Philippine President Vows To Rebuild Air Force by 2016

Philippine President Benigno Aquino vowed Monday to acquire fighter jets, air defense radar and other equipment within three years to bolster the country’s weak air force, amid a territorial dispute with China.

“I assure you that before I step down from office, our skies will be guarded by modern air assets,” he said in a speech during a visit at an air base in Clark, north of Manila. The speech was broadcast live on radio and television.

Among these are “lead-in fighters, long-range patrol aircraft, close-air-support aircraft,” as well as transport planes, attack- and multi-use helicopters, air defense radar and flight simulators.

He gave no details of the aircraft and equipment, nor the terms for their acquisition.

In January, an Aquino spokesman announced the government would buy 12 South Korean FA-50 fighter jets to be used for “training, interdiction and disaster response.”

The Philippines, a former US colony, retired the last of its US-designed F-5 fighters in 2005 and lacks air defense.

Aquino, whose six-year term ends in mid-2016, has set about modernizing the military in his first three years in office as tensions rise with China over overlapping territorial claims to islands and waters in the South China Sea.

The main focus was initially the navy with the acquisition of two Hamilton-class cutters decommissioned by the US Coast Guard.

The first of the two refurbished vessels became the Philippine Navy’s flagship in 2011, replacing a warship initially built for the US Navy in World War II.

The second cutter is set to arrive in the Philippines later this year.

Aquino said Monday he was committed to reversing the under-spending on military capability that he said had characterized the Philippines since the early 1990s.

“Over the past decades the air force had its wings broken and we relied on old and rickety planes and equipment,” he said.

Parliament has since authorized the defense department to spend 75 billion pesos (US $1.7 billion) on modernizing the military over the next five years, Aquino added.

This is on top the more than 19 billion pesos that it had spent over the past three years for this purpose.

Between 1992 and 2010, the Philippines spent just 33 billion pesos for military modernization, Aquino said.

Philippines to procure long-range maritime spy plane

The Department of National Defense (DND) is eyeing to procure the country’s first long-range maritime patrol and surveillance plane from Spain’s licensed aircraft manufacturer based in Indonesia, a senior defense official said Monday.

Dr. Peter Paul Galvez, DND spokesperson, said that the department is also scouting for spy planes and medium lift aircrafts from other European countries at a lower cost.

“On our shortlist is the Indonesian aircraft,” Galvez said, but added that they are also eyeing spy planes manufactured by other European companies.

Once President Aquino approves the planned acquisition, the soon-to-be procured spy plane is projected to strengthen the country’s maritime domain awareness.

For the longest time, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has been relying mainly on a small number of islander planes for its maritime and territorial patrol requirements.

“The long range patrol aircraft would be devoted solely to conducting maritime surveillance,” Galvez said, without naming the Indonesian-made aircraft.

Observers said the spy plane the DND is eyeing to procure following a series of evaluation, is the CASA/IPTN CN-235. The plane is being manufactured by Indonesia and Spain under a joint venture agreement.

Aside from its long-range maritime surveillance capabilities, the CN-235 surveillance aircraft can also be used as a military transport plane. It’s largest user is Turkey with 61 aircraft.

The surveillance plane has a crew of two, pilot and co-pilot, and can carry 44 passengers and a payload of 13,120 pounds with a cruising speed of 454 kilometers per hour and a range of 2,730 nautical miles.

Also being considered is Italy’s C-27J Spartan, a medium lift aircraft.

Earlier, the DND announced that it is also procuring a squadron of lead-in fighter jets from South Korea to bolster its territorial defense.

Second thoughts on new Falcons

Although about 25 air forces around the world have F-16 jet fighters as the backbone of their defenses, Philippine officials are having second thoughts about buying second-hand F-16 Fighting Falcons from the United States because of their  huge maintenance cost not to mention the short remaining flying hours before they become obsolete.

“Excess defense materials are not economical,” said PAF spokesman Lt. Col. Mike Okol after Ambassador to Washington Jose Cuisia said the US was prepared to sell the Philippines two supersonic F-16 jetfighters but cautioned of the jets’ high maintenance cost.

“By the time our pilots shall have finished training how to operate the F-16, there life span shall have lapsed,” Okol said. “The advice of the US security officials was right for the Philippines not to get a second-hand F-16.”

The F-16 is a multirole jet fighter aircraft developed originally by General Dynamics and later by Lockheed. It was designed as a superior jet interceptor that can fly in all kinds of weather conditions.

The Fighting Falcon saw extension action during the Gulf War against Iraq with great success and at least 25 countries have F-16 in their Air Force because of the jet’s versatility.

In fact, the PAF has been craving to have F-16 aircraft to replace the retired F-5 fighters which were decommissioned in 2005, leaving the Air Force without a single jetfighter.

As a consequence, Philippine airspace is devoid of air defense the past seven years and intrusions by foreign aircraft have remained unchecked.

Okol said that “a brand F-16 costs US$60 million without the weapons and training.”

He said the weapons such as air-to-air missiles are very expensive but buying these weapons will have the nod of the US government or any foreign government that sells defense materials.

The Philippines badly needs modern fighter aircraft to protect its sovereignty from foreign intrusion like what is happening at the Panatag Shoal or Scarborough Shoal.

The Department of National Defense has been scouting for the purchase of supersonic jetfighter interceptors for the Philippines. Aside from the F-16, the government will also look for other sources of fighter jets that are comparable to the Fighting Falcon but at a lesser price.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said that the upgrade and modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines is in full swing.

Gazmin said the defense department is working speedily on the approval of contracts for the upgrade and modernization of 138 projects to be implemented over the next five years. The deadline for the approval of these contracts is on July 31.

“These projects would surely provide the Philippine Air Force with brand new and reliable assets for its operations, along with the operational requirements of the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Army,” Gazmin said.

Newest assets. The Philippines took delivery of four of these Polish Sokol helicopters earlier this year.

The acquisition will include surface attack aircraft, lead-in fighter trainer, attack helicopters, light transport aircraft and medium transport aircraft to be delivered in 2014.

There are several countries the Philippines can purchase jet fighters such as the Mirage jets of France, the Tornado jets manufactured by Britain, Germany and Italy, the Kfir of Israel, to name a few.

Congress had passed the AFP Modernization Law in 1995 allocating P331 billion spread over 15 years, but its implementation is snail-paced with only about P33 billion spent during the period.

The PAF acquired early this year four of the eight Sokol combat helicopters from Poland and the remaining four will be delivered late this year.

On the other hand, the Philippine Navy also acquired a refurbished cutter from the US and another will be delivered shortly but these vessels are already 45 years old and considered as US excess defense materials.

Like the Air Force, the Navy also needs modern warships and gunboats two guard the country’s territorial waters which are twice as long as that of the United States. Some of its ships are World War II vintage and the Navy has no missile capability.

The Center for a New American Security, a US think-tank, recently said that the Philippines needs 48 F-16 jet fighters, four to six mini submarines, more armed frigates and corvette-size combat vessels and minesweepers if it is to have a credible military defense capability.

Philippines looking at SA as option for attack helicopters

A spokesman for the Philippines Air Force (PAF) has been quoted as identifying South Africa as one of the countries that are under consideration to supply his service with new attack helicopters. South Africa is one of the few countries to have developed a dedicated attack helicopter, the Denel Rooivalk (Kestrel, in English).

The PAF is seeking 10 attack helicopters as part of a major modernisation programme. The other countries listed as possible suppliers by Lieutenant Colonel Miguel Okol were Italy, France, Russia and the UK. US helicopters have been ruled out as they are too expensive for the country.

Confusingly, PAF commander Lieutenant General Lauro Catalino de la Cruz was reported to have said that Italian helicopters would be ordered. These would presumably be AgustaWestland AW129 Mongoose attack helicopters.

However, Okol spoke to Agence France-Presse (AFP) after De la Cruz made his comment, suggesting that the general was expressing his personal opinion or spoke ambiguously and had been misunderstood. Whatever the case may be, the acquisition of the new helicopters has been approved and the order should be placed before the end of this year.

The PAF seems to use the term attack helicopter to refer to any armed helicopter and not just dedicated attack designs. This would explain the inclusion of the UK on the list – Britain does not have a dedicated attack helicopter design but the army version of the AgustaWestland Lynx can (and has been) be armed with guns and missiles.

Likewise, the PAF refers to its current force of MD Helicopters MG 520 light armed helicopters as attack helicopters. “What we are going to get are armed attack helicopters ... that can carry more payload than the MG 520,” Okol told AFP. The PAF is also upgrading its MG 520s.

The Denel Rooivalk is not currently in production, but the company could restart manufacture if it received a suitable order. The company has been redelivering Rooivalks upgraded to operational standard to the South African Air Force, a process that should be concluded next month.

Philippines eyes 4 countries to supply 12 attack aircraft

By Chinese have more fun fishing in the Spratlys. A Chinese fishery administration ship (background) guards one of 30 fishing vessels in the Spratlys. AP

The government is eyeing four foreign companies from as many countries to provide it with 12 new surface attack aircraft to start the Air Force’s long-delayed modernization program.

Those are the KAI TA-50 “Golden Eagle” of South Korea, the Alenia Aermacchi Agusta M-346 Master of Italy, the Yak-130 of Russia, and the BAE Hawk of the United Kingdom.

The Air Forces says it needs to immediately procure surface attack aircraft as those will serve as lead-in attack planes and as trainer aircraft for prospective jet fighter pilots.

The Air Force was left with no jet fighters after it decommissioned the F-5A/B interceptors in 2005 because they were obsolete and their parts were no longer available in the international market. The Navy is in the same dilemma as many of its ships are of World War II vintage.

The Air Force and the Navy failed to intercept 26 foreign ships that intruded into Philippine territory during the first quarter this year. They have also failed to break their standoff with China at the Scarborough Shoal, where scores of Chinese fishing vessels were found to have been poaching since April this year.

The military has welcomed the announcement by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin that the Aquino administration is determined to modernize the Armed Forces.

“The upgrade and modernization program for our Armed Forces is presently in full swing,” Gazmin said recently.

He said the Defense Department was working double time to approve contracts for 138 projects to be implemented over the next five years.

“These projects would surely provide the Philippine Air Force with brand-new and reliable assets for its operations, along with the operational requirements of the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Army,” Gazmin said.

The military has said it plans to acquire a surface attack aircraft, a lead-in fighter trainer, attack helicopters, a light transport aircraft, and a medium transport aircraft to be delivered in 2014.

South Korea’s T-50 Golden Eagle is a jet trainer and light attack aircraft designed to provide pilot training for current and next-generation fighters such as the F-15, F-16, F-18, F-22, F-35, the Tornado, the Kfir and the Mirage supersonic jet interceptors.

The Air Force says the T-50 is a trainer jet but can be used as an interceptor as it has a maximum speed of 1,837 kilometers per hour. The range and service ceiling of the aircraft are 1,851 kilometers and 16,764 meters, respectively. Its service life is 10,000 hours.

The Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master is a military transonic trainer aircraft that has a top speed of mach 1.15 or 1,255 kilometers per hour.

The M-346 Hawk can be armed with air-to-air missiles, air-to ground missiles, cannons and bombs. It can also be deployed as a light attack aircraft.

The British-made BAE Hawk MK 127/128 Lift lead-in fighter is in the service of several countries.

US think-tank: The Philippines needs jetfighters, submarines, warships

The Philippines needs 48 F-16 jet fighters, four to six mini submarines, more armed frigates and corvette-size combat vessels and minesweepers if it is to have a credible military defense capability, the Center for a New American Security said on Friday.

The assessment of the center, an independent, non-partisan, and non-profit organization that develops strong, pragmatic and principled national security and defense proposals based in Washington, DC, came amid the standoff between Beijing and Manila over the Panatag or Scarborough Shoal, which is within the Philippines’ 200-mile exclusive economic zone but is being claimed by China as its own.

The shoal is a coral reef surrounding a lagoon, and it is 124 nautical miles from Zambales and 472 nautical miles from China’s Hainan province.

The Philippines’ Armed Forces has been struggling to get financing for its modernization program for over two decades, leaving its Air Force without a single jet fighter interceptor since 2005 and the Navy with old warships, some of them of World War II vintage.

The Philippines’ Air Force and Navy were second to none in Asia except Japan from 1947 up to the ‘70s, but then it was slowly overtaken as a result of the poor financing of the military’s modernization.

Most of the country’s aircraft and ships were provided by the United States when the Americans still had their air and naval bases in the Philippines under the RP-US Military Bases Agreement, which expired in 1991 when the Philippine Senate did not extend the agreement.

Air Force records showed that in 1965 the US provided the Philippines 30 F-5A/B supersonic jet fighters, becoming one of the first countries in the world to acquire US-made fighter jets.

In 1979 the Air Force bought 25 F-8 Crusader war jets and some helicopters from the US, but due to wear and tear and the lack of spare parts the F-8s and F-5s were decommissioned in 1988 and 2005, leaving the Air Force with no jet fighters to guard Philippine airspace.

As a result, the country’s “air defense capability became practically zero,” said Col. Raul del Rosario, commander of the Air Defense Wing based in Pampanga.

“Our Air Force is referred to as a Helicopter Air Force [and] we have only one operating radar with very limited capability,” Del Rosario said.

“What’s disheartening is that, with this token capability, our nation is faced with enormous security challenges.

“We need to develop facilities for the equipment that will be acquired such as radar sites, forward operating bases, hangars and command and control facilities.”

Philippine leader denies asking for US spy planes

Philippine President Benigno Aquino on Thursday denied reports he had asked the United States for spy planes to monitor a territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea.

Aquino told reporters that his country had its own ships and aircraft to keep an eye on the disputed Scarborough Shoal and that he had merely mentioned in an interview that US aircraft could be called upon for help if needed.

"If you will go through the transcript of the interview, I said 'We might' (ask for US help)," he said.

"That is where (the interviewers) suddenly introduced the supposed request for overflights, which wasn't what I stated."

Aides said Aquino had made the remarks during an interview with a foreign news agency on Monday.

Subsequent reports of the president's alleged requests for US spy planes raised concerns within China, with the country warning the Philippines against provocation over the three-month stand-off between the two countries.

"Let us correct that. America is a treaty ally. Where we are lacking in capacity, I think we can go to them and ask that they increase (our) situational awareness," Aquino said Thursday.

The shoal stand-off began in April when Chinese vessels prevented the Philippine Navy from arresting Chinese fishermen encroaching on what the Filipinos claim is a part of their country's territory.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, even waters close to the coasts of neighbouring countries.

In addition to the whole of the Scarborough Shoal the Philippines also claims parts of the Spratlys archipelago. It says the shoal is well within its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.

Both countries have been pressing their respective claims to the area, with the poorly-equipped Philippines seeking the support of its main defence ally, the United States.

Aquino remarked Thursday that the Philippines had withdrawn its own ships from the shoal almost three weeks ago, but Chinese ships were still in the area.

"If their vessels had also gone home... there would be no more issue. So who is prolonging the issue?" he said.

"There are a lot of things being said by the other side. Maybe they need to balance their statements with the truth," he said.

Meanwhile, the Philippines announced Thursday it had filed a diplomatic protest with China over Beijing's establishment of a new prefecture called "Sansha" to administer disputed territories in the South China Sea.

Philippine foreign ministry spokesman Raul Hernandez said Sansha's establishment violated Manila's claim to the Scarborough Shoal and parts of the Spratly islands, as well as other areas within the South China Sea.

He told reporters the ministry was awaiting the Chinese government's response to the protest.