Australia gifts two heavy landing craft to Philippines
AUSTRALIA will donate two Balikpapan-class landing craft heavy (LCH) vessels to the Philippines, according to an announcement given by Minister for Defence Kevin Andrews on 29 January 2015.
The two craft are HMAS Tarakan and Brunei, which were decommissioned by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) along with another vessel on 19 November 2014.
The LCHs are slated to be handed over in May after undergoing refurbishment with new safety and navigation equipment. They will be delivered with a package of spare parts.
These assets will be a welcome addition to the underequipped Philippine Navy. Once commissioned, they can be
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