The Philippine Navy made history during Exercise Balikatan 2024 when the guided missile frigate BRP Jose Rizal successfully launched its first SSM-700K C-Star anti-ship cruise missile, obliterating a maritime target 20 nautical miles away. For decades, Manila relied on vintage second-hand vessels equipped only with 76mm guns, leaving its patrols vulnerable to modern regional destroyers and aggressive gray zone tactics in the South China Sea. This South Korean-built sea-skimming missile extends the strike radius of the Philippine fleet to over 150 kilometers at high subsonic speed, fundamentally challenging traditional gunboat diplomacy. However, critical operational hurdles remain, including over-the-horizon targeting dependencies on aerial data links and limited magazine depth against advanced multilayered air defense networks. As Manila implements its Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept under Horizon 3 with incoming Miguel Malvar-class corvettes, the balance of deterrence enters an entirely new phase. Watch this full tactical breakdown to discover whether the C-Star missile can genuinely neutralize regional coercion or if gray zone warfare will continue to test Manila's red lines.
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Source: DefAsia
