Multi-Purpose Attack Craft Mark III

Multi-Purpose Attack Craft Mark III
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The Multi-Purpose Attack Craft of the Philippine Navy is joint venture of a Philippine Company, Propmech Corporation and Lung Teh Shipbuilding Co. Ltd of Taiwan. It is a class of fast landing craft which designed to transport troops at a high speed and then land them on the beach.

Brief History

MPAC Mark II
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In 2009, Philippine Navy ordered the first batch which composed of three MPAC from a taiwanese company Lung Teh Shipbuilding Corporation Limited. These were commissioned into service on May 22, 2009 during the Philippine Navy's 111th Anniversary.

In 2011, an additional three MPACs  were bought but slightly bigger than the previous three boats and it is built in joint venture with the Local Shipbuilder Propmech Corporation. The first of these second batch of MPAC was commissioned into service on May 22, 2012 during the Philippine Navy's 114th anniversary. The other two were later commissioned on August 6, 2012.

In 2016, it has won again the contract to build 3 more MPAC which is now with more firepower because it is designed with RCWS or remote controlled weapon system and it will now fire missiles. These then called MPAC mark 3 of the Philippine Navy's 3rd Boat Attack Division of the Philippine Fleet Littoral Combat Force.

In September 2017, Department of National Defense released a tender to procure an additional three MPAC vessels for the Philippine Navy  which is called fourth batch. The budget is set to Php 270 million or Php 90 million per boat.

General Characteristics

The first batch and second batch of MPAC has a length of 15 meters and 17 meters respectively. The third batch is somehow different since there no opening for soldier insertion in forward apt. The third batch also has 17 meters in length and 4.76 meters beam of all from mark 1 to mark 3 MPAC. The speed of the Mk 1 is 40 knots while the mk 2 and mk 3 has a speed of 45 knots.  The MPAC has 3 crew, 2 officer and 16 fully equipped amphibious troops. Armaments for Mk 1 and Mk 2 is 3 7.62mm Machine Guns while the Mk3 has 1 mini typhoon RWS, 1 Spike missile (ER missile launcher) and 2 7,62 mm Machine gun.

Missions

Israel's Rafael Mini-Typhoon Missile Launcher for MPAC Mk 3

The MPAC Mk1 and Mk2 primary role is an assault boat for fast insertion and extraction of special operation troopers in coatal areas. With the Mk3,  it is now being utilized for a variety of missions including littoral patrol, ship-boarding, search and rescue and for littoral surface warfare operations using swarm tactics against larger ships like corvettes or frigates or individual combat assets against similar or slightly larger naval targets like terrorist-carrying or suicide bomber boats, or enemy fast attack crafts and patrol boats.

The Mk3 is now fitted to be carried by the Tarlac-Class Landing Platform Dock which is now carried with RCWS and missiles that can be carried and deploy in any littoral area of operations.