Aquino renews commitment for AFP modernization

MANILA, Aug. 17 (PNA) -- President Benigno S. Aquino III renewed his administration’s commitment to modernize the country’s armed forces to ensure peace and security. 

During his speech at the fellowship meeting with the Philippine Air Force Aviation Cadet and Officer Candidate Alumni Association Inc. (PAFACOCAAI) in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Thursday evening, the President acknowledged the need of the Philippine Air Force for modern and additional aircraft that will guard and protect the Philippine territory. 

For instance, he said, the air force had only one C-130 cargo plane and flying times had to be divided among the pilots to accommodate all of them. 

“Ito po ang dahilan kung kaya’t isinusulong na natin ang pagpapasa sa New AFP Modernization Bill, na siyang mag-e-extend sa pagpapatupad ng ating AFP Modernization Program,” the President said. 

“Pitumpu’t limang bilyong pisong (P75 billion) paunang pondo ang nakasaad sa panukalang batas mula sa Department of National Defense ang inihain para sa unang limang taon ng implementasyon nito,” he said. 

Under the program, more aircraft and helicopters will be purchased, initially trainer aircraft so that pilots will have the know-how to fly once fighter jets arrive, the President said hoping that the fighter aircraft arrive ahead of schedule. 

As new planes arrive, the President said, the flying hours of PAF’s pilots would also increase as well as their capability to serve the people. 

Aside from providing the new equipment and planes, the government is also building decent homes of the country’s soldiers to improve their lives, President Aquino said. 

The government has completed the Phase I of the housing projects for soldiers this year, building 21,800 new homes for them, the Chief Executive said. 

Under Phase II of the program, he said, additional 31,200 new houses would be built for the members of the military, the police, fire fighters and prison guards. The project is expected to be completed in August next year. 

“Naniniwala nga po tayo: kung mayroon kang isang lipunang kumakalinga sa iyo, mas nabibigyan ka ng kakayahang gampanan ang iyong tungkulin, at arugain ang iyong mga kababayan,” the President said adding that he envisioned an armed forces that can readily respond to any future challenge. 

As the country traverses the righteous path, the President said Filipinos could now achieve their dream for prosperity and better security. 

“At kapag may kapayapaan, kapag may kaayusan, wala na nga tayong ibang patutunguhan kundi tuloy-tuloy na kaunlaran,” he said. 

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Philippine News Agency | August 17, 2012 | Article Link

Philippines in the market for ASW helicopters

MANILA, Aug. 17 (PNA) -- As part of its efforts to improve the capabilities of the naval service, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) announced that it will be acquiring four anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters for the Philippine Navy (PN) within the period 2013 to 2017. 

Col. Arnulfo M. Burgos, Jr., AFP spokesperson, said the decision to acquire ASW assets for the PN is part of country's Medium Term Defense Acquisition List for the next four years. 

The ASW choppers will be assigned to the BRP Gregorio Del Pilar and the soon-to-come BRP Ramon Alcaraz and hopefully to the two "Maestrale" class missile-firing frigates from Italy being eyed by the Department of National Defense (DND) for acquisition by 2013. 

Burgos declined to identify the manufacturer of the proposed ASW helicopters but said studies are now undergoing to identify the best and most affordable aircraft for the Philippines. 

DND Secretary Voltaire Gazmin earlier announced that the Philippine Air Force (PAF) will be getting 10 brand-new units of Eurocopter attack choppers to boost its fleet. 

He added that this contract is worth P3.2 billion. 

Gazmin said that the DND has already presented it to the government policy and procurement board for evaluation. 

This was after the defense department recommended acquisition approval for the above-mentioned helicopters. 

And should the contract be signed anytime this August, the DND chief said that the first four units will be delivered within the year. 

"All these choppers are brandnew and fitted with weapons, navigation and sensor equipment," Gazmin stressed. 

The body of the Eurocopter is made from 80 percent carbon fiber reinforced polymer and kevlar, 11 percent aluminum, and six percent titanium. 

The rotors are made from fiber-plastic able to withstand combat damage and bird strikes. 

Protection against lightning and electromagnetic pulse is ensured by embedded copper/bronze grid and copper bonding foil. 

Eurocopter's armor can withstand 23 mm autocannon fire. 

The helicopter can be equipped with a variety of air-to-ground weapons, rockets, and even air-to-air missiles and state-of-the-art sensor and navigation systems. 

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Philippine News Agency | August 17, 2012 | Article Link

Philippines looking at SA as option for attack helicopters

A spokesman for the Philippines Air Force (PAF) has been quoted as identifying South Africa as one of the countries that are under consideration to supply his service with new attack helicopters. South Africa is one of the few countries to have developed a dedicated attack helicopter, the Denel Rooivalk (Kestrel, in English).

The PAF is seeking 10 attack helicopters as part of a major modernisation programme. The other countries listed as possible suppliers by Lieutenant Colonel Miguel Okol were Italy, France, Russia and the UK. US helicopters have been ruled out as they are too expensive for the country.

Confusingly, PAF commander Lieutenant General Lauro Catalino de la Cruz was reported to have said that Italian helicopters would be ordered. These would presumably be AgustaWestland AW129 Mongoose attack helicopters.

However, Okol spoke to Agence France-Presse (AFP) after De la Cruz made his comment, suggesting that the general was expressing his personal opinion or spoke ambiguously and had been misunderstood. Whatever the case may be, the acquisition of the new helicopters has been approved and the order should be placed before the end of this year.

The PAF seems to use the term attack helicopter to refer to any armed helicopter and not just dedicated attack designs. This would explain the inclusion of the UK on the list – Britain does not have a dedicated attack helicopter design but the army version of the AgustaWestland Lynx can (and has been) be armed with guns and missiles.

Likewise, the PAF refers to its current force of MD Helicopters MG 520 light armed helicopters as attack helicopters. “What we are going to get are armed attack helicopters ... that can carry more payload than the MG 520,” Okol told AFP. The PAF is also upgrading its MG 520s.

The Denel Rooivalk is not currently in production, but the company could restart manufacture if it received a suitable order. The company has been redelivering Rooivalks upgraded to operational standard to the South African Air Force, a process that should be concluded next month.

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Keith Campbell | EngineeringNews.Co.Za | July 19, 2012 | Article Link

Philippine Air Force levelling up with 10 attack helicopters

MANILA - The Philippines will acquire 10 attack helicopters starting next year in a bid to boost the capabilities of the poorly-equipped military, an air force spokesman said Wednesday.

Italy, Britain, France, Russia and South Africa are all being eyed to supply the helicopters, Lieutenant Colonel Miguel Okol said, although he declined to specify which models were being considered.

The brand new machines will upgrade the fleet of US-made MG-520 light attack helicopters that the air force has been using since the 1990s.

"What we are going to get are armed attack helicopters... that can carry more payload than the MG-520," Okol told AFP.

He declined to specify the cost of the acquisition but said the government had already allocated the required funds.

The new aircraft will be used for "internal security operations, border security and support operations", he said.

The Philippines is battling communist insurgents in rural areas throughout the archipelago, as well as Muslim extremists in the troubled southern regions.

In recent months tensions have also risen with China over conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea, but Okol said the acquisition of the attack helicopters was unrelated.

The tensions with China have highlighted the weakness of the Philippine military which is one of the most poorly-equipped in the region, relying largely on surplus US equipment.

The Philippines has been refurbishing its ageing MG-520 helicopters, other military sources said.

The country has recently been stepping up its modernization efforts and plans to acquire new fighter-trainer jets and attack and transport planes by 2014, the defence secretary said earlier.

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Agence France-Presse | InterAksyon.Com | July 18, 2012 | Article Link

Philippine Air Force buying new trainer jets

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Air Force (PAF) is ordering this year a number of brand new aircraft.

These include 12 lead-in fighter trainer jets, eight light transports, three medium transports and attack helicopters.

The PAF said the order is among 38 contracts that the air branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines will sign this year. Delivery of the aircraft is expected in two years.

“Within the year we expect to sign contracts. We have 38 projects lined up, foremost of which is the FAA lead-in fighter trainer or LIFT. We have attack helicopters coming, light transports and medium transports that are slightly smaller than the C-130 cargo plane” currently in use, PAF spokesperson Col. Miguel Okol said.

“They have been approved by the senior leadership (of the Department of National Defense),” he added.

He said the rest of the 38 contracts were still being finalized.

From being one of the best in Southeast Asia during the 1960s, the Air Force fleet gradually deteriorated and became obsolete without being replaced, leaving the country with no external defense capability.

To upgrade the entire military’s capabilities, the DND and AFP are working to fast-track the approval by July this year of a total of 138 contracts.

The contracts, mostly aimed at boosting badly depleted air and naval assets, would be implemented for the duration of the Aquino administration.

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Dona Z. Pazzibugan | Philippine Daily Inquirer | May 27, 2012 | Article Link