The Philippine Air Force (PAF) is behind its Chinese counterpart by up to 20 years, according to PAF chief Lt. Gen. Arthur Cordura, and to catch up, it is aggressively pursuing the acquisition of multi-role fighters (MRFs) and other air assets.

Cordura said the MRFs will complete the PAF’s “game-changing” program called the Integrated Air Defense System (IADS), which involves the synchronized operation of multiple systems, including radars, ground-based air defenses, and fighter jets to identify, monitor, and neutralize potential aerial threats.

“If we are comparing ourselves to the threat in the region, let’s say China, we cannot be at par with China even 10 to 20 years from now. That's the reality here,” he told reporters in an interview at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Tuesday, June 24.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force, according to reports, has around 3,000 fighter jets. Meanwhile, the PAF has 11 FA-50PH fighter jets from an initial batch of 12 acquired from South Korea. One of the units crashed in March. The PAF also operates six Super Tucano light attack aircraft.

The PAF is acquiring a second batch of 12 additional FA-50 fighter jets from Seoul to form its second fighter squadron. It is expected to be completed by 2030.

A total of 15 Black Hawk utility helicopters will also be delivered this year by Polish manufacturer PZL Mielec as part of a 32-unit procurement worth P32 billion in 2022. Ten Black Hawks were already delivered in 2024 and another seven will arrive in 2026.

However, if the PAF obtains next-generation multi-role fighters, Cordura said it would be able to project a more “credible deterrence” against potential threats.

“They will think twice if they intrude the country. How will they think twice? If you have GBADS [Ground-Based Air Defense System], if you have shooters, if you have multi-roles, just imagine if we had multi-role aircraft, they can do what other platforms can do, and even better. That’s the rationale behind the importance of having our own multi-role platform,” the PAF commanding general explained.

Cordura said that a multi-role fighter aircraft allows the PAF greater reach and endurance, its communication systems offer better encryption, its radar tracking is more enhanced, and it can also carry a greater variety of air munitions than the FA-50s.

“Tayo kasi hindi naman tayo malaking Air Force ano. We are a small Air Force. We're not even small. We are what we call a niche Air Force (You see, we’re not really a large Air Force. We’re a small Air Force, or actually, not even small. We’re what you would call a niche Air Force,” he said.

“So we cannot ask for a very robust Integrated Air Defense System. We should be asking for what is practical to us in terms of what we can procure of, what our fund will allow us. Ito yung magandang opportunidad ngayon (This is a good opportunity) because our fund allows us to procure the MRF,” he added.

The PAF allocated P61 billion for its MRF acquisition program under the Re-horizon 3 modernization plan.

In April, the US State Department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) approved the possible foreign military sale of 20 units of F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines for $5.58 billion or approximately P319 billion.

Other contenders include the JAS-39 Gripen from Swedish aerospace and defense company Saab, and KF-21 from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), among others.

Cordura also floated the possibility of acquiring air assets from Japan, which recently ratified the Philippines-Japan Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), a pact allowing both nations’ forces to train on each other’s soil.

 “Mitsubishi fighters, the Japanese made multi-roles, are very potential platforms also. The selection for the multi-role will depend upon the appreciation of the Department [of National Defense] in terms of how these are incorporated, this can be effectively incorporated in the whole CADC [Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept],” the PAF chief said.

“So it does not discount later perhaps platforms coming also from Japan if they will serve the purpose of our territorial defense plan,” he added.

While nothing has been finalized yet as to which multi-role fighter will be procured by the PAF, Cordura said that the specifications they need have already been forwarded to the DND.

“We need a platform that has a longer endurance, a greater payload that can carry ammunition, it has asymmetric capability that can land on shorter runways kasi ‘yung mga ating (because our) future operating bases will be in the periphery of archipelago already, more strategic then, and of course it should cater to more asymmetric capabilities,” he said.

“In addition, it should be highly integrable and interoperable with our allies in the region. Importante ‘yan dapat tayo makakapag-usap ‘yung equipment natin doon sa ating mga kasama sa ating treaty allies, our state partners in the region (That’s important, our equipment must be able to communicate and operate with those of our treaty allies and state partners in the region),” he concluded.