THE Department of National Defense (DND) signed last Tuesday a contract with a South Korean aircraft manufacturer for the delivery of 12 additional fighter jets, which the military urgently needs for territorial defense operations.
The contract is worth $700 million (around P39.1 billion), according to South Korean media outlets that quoted the supplier, Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI).
As of yesterday afternoon, the DND and the Philippine Air Force (PAF) have yet to issue statements about the contract signing.
It is the most expensive deal to be signed by defense and military establishments with any manufacturer or supplier under the ongoing modernization program of the Armed Forces.
In February 2022, then-Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana signed with PZL Mielic of Poland a $624 million (about P37.58 billion) contract for the delivery of 32 Black Hawk helicopters for the Air Force.
Four months later, Lorenzana also signed a P30 billion contract with South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries for the delivery of six offshore patrol vessels for the Philippine Navy.
The contract signed last Tuesday was the second major deal that the country signed with KAI.
In March 2014, the firm signed a P18.9 billion contract with the Armed Forces for the delivery of 12 FA-50s. The aircraft were delivered from 2015 to 2017. However, one of the units crashed in Bukidnon last March, leaving two pilots dead.
The FA-50s covered under the new deal have “significant improvements in the detection and strike capabilities, through enhanced range via air-to-air refueling capability, active electronically scanned array radar, and air-to-ground and air-to-air weapon integration”, said Business Korea, a South Korean business magazine.
Last March, Air Force spokesperson Col. Ma Consuelo Castillo said the PAF has proposed to the DND the acquisition of 12 additional FA-50s “so that we can complete the full squadron that we need to perform our mandate.”
The PAF is utilizing the FA-50s currently in its inventory, mainly in the conduct of territorial defense operations. The aircraft are also used to support operations against internal security threats, including the NPA and terrorist groups.
The defense and the military establishments are still discussing the acquisition of multi-role fighters (MRF) for the PAF.
In April, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced the approval of the request of the Philippines to buy 20 F-16 fighter jets worth $5.58 billion or nearly P320 billion.
Weeks later, Armed Forces chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said there was still no final decision if they would acquire the F-16s, adding they were studying all options when it comes to the MRF project.
“We’re studying all our options. But definitely, we want to acquire multi-role fighters because we need them for the defense of our country…Whether these are the F-16s or the Gripen or whatever other multi-role fighters, we’re studying it,” Brawner said.
By Gripen, Brawner was referring to the Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighters from Sweden.
