MANILA — Former Philippine Navy (PN) flag officer-in-command, Vice Admiral Ronald Joseph Mercado, on Monday denied pushing for Thales Tacticos to supply two missile-guided frigates for the Navy’s Combat Management System (CMS).
“As regards the issue of insisting on Thales Tacticos as the combat management system of the Philippine Navy frigate, I vehemently deny these allegations,” Mercado said.
The former PN chief also cleared Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go from alleged interference in the frigate deal, stressing that the latter never approached him to inquire about the matter.
“Neither did he make any form of communication to influence my decision making as the end-user and flag officer command of the PN,” he added.
The Frigate Acquisition Project (FAP) is a key piece of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program as it seeks to provide the country with two warships that have the capability to deal with air, surface and sub-surface threats.
The warships will have a CMS which is said to be “the brain of a naval combat vessel”, a computer and software system package that integrates all the sensors and weapons systems of the ship into a single system to assure “knowledge superiority” over potential enemies, shorten decision-making cycles, and execute rapid and accurate weapon engagement, especially during combat or security operations. (Priam Nepomuceno/PNA)
