The planned acquisition of multi-role fighter (MRF) aircraft by the Philippine Air Force (PAF) was among the many things discussed by Department of National Defense (DND) Officer in Charge Jose Faustino Jr. to Swedish Ambassador Annika Thunborg recently.
In a statement Tuesday, Dec. 27, the DND said that Faustino and Thunborg met last Dec. 21 when the latter paid a courtesy visit at the DND Building in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
“The OIC, DND and the Swedish ambassador discussed the PAF Multi-Role Fighter Acquisition Project and the offer of Swedish defense and aerospace company SAAB AB of Gripen aircraft which has been in the PAF’s shortlist,” DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said.
The DND is considering the SAAB AB JAS-39 Gripen multi-role fighter as one of the two leading contenders for the PAF’s Multi-Role Fighter Acquisition Project under the third horizon of the revised modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). The other unit is the latest model of United States-made Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon.
The project entails the procurement of 12 units of “next generation” multi-role fighters that will be used to patrol the country’s territorial airspace and waters.
Gripen is a light single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft. It is known for its superior situational awareness and decision support, and is designed to host a wide range of weapons while ensuring a low flight hour cost, according to SAAB.
According to Andolong, Faustino and Thunborg agreed that it is important for a country to build a strong air defense to improve its capability to protect its airspace from intruding aircraft.
Last Dec. 18, an unidentified flying object was spotted in different areas in Pangasinan facing the northern areas of the South China Sea. A similarly shaped object was also seen flying over the skies of Baguio City.
The object was described as a transparent and glittering aircraft, and some netizens noticed that it was similar in shape with Yuanmeng and Tian Heng, which are Chinese surveillance airships. There was no word from the government about the sightings.
“The OIC, DND underscored the need to improve the capabilities in the context of regional security developments, mentioning the shift in focus of the Philippine defense sector from internal security to external defense,” Andolong noted.
Aside from this, Faustino also recognized the potential establishment of a bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the fields of defense and logistics.
This was welcomed by Thunborg who conveyed the Swedish government’s readiness to enter into discussions on an agreement on cooperation on defense materiel with the Philippines, Andolong said.
The two officials also talked about the visit of top officials of PAF to Stockholm from Dec. 9 to 14, the meeting of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at the sidelines of the ASEAN-European Union (EU) Commemorative Summit on Dec. 14 in Brussels, Belgium; the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, anti-communist insurgency campaign in the Philippines, and the security situation in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).