Philippine navy to buy anti-submarine choppers

Philippine defence officials said two new frigates acquired by the government would be equipped with naval helicopters that can hunt down submarines.

Officials said the government is expecting delivery next year of three new Augusta-Westland AW 109 helicopters equipped with submarine-hunting hardware such as sonar and magnetic anomaly detection (MAD) device and search and rescue hardware.

Capable of flying even during extreme weather conditions, the helicopters are expected to boost the operational capabilities of the Philippine Navy as well as improve response time during search and rescue missions.

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