MANILA, May 2 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine Navy (PN) is installing its first-ever missile system to its three brand new multi-purpose attack craft (MPAC), a Navy officer said on Wednesday.

The Navy officer, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said Israeli manufacturer Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. delivered the SPIKE ER short-range surface-to-surface missiles to the Philippine Navy last month and that "the installation is ongoing."

"It will be a deterent because this time, we have a credible armament that can strike a punch whether the target is a small or large ship," the Navy officer said.

The cost of the new acquisition was not immediately made available.

"We'll have a punch already. Whether your target is a small or big ship, we'll have a punch already ... It makes the Navy more credible, it makes the Armed Forces credible. It means that we are more credible now in patrolling our AOR (area of responsibility)," the Navy officer said.

The officer said more Navy assets will be equipped with missile system. "This is the just the initial three MPACs that will have missile-firing capability but the Philippine Navy will have more ships that will have missile-firing capability in the near future," he said.

The Navy currently has nine MPACs. The three MPACs that are currently being fitted with the missile system were constructed and delivered in May last year by the Subic-based Propmech Corporation.

The Israeli manufacturer Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd said on its company website that Spike ER is a "Multi-purpose Missile system for operation in ranges up to 8 km." It said Spike ER only weighs 34 kg and can be mounted on any light and even heavier attack helicopters.

"SPIKE ER missile includes an advanced tracker and can be fired in fire and forget mode (F&F) providing the rotary wing platform to shoot and scoot' or engage multiple targets over a very short time," the company said.

Moreover, it said the SPIKE ER is also multi-purpose and can be integrated with a variety of warheads such as anti-tank or penetration-Blast-Fragmentation (PBF).

Arsenio Andolong, the spokesman for the Department of National Defense of the Philippines, confirmed that the missile systems "are undergoing integration phase under the guidance" of the Israeli manufacturer.

"The missile-equipped MPACs will greatly enhance the Navy's capability to secure our littoral areas against terrorism and in support of maritime law enforcement operations," Andolong said.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines has embarked on a modest modernization program to beef up its capability.