The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Monday, April 14, that it was aiming to expedite the procurement of multi-role fighter aircraft for the Philippine Air Force (PAF) to boost the military’s aerial defense capabilities.
AFP Chief, General Romeo Brawner Jr. said the military is considering possible contenders for the MRF acquisition program, such as the US Lockheed Martin’s F-16 and Swedish Saab’s JAS-39 Gripen, among others.
“We are hoping to expedite the acquisition of these assets because it is very important for us. We are still in the process of determining which one we can get according to our fiscal space, according to how we can afford these platforms,” Brawner said in an interview during the 49th founding anniversary of the 2nd Infantry Division (2ID) at Camp General Mateo Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal.
“We are studying all of our options but definitely we want to buy multi-role fighters because we need them to defend our country. Whether these are the F-16s or Gripen or whatever other multi-role fighters, we are weighing our options,” he added.
However, Brawner said that the procurement of additional FA-50 fighter jets appeared to be more achievable for the PAF right now.
“The acquisition of another 12 units of FA-50 fighter jets is somehow more possible because it is already in the pipeline,” he revealed.
In March, the PAF confirmed that a proposal was submitted to the Department of National Defense (DND) for the acquisition of 12 South Korean-made FA-50s. These are on top of the 12 units of the same aircraft that were procured by the AFP from South Korean defense manufacturer Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) for P18.9 billion.
The jets were delivered from 2015 to 2017, and were immediately proven lethal and effective when used during the Marawi siege.
Last April 2, the US government approved the possible foreign military sale of 20 units of F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines for $5.58 billion.
According to a statement released by the US State Department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the Philippine government requested to buy sixteen units of F-16 C Block 70/72 aircraft and four units of F-16 D Block 70/72 aircraft.
“We are happy that the US Congress approved the sale of 20 F-16s to us, to the Philippines. But no decision has been finalized yet,” Brawner disclosed.
According to Lockheed Martin, the F-16 Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon “is the most advanced 4th generation fighter ever built and brings a new level of capability to air forces around the world.”
It is equipped with advanced APG-83 AESA radar for greater situational awareness, flexibility and quicker all-weather targeting; a high-resolution Center Pedestal Display (CPD) which provides critical tactical imagery to pilots; and the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto GCAS) purposely built to prevent deadly crashes and reduce incidents of controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) incidents.
Meanwhile, Saab said that its JAS-39 Gripen is regarded as “the most reliable swing-role combat aircraft available in the world today.”
The JAS-39 Gripen C and D versions have one and two-seat configurations respectively. The Gripen performs tasks in all three combat roles: air-to-air, air-to-surface, and reconnaissance.
Typhon and NMESIS
Brawner also hopes to provide further training on new US weapons systems for AFP personnel, such as the Typhon mid-range capability (MRC) and the Navy/Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) missile systems.
“We ‘re hoping that these weapon systems from the US Army, the Typhon, and from US Marines, the NMESIS, will arrive in the country because we need to train on these modern weapons,” the military chief said.
“If someday we will get these weapon systems in our inventory, we are already proficient on how to use them,” he added.
So far, Brawner said he has yet to confirm when the NMESIS, a ground-based, unmanned anti-ship missile system, will be brought by the US Marines to the country. It was US Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth who announced during his visit to Manila on March 28 that NMESIS would be deployed to the Philippines for the upcoming Balikatan this April.
The US Army, on the other hand, has maintained the deployment of its Typhon MRC missile system to the Philippines since last year.
‘Critical’ mission
Brawner said modernizing the weapon systems of the AFP will help the troops in performing its critical mission of defending the country’s territory from threats.
In particular, the military chief acknowledged that the 2ID is crucial to the AFP "as it supports the seat of government."
“Because of the proximity of the 2nd Infantry Division to Metro Manila, it is one of the divisions that will respond in case a war erupts for example, or if there are destabilization efforts,” he explained.
He called on the troops to perform their mandate with professionalism given the intense political climate in the country due to the nearing midterm elections in May.
During the 2ID’s anniversary, Brawner inspected several firearms, ammunition, and explosives that were confiscated by the 2ID from various communist groups and threat actors.
“This is my call for all the soldiers: we should be united and always professional since our country is facing a lot of problems. We have not just internal security threats like the CPP-NPA-NDF and local terrorist groups; we also have lawless elements and private armed groups because of the election and, of course, the West Philippine Sea,” he said.