Naval Group CEO says Scorpène discussions in progress with Philippines
The Philippine Navy currently lacks a submarine capability but it is looking to buy two to four boats in the next few years
Naval Group is in ‘intense dialogues’ with the government of the Philippines to sell Scorpène-class submarines, CEO Pierre-Eric Pommellet said in a press conference on 19 October during the opening day of the virtual Euronaval trade show.
He added that more will be known ‘over the next few weeks if this project will take further steps forward’, saying that Naval Group is prepared to offer some form of industrial workshare for Filipino firms.
‘We are evaluating the various scenarios. We cannot yet know how the final scenario will be outlined,’ Pommellet added.
The Philippine Navy (PN) currently lacks a submarine capability but it has identified the Scorpène class as a potential candidate to meet its requirement to buy two to four diesel-electric submarines in the near future. These are expected to be acquired through government-to-government loan, Shephard Defence Insight notes.
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