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

TA-50 to revive PAF's 'fast mover' capability

MANILA, Aug. 14 (PNA) - The Philippine Air Force (PAF) will regenerate its "fast mover" capability once the decision to acquire South Korea's TA-50 "Golden Eagle" becomes final. 

The ability refers to the capacity to intercept aircraft intruding or encroaching over the country's airspace. 

Fernando Manalo, DND undersecretary for finance, munitions, installation, and materiel, said that the TA-50 offers the PAF the best means to reacquire such capability. 

"It may be small and not that fast, but under the hands of a well-trained and capable pilot, this plane can prove itself a much for much faster and bigger aircraft," he said. 

The PAF lost its interception capability in 2005 when it formally retired the last 10 F-5 "Tiger" jet fighters in its inventory due to airframe aging and lack of spare parts. 

The T-50 "Golden Eagle" design is largely derived from the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and they have many similarities: use of a single engine, speed, size, cost, and the range of weapons. 

Korea Aerospace Industries, the designer of the TA-50, developed the the aircraft from the US F-16 "Falcon". 

The aircraft can carry two pilots in tandem seating. The high-mounted canopy developed by Hankuk Fiber is applied with stretched acrylic, providing the pilots with good visibility, and has been tested to offer the canopy with ballistic protection against four-pound objects impacting at 400 knots. 

The altitude limit is 14,600 meters (48,000 ft), and airframe is designed to last 8,000 hours of service. 

There are seven internal fuel tanks with capacity of 2,655 liters (701 US gallons), five in the fuselage and two in the wings. 

An additional 1,710 liters (452 US gallons) of fuel can be carried in the three external fuel tanks. 

T-50 trainer variants have a paint scheme of white and red, and aerobatic variants white, black, and yellow.[43] 

It uses a single General Electric F404-102 turbofan engine produced by Samsung Techwin) and upgraded with a full authority digital engine control system jointly developed by General Electric and Korea Aerospace Industries. 

The engine consists of three-staged fans, seven axial stage arrangement, and an afterburner. 

The aircraft has a maximum speed of Mach 1.5. 

Its engine produces a maximum of 78.7 kilo Newton (17,700 pound force) of thrust with afterburner. 

The aircraft can also be fitted with heat-seeking missiles, 20mm to 25mm automatic cannon, various surveillance equipment and is very capable of undertaking the air-superiority role due to its sleek design. 

And once the go-ahead signal is given for the TA-50, the DND official expressed confidence that the fighter will be in PAF service within two year's time. 

"We will get two immediately for training purpose so that when the 10 other aircraft arrive, our pilots are already trained for its use," Manalo said. 

"The other good thing about the TA-50 is that we will (be) buying it straight from the manufacturers. We will be its first-time users and not the second or third as in previous PAF aircraft," he said.

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Priam F. Nepomuceno | Philippine News Agency | August 14,2012 | Article Link

Korea to discuss export of 12 trainer jets to Philippines

It is likely that Korea’s trainer jets will be exported to the Philippines.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said Tuesday that Korea and the Philippines will hold their 16th bilateral joint commission talks on military cooperation in Manila from Aug. 13 to 16.

An official said that the two governments will deal with the export of TA-50s to the Philippines at the talks. The TA-50 is the earlier version of the advanced T-50 supersonic trainer jet.

Local media in Manila reported in June that the Philippine Air Force plans to import 12 TA-50s over two years. However, the Korean government denied the report, saying, “There was no official discussion, or request for a proposal.” The value is estimated at 400 billion won.

The two countries reportedly agreed to trade TA-50 trainer jets, rewriting the bilateral pact on procurement of defense supplies. The revision has extended the defense supplies subject to private contract for complex weapons system, such as warships and aircraft. Park Chung-won, deputy administrator of the agency, will lead the Korean delegation in the talks with the Philippines.

“What the Philippines actually needs is TA-50 of Korea, a model a step nearer to a light attack aircraft,” the official said. “It’s highly probable that the Philippines will sign a contract once the military secures funds from the central government.”

It is reported that the Philippine defense authorities expressed their intention to purchase the TA-50 trainer jets to President Benigno Aquino III early this month. The Philippines is determined to set aside 70 billion pesos (approximately 1.9 trillion won ) involving the modernization program to the beef-up the Air Force.

Korea’s T-50 Golden Eagle is a jet trainer and light attack aircraft designed to provide pilot training for current and next-generation fighters such as the F-15, F-16, F-18, F-22, F-35, the Eurofighter and Mirage supersonic jet interceptors.

Meanwhile, with a weak military capability, the Philippine Air Force and the Navy failed to intercept 26 foreign intrusions into Philippine territory during the first quarter of this year, not including the stand-off at the Panatag Shoal or Scarborough Shoal by scores of Chinese vessels since April.

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The Korea Times | August 8, 2012 | Article Link

Purchase Of Korean Jets Recommended

The Department of National Defense (DND) has recommended to President Aquino the purchase of South Korean-made jet fighters to boost the country’s external defense capability.

Fernando Manalo, DND undersecretary for finance, munitions, installations and materiel, said the assessment conducted revealed that it is South Korea’s T50s which is ideal for the country’s Philippine Air Force.

“Based on our assessment it is the T50 of South Korea that is most advantageous to us in consideration to the obtaining situation in the West Philippine Sea,” said Manalo.

Aside from capability, the T50s are also ideal in terms of the country’s limited budget for Air Force modernization, he said.

If the contract is signed with South Korea before the end of 2012, Manalo said the fighter jets could be delivered to the country within two years from 2013.

What would happen if the contract is signed, according to Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, is that they would request for immediate delivery of two of the T50s to facilitate the training of Air Force pilots.

“We will negotiate so we can get the two immediately for training so that when the rest of the 10 arrives, our pilots are already trained,” said Gazmin.

Manalo stressed the need to sign into law the P75-billion modernization budget for military modernization.

“Without the law, we cannot implement the acquisition of these fighters . . . because there is no budget,” said Manalo.

The Philippines is now focusing on its external defense after it became locked in a standoff with China a few months ago near the Scarborough Shoal.

The two Philippine civilian ships have already pulled out several weeks ago to deescalate the tension but Chinese ships remain in the area and even set structure to block other ships from entering the Shoal.

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Aaron B. Recuenco | Manila Bulletin | August 2, 2012 | Article Link

Farnborough 2012: KAI confident T-50 family ready for Philippines, other international markets

Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) officials are confident of winning the Philippine Air Force's (PAF's) competition for a light-attack trainer but are playing down expectations of a quick decision.

A T-50 variant is competing with five other platforms to supply a jet-powered light-attack/trainer aircraft to Manila: AleniaAermacchi's M-346; BAE Systems' Hawk; Yakovlev's Yak-130; Aero Vodochody's L-159; and AMX International's AMX.

"We have been told that we are leading the competition but that no decision has been made yet," Sky Lee, T-50 senior marketing manager for Asia-Pacific and South American, told IHS Jane's at the Farnborough Airshow on 10 July.

The Republic of Korea Air Force's Black Eagles aerobatic team, which flies T-50Bs, made its European debut at a number of airshows in the UK, including Farnborough.

If Manila selects the T-50 it will become the second international customer for the platform after Indonesia, which in 2011 agreed to buy 16 T/A-50s: the light attack/lead-in fighter trainer variant of the aircraft. Reports from the Philippines have led to some confusion over which variant of the aircraft was on offer: as well as the standard unarmed T-50 trainer, KAI offers the T/A-50 and F/A-50, which both feature an Elta EL/M-2032 fire-control radar provided by South Korean manufacturer LigNex.

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James Hardy | Janes.Com | July 13, 2012 | Article Link

DND eyes Korea, Brazil for military aircraft

The Department of National Defense said Thursday that it is eyeing government-to-government transactions with South Korea and Brazil for the procurement of T-50 advanced jet trainers and Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano turboprop light attack aircraft.

 

In a phone patch interview with reporters, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said that these aircraft are needed to protect Philippine airspace.

 

The South Korean built T-50 is a supersonic trainer that can also perform in the light-strike role. The Super Tucano is designed for light attack, counter insurgency (COIN), close air support, aerial reconnaissance missions.

 

Government-to-government, or G2G, transactions are non-commercial interactions between two governments’ organizations, departments, and authorities.

 

Gazmin made the disclosure amid criticisms from Bayan Muna party list Rep. Teddy Casiño that the use of G2G transactions in the acquisition of military equipment is prone to corruption due to lack of bidding.

 

Gazmin countered that G2G transactions will eliminate middlemen who benefit from commissions, thereby resulting in cheaper acquisition prices.

 

Also, Gazmin gave assurances that under the transparency program of the Aquino administration, “all contracts and processes are open to scrutiny by the people.” He said this transparency is being observed in the bidding for similar assets.

 

“If you are going to go through a third party, there will be commissions and the price will be higher. Now, in government to government (deals), middle men are avoided and at the same time, government officials are accountable in their dealings,” he said.

 

The DND is also looking to obtain ships and communication equipment from either South Korea, Italy, France, Great Britain or Brazil. These acquisitions are also to be carried out through G2G transactions.

 

“But nothing is final yet,” said Gazmin.

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GMA News Online | June 21, 2012 | Article Link

Air Force to beef up fleet with South Korean-made jets

MANILA, Philippines - As part of the modernization of the Philippine Air Force (PAF), the military plans to acquire a dozen South Korean-made fighter jets in the coming months.

Twelve TA-50 fighter jets from South Korea, each costing P1.25-B, will arrive in the Philippines by 2013, ABS-CBN News reported Wednesday, June 20.

The total cost will be P25 billion, or around US $ 591 million.

The TA-50 aircraft is based on the T-50 supersonic trainer jet, and, according to Yonhap News, is a "full-fledged attack platform" that can carry precision-guided weapons.

The fighter jet is part of the T-50 family of aircraft, developed by the Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. The T-50 family is touted as the "only 21st century supersonic advanced trainer and light attack jet."

The TA-50 has an embedded radar and reinforced weapon capacity compared to the original T-50 model, and is said to be fitted with machine guns and AIM-9 Sidewinder weapons, and can carry bombs and AGM-65 Maverick missiles. It was first built last year.

The acquisition of the fighter jets is part of the P70 billion modernization plan for the Armed Forces of the Philippines under the current administration.

The planes will be part of the aging and minimal PAF fleet, which currently only has 2, 25-year-old S-211 trainer jets and an unusable F-5 fighter jet.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin told ABS-CBN News that beefing up the country's air defense capabilities is needed to strengthen not just the fleet but also our image abroad.

Last month, President Benigno Aquino III said the government has been planning to purchase fighter jets made outside the United States.

Back in April, the country requested aircraft, patrol boats and radar systems from the US military to help it achieve "minimum credible defense."

Among the choices the government had, Aquino said back in May, was to buy second-hand F-16s from the US, but maintenance costs could be too high because of their age.

The country previously relied on obsolete US hand-me-downs, and the country currently has no effective air defenses.

The news also came as the standoff between the Philippines and China enters its 3rd month

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Rappler.Com | June 20, 2012 | Article Link

Russia’s Yak-130 Joins Philippine Combat Trainer Tender

Russia has decided to join a tender on the delivery of six light fighter jets to the Philippines with its new Yakovlev Yak-130 Mitten combat trainer, state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport said on Wednesday.

“We are taking part in the Philippine tender with the Yak-130 aircraft,” deputy general director of Rosoboronexport, Viktor Komardin, said at the Defense Services Asia-2012 arms show in Malaysia.

The tender for six aircraft to replace the retired U.S.-built Northrop F-5A Tiger fighters was announced last year. The results will be made public in two to three months, the Russian official said. Two rival designs, the Italian Alenia Aermacchi M-346 and South Korea's KAI TA-50, are also competing in the tender

The Philippines is a new market for Russian arms exporters. Manila used to order military equipment mainly from the United States.

“We regard this tender as an opportunity to expand our influence in the region and to demonstrate the capabilities of our military equipment,” Komardin said.

The Yak-130 is a highly maneuverable aircraft with an extended range of about 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) and a maximum speed of 1,060 km/h (600 m/h) in level flight. It can carry a combat payload of up to 3,000 kilograms (6,600 pounds), consisting of a variety of Russian and Western developed weapons.

The Yak-130 has been chosen as a basic aircraft for Russian Air Force pilot training. First deliveries started in 2009.

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RIA Novosti | April 18, 2012 | Article Link