Jose Andrada Fast Patrol Craft
Date Updated: Friday August 18, 2006

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Technical Details | Service History | Current Status |Photos

Technical Details

Coming in at 78 feet in length and weighing in at 56.4 tons full load.  The class is powered by two GM diesel engines (2,800hp) driving two propellers for a maximum speed of 28 knots.  Range at a speed of 12 knots is 1,200 miles.  Range at a speed of 24 knots is 600 miles. 

Are relatively heavily armed for their size.  The class was originally designed to carry one 40mm gun forward, one 12.7mm/81mm mortar combination at the stern plus the four 12.7mm mgs.  Instead the class has been equipped with one 25mm Chain gun (Mk38) and four 12.7mm mgs. 

Unlike the 40mm Bofors guns, the Mk38 is optimized for surface engagements and is only capable of low angle fire up to a maximum elevation of 55 degrees.  Because of it’s limited elevation, it is of little use against aircraft.  The Mk38 is in fact called a "low angle" mount.  It is however quite effective against other patrol boats, swimmers, floating mines, and various targets ashore including; enemy personnel, lightly armored vehicles and terrorist threats. One crewman is required to operate the gun.  Train and elevation are all manually controlled though the gun itself is externally powered and can be fed ammunition from both sides (making switching ammunition from HE to AP on the fly quite easy).  The gun depends on an electric motor to drive the workings of the gun  (hence the term "chain" gun).  Ammunition feeding, extraction and cartridge ejection are all done by the motor.  Rate of fire is 175 rounds per minute and maximum range to reach out and touch someone is 6,800 meters though at that range it would largely be ineffective.  Effective range is about 2,460 meters.  The gun itself is also used by the Philippine Army and is mounted on a number of both wheeled and tracked IFVs.

Another limitation of the Mk38 when fitted to patrol gunboats is that speed largely negates the accuracy of the gun mostly due to the movement of the boat itself.  In order to address this issue the Philippine Navy was planning to install two stabilized 25mm mounts with organic fire control systems for evaluation.  A stabilized mount would have enabled the boats equipped with it to fire accurate shots at extreme range and high speeds but this was cancelled.  The Navy reasoned that since engagements against insurgents or pirates carried out by the Andrada class boats normally take place under 500 meters, it would be best if the money was spent elsewhere.

The boats carry one navigation radar that also doubles as a surface search radar – SPS64(V)11 – similar to the radar carried by the Malvar class but with a smaller antenna. 

Update:  The plan to equip two units of the class with stabilized mounts has been shelved.  All are being equipped with 25mm guns as standard in stead.

Service History

Named after the original officers of the off-shore patrol of the Commowealth gov’t of President Quezon and after Medal of Valor winners from the Korean War, the Andrada class forms the most modern units in the Philippine Navy.  Most of the boats were built in the US by Trinity-Equitable Ship Yard in New Orleans, USA.  Other units of the class were built by the Philippine partner, the Marine Division of Atlantic Gulf & Pacific Company in Batangas, Philippines.  Funded mostly through US FMS credits.  The class was to have numbered 35 units but this was cut short from lack of matching funds.  To make up for the shortfall, the PN turned to South Korea.

Current Status

Some of the older units of this class are about due for overhauls.  News reports state that the US is providing some assistance in the way of funding for needed parts and overhauls to bring all the units of to maximum readiness.

Photos