ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Cope Thunder' air combat exercise to kick off in Pampanga

'Cope Thunder' air combat exercise to kick off in Pampanga

Published Jul 6, 2025 05:48 pm
FA-50 fighter jets of the Philippine Air Force are parked and ready to taxi for defensive counter air missions as part of the Cope Thunder exercise at Clark Air Base in Mabalacat, Pampanga on July 08, 2023. (Photo: PAF)
FA-50 fighter jets of the Philippine Air Force are parked and ready to taxi for defensive counter air missions as part of the Cope Thunder exercise at Clark Air Base in Mabalacat, Pampanga on July 08, 2023. (Photo: PAF)
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) will launch the “Cope Thunder” Philippines 25-2 air combat exercise with the United States Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) at the Clark Air Base in Mabalacat, Pampanga on Monday, July 7.
Lt. Gen. Arthur Cordura, PAF commanding general, will lead the ceremony while the US PACAF will be represented by Lt. Col. Bryan Mussler.
“Cope Thunder 25-2 aims to enhance the operational capabilities and readiness of both the Philippine Air Force and Pacific Air Forces through joint training and the exchange of best practices in air operations, disaster response, and other ground and sustainment operations,” PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo said.
The exercise also supports the PAF’s modernization efforts as Filipino pilots will be exposed to more advanced technologies of its defense ally.
“The exercise bolsters the enduring Philippines-U.S. defense partnership, ultimately contributing significantly to regional stability and security in the Indo-Pacific. It strengthens military readiness, reinforces defense ties, and promotes shared learning and collaboration with allied nations,” Castillo stressed.
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.
Cope Thunder was revived by the PAF and 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.
This will be the second iteration of the Cope Thunder this year.
Last April 7, close to 1,000 military personnel from the PAF and US PACAF joined the first iteration of Cope Thunder 2025.
Among the assets used by the two forces were FA-50PH fighter jets, A-29B Super Tucano light attack aircraft, Sikorsky S-76 A utility helicopters, S70i Blackhawk helicopters, and F-16 fighter jets.

Related Tags

PAF Cope Thunder Philippine Air Force US Pacific Air Forces Clark Air Base Pampanga
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.