The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) admitted to being surprised by the recent sighting of the Russian submarine UFA-490 in the West Philippine Sea.
According to the Philippine Navy Spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, this is the first time the country has detected a Russian attack vessel of this kind.
"It's not everyday that we detect a submarine in our EEZ. It is understandable, even our men monitoring our sensors were surprised why there was a submarine," Trinidad said on Tuesday.
The submarine was first spotted 80 nautical miles west of Cape Calavite in Occidental Mindoro on November 28.
The submarine, which had participated in activities in Malaysia, was reportedly idling while waiting for the weather conditions to improve.
In response, the Philippine Navy promptly deployed four assets to escort the Russian attack vessel away from the vicinity.
Trinidad referred to the exchange of information between the two sides as "friendly" until the foreign vessel had completely left to head back to its country.
The vessel was not submerged or fully submerged when it was spotted in the West Philippine Sea, which led experts to believe that it did not pose a threat.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Navy admits that its capability to detect underwater vessels, such as submarines, remains limited.
Trinidad mentioned that the AFP's capability in undersea warfare is still minimal, which is why the submarine was only detected when it surfaced.
