Two Lockheed C-130T cargo aircraft of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) are once more operational after undergoing maintenance check-up and capability upgrades.

The PAF’s C-130T aircraft with tail numbers 5011 and 5040 were inspected by Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Commander-in-Chief and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the Haribon Hangar in Clark Air Base, Pampanga on Friday, March 31.

Marcos was joined by Department of National Defense (DND) Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Senior Undersecretary Carlito Galvez Jr.; AFP Chief of Staff General Andres Centino; PAF Commanding General Lt. Gen. Stephen Parreño; Philippine Army (PA) Commanding General Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., and representatives from OGMA, a Portuguese maintenance shop, and American aerospace company Lockheed Martin Corportation among others.

In his speech, Parreño thanked the national government for its support to the ongoing modernization program of the military.

“The support from our capability development partners from the national government and our proponents has inspired us to keep on working for the good of the Filipino nation. This support has helped us reinforce our relevance and impact as a valuable and credible partner for peace security and development,” he said.

“Rest assured that we will reciprocate the stream of support by efficiently utilizing our aircraft, seeing through its continued sustainment in order to perform its mission,” he added.

Both the C-130T aircraft are cargo planes used by the PAF to ferry military personnel, equipment, and other important cargoes to any point in the country.

The C-130T with tail number 5040 was acquired by the PAF from the United States Navy in 2016. It underwent repairs and overhaul at the facility of aeronautics maintenance shop OGMA in Portugal on Jan. 25, 2021 for its 24th Year Structural Maintenance Program (SMP). The plane finally returned to the country on Feb. 26, 2023.

“Various maintenance works on the aircraft prove to be challenging particularly due to the delayed delivery of logistical requirements caused by the pandemic as well as some recurring discrepancies. [But] this aircraft now has an extended lifespan, maintenance efficiency, and improved safety performance,” Parreño stressed.

Meanwhile, the C-130T with tail number 5011 was installed with an internal Special Airborne Mission Installation and Response (SABIR) System, a surveillance and reconnaissance equipment, as part of a project granted by the United States government under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) security assistance program. 

“[SABIR] can be readily attached to our C-130T aircraft, to include the newly arrived C130-T 5040, without sacrificing its primary function as a cargo aircraft,” Parreño explained. 

“Hence, this aircraft will not just elevate our airlift capability but also our surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities,” he added.

Aside from the inspection of the aircraft, Marcos also witnessed a live feed capability demonstration of the C208B and Hermes 900 Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), which are PAF surveillance aircraft and military drones conducting maritime patrol in the coastal areas of Zambales and Batanes.

The C208B aircraft is equipped with MX-15DI multi-sensor camera, high-definition thermal imager, low-light continuous zoom, laser range finder, and a laser illuminator "that allows the aircraft to be utilized in various operations such as locating high valued targets and enemy encampments, as well as search and rescue operations."

The PAF currently owns two C20B aircraft and it is expecting the delivery of its third aircraft in July 2023 which is valued at US$16.7 million.

Meanwhile, the Hermes 900 Unmanned Aerial System is utilized to acquire near-real time video coverage of aerial reconnaissance and surveillance that covers the Philippine defense area of operations.  

The PAF currently owns three military drones acquired through the second horizon of the revised AFP modernization program. These are worth US$167.2 million which were delivered between October 2019 and October 2020.