8, 1993. Five of these will be selected for transfer.

The Japanese "2022 Defense Posture Improvement Plan" mandates retirement of this class before fiscal year 2027, to be replaced by the newer Asahi-class frigates. Final selection will depend on hull steel condition, corrosion levels, mechanical work hours, electrical reliability, sonar performance, weapon status, and spare parts availability. Whether the Harpoon launchers, ASROC anti-submarine rocket systems, torpedo tubes, electronic warfare equipment, and associated munitions are transferred alongside also affects delivery timelines. The Japanese OSA mechanism was established in April 2023, but transfer of combat vessels still requires compliance with Japan’s export regulations, end-use controls, and prohibitions against third-party resale.

——Background of the Class

The Abukuma-class was designed during the late Cold War era for coastal defense in Japanese waters, homeland escort missions, and anti-submarine warfare. Originally planned for 11 vessels, only six were ultimately built after the Maritime Self-Defense Force decided to continue construction of larger destroyers and reclassified the Hatsukaze-class as low-priority. Standard displacement: 2,000 tons; full load: 2,900 tons; length: 109 meters, beam: 13.4 meters, draft: 3.8 meters; crew complement: 120 personnel. The five transferred vessels will require approximately 600 sailors. The hull features a long forecastle design with a side flare of about 7 degrees, primarily to increase internal volume and improve hydrodynamics, while also reducing radar cross-section.

Propulsion uses CODOG (Combined Diesel or Gas) configuration: two Kawasaki-Rolls-Royce Spey SM1A gas turbines (total 27,000 horsepower) + two Mitsubishi S12U-MTK diesel engines (total 9,300 horsepower), twin shafts with controllable pitch propellers. Maximum speed: 27 knots; range: 5,624 nautical miles at 18 knots. The combat system is compact but outdated: air search radar is OPS-14C, surface/low-altitude tracking uses OPS-28C, later upgraded to OPS-20 navigation radar. The OQS-8 bow-mounted sonar originates from the U.S.-made DE-1167 medium-frequency sonar, without towed array capability. Detection performance is affected by self-noise, speed, water temperature, salinity gradients, and seabed conditions. FCS-2 fire control system for the 76 mm gun, SFCS-8 supports underwater weapons. Electronic countermeasures include NOLR-8 radar warning receiver, OLT-3 jammer, and two Mk.137 SRBOC chaff/decoy launchers. An OAX-1B infrared night vision system is also fitted. Lacking modern sensor fusion, digital combat management, and tactical network integration, connecting to the Philippine Navy’s network will require additional modernization upgrades.

——Armament

Each vessel is equipped with two quad-launcher systems for RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles (8 total), one eight-round 74-type ASROC anti-submarine rocket launcher (no reload chamber, single volley only), two triple-tube HOS-301 324 mm torpedo launchers (6 lightweight anti-submarine torpedoes), one OTO Melara 76 mm naval gun, and one Phalanx Block 1 close-in weapon system.

No medium- or long-range surface-to-air missiles. Although RAM point-defense missile mounting positions were originally reserved, they were never installed. Air defense relies solely on the Phalanx, 76 mm gun, electronic countermeasures, and chaff—making it inadequate to counter saturation attacks from multiple-directional low-flying anti-ship missiles, aircraft, or loitering munitions, and unable to provide air defense cover for task groups.

No hangar or flight deck (unlike the Asagiri-class). The stern can accept vertical replenishment (VERTREP) and helicopter aerial refueling, but cannot carry or maintain helicopters—meaning no ability to deploy or retrieve sonobuoys, airborne dipping sonars, or torpedoes via helicopter. Anti-submarine operations rely exclusively on the OQS-8 sonar, ASROC, and ship-launched torpedoes, limiting detection range. Effective anti-submarine positioning is thus best suited for barrier patrols, convoy escort, port channel defense, and close protection of high-value targets—not independent wide-area hunter-killer operations.

——Major Risks: Hull Condition and Maintenance

JS Abukuma entered service in 1989; the latest vessel, JS Tsurugine, was commissioned in 1993. By the time of delivery in 2028, the oldest hull will be 38 years old, and the newest 35 years. The Philippine inspection team must assess: plate thinning, frame cracking, compartment corrosion, piping valves, watertight doors, cabling, reduction gears, stern shafts, controllable pitch propellers, gas turbine hot-end components, diesel engine wear, generators, and cooling systems. Weapon and sensor systems also require full lifecycle evaluation. The fleet of five will need reserves of Spey gas turbine parts, Mitsubishi diesel engine spares, translated manuals, specialized test equipment, ammunition handling procedures, and training for shore-based personnel. Docks must accommodate vessels measuring 109 × 13.4 meters, and shipyards must have dry docks, shore power, cranes, and facilities capable of storing and maintaining missiles and torpedoes. With limited modernization potential, operational availability may suffer due to part cannibalization, extended repair cycles, and spare parts shortages.

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Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870336554754059/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author.