Nearly 1,000 military personnel from the Philippine Air Force (PAF) and United States Pacific Air Forces (US PACAF) are training together for “Cope Thunder” Philippines 2025 (CT PH 25-1), which kicked off on Monday, April 7, at the Clark Air Base in Mabalacat City, Pampanga.
Cope Thunder is a bilateral military exercise between the PAF and PACAF that emphasizes collaborative learning and interoperability between Filipino and American pilots as they engage in defensive and offensive maneuvers to sharpen their skills and enhance combat readiness.
Lt. Gen. Arthur Cordura, PAF commanding general, and Major General Christopher J. Sheppard, Air National Guard Assistant to the Commander, US PACAF, led the opening ceremony of Cope Thunder.
“CT PH 25-1 marks a key milestone in enhancing joint operational readiness and deepening defense ties between the Philippines and the United States, contributing to the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ modernization and capability development efforts,” Cordura said.
The PAF deployed 729 personnel and various aircraft including FA-50PH, A-29B Super Tucano, S-76 A, and S70i Blackhawk helicopters for the exercise while the PACAF sent 250 personnel and 12 F-16 fighter jets, the same type of aircraft that the PAF will buy from the US government for $5.58 billion as part of its modernization.
Cope Thunder will run until April 18 in key training locations in Northern Luzon, including at Basa Air Base and Clark Air Base in Pampanga, and Colonel Ernesto Ravina Air Base in Tarlac.
“The exercise will also feature Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEEs) covering a wide range of domains including fighter and close air support operations, helicopter operations, cybersecurity, communications, aircraft maintenance, logistics, security, and medical services,” Cordura said.
A new aspect of the training is the International Observer Program (IOP) which will be attended by representatives from the air forces of Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, Japan, and Indonesia.
Cope Thunder was revived by the PAF and US PACAF in 2023 after being shelved for more than three decades. It began in the Philippines in 1976 but stopped after the closure of military bases in Clark and Subic Bay in 1991 due to the eruption of the nearby Mt. Pinatubo.
The following year, the conduct of the exercise was moved to the Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska where it was renamed Red Flag Alaska.