DND wants ‘partial’ termination of chopper deal with US firm

THE Department of National Defense wants its P1.2 billion chopper deal with an American firm be “partially terminated.”

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said in a letter addressed to Robert Rice of the Rice Aircraft Services and Eagle Copters dated March 25 that the company failed to deliver the units on time.

Only eight of 21 units of UH-1 choppers have been delivered and accepted by the Philippine Air Force.

“You have delivered the UH-1 units in tranches and as of the date of this Notice only eight out of the 21 helicopters including 21 sets of gun mounts has been accepted the TIAC,” the letter read.

“The contract price in the amount of P1.263 billion shall be partially terminated for exceeding the ten percent maximum liquidated damages,” it also said.

“The 10 percent maximum liquidated damages was reached on Jan. 31.  You failed to comply with the agreed schedule of requirement of the contract agreement which provides that the delivery should be within 180 calendar days upon opening of the letter of credit. The letter of credit was opened in March 27 2014 and the deadline for delivery for contract is on September 21 2014,” the letter also said.

The American firm was also asked to submit a verified position paper why the contract should not be terminated with seven days upon receipt.

“Failure  to show cause within the provided period, either by inaction or by default, shall cause the issuance of an order terminating the contract,” the letter read.

In his State of the Nation Address in 2012, President Benigno Aquino III mentioned that 21 choppers were being acquired to boost the capability of the Philippine Air Force. AC

Read more: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/120050/dnd-wants-partial-termination-of-chopper-deal-with-us-firm/#ixzz3Vt2Odeia 

US firm offering 21 Hueys for P1.2B to Philippines

MANILA, Philippines - A California-based firm is offering the government 21 UH-1 or Huey helicopters for P1.2646 billion for use in the May elections.

The Air Force made the request for additional Hueys in 2011.

The offer was accepted because the amount is lower than the allotted P1.2649 billion.
Rice Aircraft Services Inc. was the sole bidder for the helicopters.

It was declared an eligible bidder after submitting all the necessary documentary requirements to the Bids and Awards Committee.

Defense Undersecretary Fernando Manalo told The STAR the helicopters will be delivered by March 31, weeks before the elections.

The helicopters will enable the Air Force to meet the airlift requirements during the May polls, he added.

Originally, two firms submitted bids for the delivery of the helicopters. However, the other bidder – Israel-based Radom Aviation Systems Ltd. – backed out.

Radom reportedly wrote to the defense department about its decision to withdraw its bid.

Defense officials said the company did not say why it was backing out.

Rice cannot yet be declared the winning bidder as it has to pass the post-qualification requirements that the defense department had set.

The post-qualification stage seeks to determine whether the bid is responsive to the technical and financial requirements of the project.

Rice can only be named the winning bidder after it receives a notice of award from the government.

The UH-1 is the primary helicopter of the Air Force.
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Alexis Romero | The Philippine Star | February 14, 2013 | Article Link

PAF to flaunt air assets in anniversary rites Friday

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Air Force will showcase some of its air assets on its 65th anniversary Friday at Fernando Air Base, in Lipa City, Batangas.

 

“We are reliving this olden tradition….as we are the Air Force, we should be flying,” Air Force spokesman Colonel Miguel Ernesto Okol said in a statement.

It was 15 years ago since the last fly-by during an anniversary celebration, Okol said.

Among the highlights of the Air Force anniversary include a fly-by of PAF’s aircraft which consists of four T41-D Mescalero, 16 Aermacchi SF-260M, two Sokol combat utility helicopters, two UH-1H Huey, two MD-520MG attack helicopters,  two Fokker F-27 and  one Hercules C-130.

“This also signals that we are regaining our strength and will soon be a potent force in our defense and security operations,” he added.

Items now under negotiation and expected to be acquired within five years include territorial defense assets such as 10 attack helicopters, 21 UH1H helicopters, lead-in fighter trainers, long range patrol aircraft, air defense radar, eight light lift and three medium airlift aircrafts and a special mission aircraft, among others which will greatly boost the country’s defense stance against external threats, Okol said in a statement.

Secretary of National Defense Voltaire Gazmin will be the special guest in Friday’s activity.

Other highlights include a slow drill and band drill exhibition, parade and review, static display of selected Air Force aircraft; a high-speed opener pass by an S-211 aircraft at the start the ceremony, and the awarding of outstanding military personnel from the Air Force. 

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Frances Mangosing | Inquirer.Net | July 5, 2012 | Article Link

Philippine Air Force to get 25 more helicopters in December

MANILA, Philippines -– The Philippine Air Force (PAF) will get 25 more helicopters late this year to augment its depleting air assets.

This was announced during the Air Power Symposium 2012 held at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia in Pasay City on Friday as part of its preparation for the forthcoming 65th PAF anniversary celebration on July 6.

The symposium was hosted by Lt. Gen. Lauro Catalino G. de la Cruz, PAF commanding general.

This year’s theme was “Mobilizing Air Power for the Nation’s Multi-Dimensional Challenges.”

De la Cruz said four of the helicopters will be the last of the eight brand-new combat utility Sokol choppers the Department of National Defense ordered from PZL Swidnik of Poland.

The arrival of the final four Sokol helicopters will boost the firepower of the PAF which is in dire need of air assets, particularly fighter jets.

PZL Swidnik is the largest helicopter manufacturer in Poland.

The Sokol helicopter can carry 14 persons, including the pilot and co-pilot and has a maximum speed of 260 kilometers per hour and a range of 745 kilometers non-stop.

Each Sokol is armed with a variety of weapons such as air-to-ground rockets, air-to-air missiles, M-60 machine guns and 20mm cannons and climbs to an altitude of 19,680 feet.

The contract price of the Sokol choppers was P3 billion.

On the other hand, 21 refurbished UH-1H “Huey” helicopters will also be delivered in December this year.

“Hueys” are not only the workhorse of the military’s counter-insurgency operations in ferrying troops to combat areas but are also used during disasters, carrying food, water and medicines for victims stranded in remote areas.

Some of the 21 “Huey” helicopters were refurbished in the United States and the others were done by PAF engineers and aircraft mechanics.

The acquisition of new combat helicopters is part of the Modernization Program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

During the day-long affair, De la Cruz said the symposium, which is an annual event of the Air Force since 1982, except for some broken years, “is designed primarily to discuss and promote the value of air power to a wider constituency.”

But for 2012, the forum was unique as it included the holding of “a 5-in-1 activity -- an academic forum, an air power symposium, a defense exhibit, a historical photo display, and the first Youth LEAP or Youth Leader Exchange for Air Power gathering.”

“We are holding this event no longer to cater mainly to an internal audience or our friends in aviation, but to a greater multi-sectoral representation of national security stakeholders and partners.”

De la Cruz stressed the importance of air power in the country’s defense.

“Today we all live in a highly complex and unpredictable security environment, and that the threats we face demand from us no easy solutions.”

Taking advantage of today’s new technology, De la Cruz allowed questions asked via the Internet, Twitter, Facebook, or mobile phones.

The questions were flashed on the wide screen during the question-and-answer portion of the symposium that turned out to be more lively.

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Ben Cal | Philippines News Agency/InterAksyon.Com | June 25, 2012 | Article Link

DND chief: PAF to have more air assets within the year

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) will be getting more flyable assets to fulfill its mandate to serve and protect the country.

The command will get two additional C-130 "Hercules" cargo aircraft, four more W-3A "Sokol" combat utility helicopters, and 21 refurbished UH-IH "Huey" general purpose helicopters before the end of the year.

"Our two C-130s will soon come out of its inspection and repair period and boost our 'Hercules" fleet to three. On the other hand, our W-3A "Sokol" will grow by eight as another four will be delivered by November to join the four earlier commissioned last March," Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said.

Aside from this, PAF will be putting into service 21 UH-1H "Hueys" into squadron service before the end of 2012.

The DND chief added that this is on top of the 10 attack helicopters following the signing and approval of the contract.

But when asked about the timetable on the PAF's acquisition of new fighter aircraft for its interceptor arm, Gazmin said that they are still in the process of assessing what is the most affordable and capable aircraft for the Philippines.

"We are in the process of the defense acquisition system that will be presented within the month and we are looking at several aircraft from South Korea, Italy, and the United States," Gazmin said.

The PAF is currently operating 48 UH-IH "Huey" general purpose helicopters, 18 MG-520 "Defender" attack helicopters, eight OV-10 North American "Bronco" turboprop bombers and three S-211 Augusta trainer jets.

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Philippine News Agency/ People's Television | May 10, 2012 | Article Link

Philippines junks plan to buy 'ageing' F16s

MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippines has abandoned plans to purchase “ageing” F16 fighter jets from the United States after deciding repairing and refurbishing the aircraft would cost too much.

“F16 is an ageing air asset that will be given to us. It’s mothballed and if you’re going to refurbish it, we have to evaluate because it will cost too much,” Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin told a news briefing.

Even after refurbishing, he added, the jets would only have three to four years of flying time left.

“Lugi ka (You lose),” Gazmin said.

The defense chief said the fighter jets were not brought up during the 2+2 meeting with US officials in Washington.

However, the Philippine government has lined up the purchase of several air assets,
including 21 Vietnam War-vintage UH1H helicopters, 10 attack helicopters and two C130 cargo planes.

The Philippines is also expecting four additional SoKol choppers within the year.

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Abigail Kwok | Interaksyon.com | May 9, 2012 | Article Link

PAF not giving up on aged, battered Hueys

BUTUAN CITY, Philippines -- The crash of another Philippine Air Force UH-1H Huey helicopter in Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte last Sunday has again revived questions about whether the Vietnam War-era aircraft ought to be retired and replaced.

The PAF currently has 40 Hueys, which have served as the workhorse of the armed forces for transporting troops and supplies, and for search and rescue operations since the late 1970's.

In December 2010, the US turned over five refurbished Hueys to the Air Force.

But the PAF’s Huey fleet has been plagued by deaths and injuries from numerous crashes since the late 1980s, earning the aged choppers the derisive nickname, “flying coffins.”

Last year alone, five personnel were injured in a crash on April 1 and three lives were lost in another mishap in Sulu last October.

The incident in Kitcharao, the first this year, saw seven injuries.

Despite this, Lieutenant Colonel Elpedio Talja, commander of the PAF’s Tactical Operations Group 10 based in Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro City, said: “We are still confident that with proper maintenance, the ‘Huey’ is still airworthy and an essential part of our air force. Our existing helicopters are still reliable and perform well. All that is needed are good checkups and spare parts.”

He said the Air Force has no plans yet of retiring the existing UH-1H fleet, which will be working together with the recently arrived PZL Swidnik W-3 Sokols from Poland.

“The purchase of eight Sokol combat utility helicopters is a welcome (development) for the armed forces. Actually there are many modernization projects in the pipeline; a lot of plans are in the works like long range patrol aircraft, light attack helicopters and fighter aircraft,” he said.

Last February, four of the eight Sokols, which are based on the Soviet Hind attack helicopters, were delivered to the Philippine government. The remaining choppers will be delivered in the second half of the year.

As it is, the PAF remains way behind other air forces in the region.

The last of F-5 Freedom fighters, which had been used for decades as interceptors for external defense, were decommissioned in September 2005.

The need for long-range patrol aircraft like the US’ P-3 Orion, has also been in discussion since the late 1990's as part of military’s modernization program.

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Erwin Mascarinas | InterAksyon.com | 15-Mar-12, 10:25 AM | Article Link

4 hurt in chopper crash in Agusan del Norte

MANILA, Philippines – Four people got hurt after a chopper crash landed at Barangay Bangayan, Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte on Sunday morning.

The UH-1H Huey chopper with tail number 317 was carrying 2 pilots, 2 crew members and 3 Army soldiers, initial information from the Philippine Air Force (PAF) showed.

The passengers and crew sustained minor wounds and bruises.

The site was already secured by Philippine Army troopers.

Meanwhile, the PAF chief already sent out a team to investigate the incident.

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ABS-CBNnews.com | March 11,2012 | Article Link