Philippines to scrap P12-B helicopter deal with Bell Helicopter and Canadian Commercial Corporation

The Department of National Defense (DND) is now preparing the letter for the cancellation of the purchase of 16 Bell EPI combat utility helicopters (CUHs) worth PHP12 billion from Canada.

Photo by Hukbong Sandatahan ng Pilipinas Fb page

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Monday he will sign the letter anytime this week.

“The formal letter cancelling the contract is being prepared and I will sign it this week. We are looking at Korea, Russia, China and Turkey and other countries for our the medium lift helicopters in lieu of the Bell 412,” Lorenzana emphasized.

But he admitted that the cancellation will affect the DND project to acquire medium-lift helicopters as this has set the process “back to square one”.

The cancellation came in wake of the Canadian government’s move to review the deal after receiving reports that the Philippines is planning to use the helicopters against rebel forces, a claim strongly denied by the DND and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
This prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to order the DND and AFP to cancel the deal with Bell Helicopter and Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) which is licensed to manufacture the Bell 412 EPI being ordered by country.

Earlier, the DND chief said that they are more than enough suppliers to meet the Philippine requirement for CUHs should the country’s contract with Bell Helicopter and CCC fall through or be terminated.

“Are there other suppliers if the Canada deal will not push through? Yes, there are,” Lorenzana stressed.

Earlier, AFP deputy chief of staff for plans Major Gen. Restituto Padilla said from the onset both Bell Helicopter and CCC are aware that the soon-to-be acquired 16 Bell 412 EPI choppers will be utilized as “combat utility helicopter”.

“The AFP deal for the acquisition of the Canadian Bell 412 as a combat utility helicopter is a very transparent one. From the very onset, the contract has specified that we are acquiring a CUH,” he added.

“It’s intended use as combat utility helicopter is for the transport of troops especially combat casualties and for troop sustainment. It is not an offensive platform and not armed as such. We have dedicated attack helicopters as offensive platforms for such operations,” the military official pointed out.

And since the Philippines lies in the path of the Pacific Rim of Fire, a disaster prone area, Padilla said the nation’s disaster response plan had tasked the AFP to take the lead in undertaking humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) during such times of contingencies.

On Dec. 29, 2017, Lorenzana and representatives of Bell Helicopter and CCC signed the deal for the purchase of the helicopters worth PHP12 billion. Representing Bell Helicopter in the contract signing was James Williamson and Yvonne Chin, CCC Director for Asia.

Delivery of the first Bell 412 EPI helicopters units are supposed to start by the first quarter of 2019 while the last batch will be handed over by the second quarter of 2020.

Acquisition of these helicopters is part of the AFP Modernization Program Horizon 2 and will be use in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and other-related missions.

These aircraft are fully configured and equipped with advance features, which includes an electronic engine control, a glass cockpit display system and Garmin touchscreen navigation system. Generally, these helicopters are capable of carrying 14 passengers and flying at a maximum speed of 140 knots (around 259 kilometers), cruise speed of 122 knots (226 kilometers per hour) and a range of 402 nautical miles (745 kilometers). It is powered with an enhanced Pratt and Whitney PT6T-3D Twin Pac.

Article source: PTV News

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

PAF to train new Sokol chopper pilots

AIR FORCE CITY, Clark, Pampanga, March 10 (PNA) – Six helicopter pilots of the Philippines Air Force (PAF) who underwent a two-month training in Poland to fly the newly- acquired W-3A Sokol combat utility helicopters, will form the core group of pilot-instructors who will train incoming PAF Sokol pilots.


Maj. Irvin D. Tanap, one of the six PAF helicopter pilots who went to Poland, told the Philippines News Agency Friday that new Sokol chopper pilots will be trained in the coming months.


The PZL-Swidnik, the Polish manufacturer of the Sokol helicopters, delivered on Friday the first batch of four of the eight helicopters ordered by the government for the Air Force to boost its firepower and lift capability.


The Polish company is represented in the Philippines by AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company based in Italy.


The other five pilots who underwent training in Poland were Maj. Randy G. Buena, Maj. Nomar Alinsangan, Capt. Joseph Alexander Marquez, Capt. Roderick Reyes and Capt. Mark Anthony Fernandez.


The training was provided by PZL-Swidnik, the manufacturer of the W-3A Sokol combat utility helicopter, a six-ton class twin-engine helicopter capable of carrying up to 12 passengers and two pilots.


The helicopter has been certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its outstanding operational capability, effectiveness, rugged and reliable in all conditions.


The W-3A Sokol helicopter can perform in a long range of operations, making it an excellent utility aircraft with a low maintenance cost.


According to Major Tanap, who had flown many combat sorties in Mindanao, particularly the all-out war between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in 2000, the newly-acquired Sokol choppers will be mainly used to transport troops and supplies.


He said the helicopter can carry a load of 2,100 kilograms and fly 300 nautical miles (480 kilometers), non-stop which is the distance from Manila to Cebu.


The eight brand-new choppers acquired at a cost of US$ 66 million are armed with two M60 machine guns and air-to-ground rockets, although the helicopters can be equipped with air-to-air heat-seeking missiles.


As a multi-role aircraft, the Sokol helicopters can be fitted with firefighting equipment called expendable belly tank that can be dropped where a fire is raging, and can also be used in medical evacuation and rescue missions at sea or in the mountain, transport combat casualties and disaster victims as the case may be.


Another feature of the chopper is its non-retractable landing gear designed to withstand landings on unprepared and rough ground. It has a cruise speed of 235 kilometers per hour with a maximum endurance of more than four hours flying.


It can climb up to 4,520 meters or 14,829 feet and can hover at 2,550 meters or 8,364 feet.


The delivery of the Sokol helicopters comes at a time when the PAF most needed them for quick transport of troops in the event of an emergency -- man-made or natural.


Defense Secretary Voltaire T. Gazmin, who formally received the four choppers during a turnover ceremony here Friday, said that “our acquisition of these brand-new air assets shall certainly bolster the fire fighting capabilities of our Air Force in accordance with our modernization goals.”


“The placement of these aircraft in our Air Force inventory shall surely boost its development of mission-essential capabilities - mobility, firepower and accuracy, communications survivality and the ability to detect threat elements,” Gazmin said.


The helicopters are also fitted with night vision equipment to enable the pilots to see during night flying missions.


Journalists who covered the turnover ceremony were taken for 30-minute flight aboard the W-3A Sokol helicopters that went around Pampanga, including a view from the air of the areas hit by lahar during the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1990.


Maj. Gen. Lauro Catalino dela Cruz, PAF commanding general, said the new helicopters will boost the PAF’s ability to transport troops during combat operations and conduct rescue missions.


Dela Cruz jokingly said that “sometimes the joke hurts that we only have air but no force, but eventually this will be a thing of the past.”


The PAF waited for over two decades before they got the brand new W-3A Sokol helicopters from Poland.


The last time the Air Force acquired new helicopters was in 1989 when the government bought a fleet of MG-520 attack helicopters, although the PAF got some second-hand aircraft in the 1990s and in the first decade of 2000.


Lt. Col. Mike Okol, PAF spokesman, said the PAF has welcomed the delivery of the Sokol helicopters and is looking forward to get more air assets in the near future.


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Ben Cal | Philippine News Agency | March 11,2012 | Article Link

Philippine Air Force no more "all air, no force"

CLARK, Pampanga—The joke about the Philippine Air Force (PAF) is that it is “all air and no force”—and that hurts.

But that may soon be over.

Saying better times are at hand, the PAF’s new commanding general, Maj. Gen. Lauro Catalino dela Cruz, on Friday attended the blessing of four of eight Polish multi-role helicopters worth P2.8 billion which the Philippines received as part of its modernization program.

The new W-3 Sokol (Falcon) helicopters will be used for combat support as well as disaster relief missions, Dela Cruz said in turnover ceremonies at the former US Clark Air Base in Pampanga province.

Dela Cruz said the acquisition of the new sophisticated machines gave a “glimpse of many more changes to come.”

‘Thing of the past’

From being the best in Southeast Asia after World War II until the 1960s, the PAF saw its squadrons of fighter jets become obsolete without being replaced despite modernization plans.

The PAF deeply felt its decline when the last of its F5 “Blue Diamond” fighter jets was officially decommissioned in 2005, leaving the military incapable of intercepting intruders in the country’s airspace. Meanwhile, the number of accidents involving refurbished planes and helicopters piled up.

“The lack of equipment has always been our handicap. But despite that, we never let our guard down and instead focused on our strength, the talent of our people,” Dela Cruz said at brief ceremonies at Air Force City. “Sometimes the joke hurts that we only have air and no force.”

“But eventually this will be a thing of the past,” he added. “We can now see a horizon of better times, the beginning of an Air Force that is adequately equipped and skilled.”

Morale boosters

The guests, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Jessie Dellosa, poured champagne on the helicopters’ noses during the ceremonies.

The new “Sokol” combat utility helicopters are expected to take some of the load off the military’s workhorse, the refurbished Vietnam War-era UH-1H “Huey” utility helicopters.

Used for transporting troops and cargo, the new helicopters are considered crucial for the emergency medical evacuation of ground troops in combat operations and for search and rescue missions during disasters.

Dela Cruz said the arrival of the new helicopters was a big morale booster.

“I know many of our fellow soldiers in the Philippine Army and the Marines will be very happy with the improved capability of their Air Force,” Dela Cruz said.

Demonstration ride

Maj. Randy Buena, group leader of six military pilots who have flown the new helicopters for test flights, said they were “amazed” at what the machines could do.

“It’s a beautiful aircraft,” Buena said before members of the media were given a demonstration ride on two of the helicopters.

This reporter was in a group of nine media members who, with two pilots and two crew members, flew for 40 minutes from Air Force City base through Crow Valley up to the crater of Mt. Pinatubo and back.

Unlike a ride in the single-engine Huey, the ride in the Sokol was smooth throughout despite the turbulence outside.

The pilots demonstrated the chopper could go on auto-pilot and showed off manuevers.

According to the briefer, the Sokols are equipped with the latest navigation and avionics systems that allow them to operate in all weather conditions day and night.

Credible defense

The PAF currently has 40 UH-1H helicopters, 18 MG-520 helicopter gunships, two Italian S211 jets with three undergoing repairs, plus about a dozen tuboprop OV-10 attack and observation planes, spokesperson Lt. Col. Miguel Ernesto Okol said. One C-130 transport aircraft is in service and two are undergoing repairs expected to be completed this year, he added.

The Philippines has been fighting a decades-long communist insurgency, al-Qaida-linked terrorists with military assistance largely from the United States, its longtime ally, and rarely acquires arms and equipment from other countries.

Manila last year said it would seek 12 F-16 fighter jets from Washington amid its simmering territorial dispute in the West Philippine (South China) Sea with Beijing. Washington has provided a Coast Guard cutter to the Philippines and agreed to send another one this year.

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said the Philippines wanted to build “a minimum credible defense posture and the US has expressed their willingness to help us.”

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Dona Z. Pazzibugan | Philippine Daily Inquirer | March 10th, 2012 | Article Link

Christening of the Sokols

Photos taken this morning's christening at the 410th Hangar, Air Force City, Clark, Pampanga, Philippines.






Photos by: 


Philippine Air Force, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Department of National Defense

Philippine Air Force to get 4 new choppers

The Philippine Air Force will be upgraded with four new choppers as part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines modernization plan, the government said Thursday.
 
The arrival of the four of eight SOKOL multi-purpose combat utility helicopters is part of the P2.8 billion acquisition contract between the AFP and Polish manufacturing company PZL-SWIDNIK SA, according to a statement by the Presidential Communications Operations Office.
 
The turnover of the choppers signals the near completion of the initial phase of the modernization program which focuses on improving the AFP’s ability to conduct internal security operations.
 
Under this phase, the target acquisition include eight combat utility helicopters, seven attack helicopters, one C-130 aircraft, a long-range patrol aircraft and 18 basic trainer aircraft.
 
The government said the SOKOL helicopters are certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency and the Federal Aviation Administration, and have been proven to be effective and reliable in all weather conditions.
 
They also include flexible internal and external cargo capacity, making them capable of performing a wide range of operations and excellent utility choppers.
 
Under Republic Act No. 7898, or the AFP Modernization Act of 1995, the military has received a total fund of P331 billion for its upgrade.

“The plan follows a strict schedule for upgrades in order to modernize the AFP to a level where it can effectively and fully perform its constitutional mandate to defend the sovereignty and protect and preserve the patrimony of the Republic,” the statement said.
 
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin will be the guest of honor during the formal turnover of the choppers, which will be headed by PZL-SWIDNIK SA president Mieczyslaw Majewski, to be held at the Air Force City in Clark, Pampanga on Friday.
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Shielo Mendoza | Yahoo! Southeast Asia Newsroom | Article Link

PAF Gears Up With Brand New Combat Utility Helicopters

 Jesus Villamor Air Base, Pasay City - The Philippine Air Force (PAF) will formally accept the initial four (4) of the eight (8) brand new multi-purpose combat utility helicopters as part of the P2.8B acquisition contract between the ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES (AFP) and WYTWORINIA SPREZETU KOMUNIKACY JNEGO “”PZL-SWIDNIK”SPOLJA AKCY JNA in a simple ceremony on March 9, 2012, from 8:00am to 12:00noon at the 410th Hangar, Air Force City, Clark, Pampanga.

     The arrival of these brand new CUH signals the near completion of the initial phase of the PAF’s Modernization Plan and people could expect more advanced aircraft acquisitions, apt for territorial defense, soon.

     In a press statement, PAF PIO Director Lt. Col. Miguel Ernesto G. Okol PAF (GSC) said that the continuation of the AFP Modernization Program is due “to the strong determination of our  Defense Secretary Voltaire T. Gazmin, not to mention the solid commitment of H.E. President Benigno Aquino III – our Commander in Chief, to see a modernized Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) during his term.”   

     Dubbed as “Back to Basics,” the first phase of the Modernization Program focuses on improving the AFP’s ability to conduct Internal Security Operations (ISO). Under this phase, the target acquisitions include eight (8) combat utility helicopters, seven (7) attack helicopters, one (1) C-130 aircraft and a long-range patrol aircraft and 18 Basic Trainer Aircraft.

     For the Capability Upgrade Program (CUP), Okol added that “more advanced aircraft are expected in Phases 2 and 3 where PAF related components are grouped into what it calls “Horizon Programs”, with Horizon 2 expected to begin in the 2012 to 2016 time frame.”  

     For Horizon 2, PAF expects the delivery of Territorial Defense assets such as Surface Attack Aircraft, Lead-In Fighter Trainers, Long Range Patrol Aircraft, Air Defense Radar, and a Special Mission aircraft, among others which will greatly boost the country’s defense stance against external threats.

     Initially, Republic Act No. 7898, otherwise known as the AFP Modernization Act of 1995 has given the military the opportunity to modernize with a total fund of P331B. The modernization plan follows a strict schedule for upgrades in order to modernize the AFP to a level where it can effectively and fully perform its constitutional mandate to defend the sovereignty and protect and preserve the patrimony of the republic.

     Various domestic security concerns since 1999, prompted the AFP to realign its modernization priorities to procure the necessary operational and intelligence requirements to support Internal Security Operations (ISO). Along with the equipment acquisition is the realization of providing significant attention to the other four components of the program, which is indispensable for ISO.

     The Sokol helicopters, once formally accepted by PAF, will greatly boost the search and rescue, medical evacuation and combat utility missions of the PAF.  Certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), these 6-tonne class twin-engine helicopters have been proven to be effective, rugged and reliable in all weather conditions. An added feature (of a SOKOL helicopter) includes its high flexibility and significant internal and external cargo capacity – making it capable of performing a wide range of operations and an excellent utility helicopter.  

     With the modernization in place, the newly appointed PAF Commanding General, Maj. Gen. Lauro Catalino G. Dela Cruz AFP continues to initiate programs that will ensure that PAF also modernizes from within by strengthening the inner core of its airmen with  discipline, a strict sense and value for time, continued fiscal and financial reforms and an appreciation for the organization’s role in Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) “Bayanihan”. 

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 Department of National Defense - Philippines | Thursday, March 8, 2012 | Article Link