TWO surveillance aircraft are to be turned over on Monday, the first batch out of the five planes under the lease arrangement between Japan and Philippines in 2015, Japanese Embassy minister and deputy chief of Mission Atushi Ueno said on Friday.
Aside from the TC-90 aircraft, Ueno also said Tokyo would provide free training and maintenance of the five second-hand aircraft.
“Japan will provide two airplanes during the turnover ceremony on Monday. We also assure that we will provide spare parts and training,” Ueno said.
The TC-90 patrol range has twin-turboprop engine or is twice of the Philippines’ small aircraft which is used as training aircraft by the Japan Maritime Defense Force.
The aircraft has a maximum range of only 300 kilometers.
Ueno said the leased aircraft will help the Philippine Navy boost its capability to conduct maritime aerial reconnaissance over Manila’s waters in the Pacific Ocean and the West Philippine Sea.
The Philippine Navy has been using its old islanders to patrol and deliver food or medicine supplies to military outposts in the West Philippine Sea.
The two surveillance aircraft are also expected to boost the country’s capabilities in humanitarian and disaster response.
Dr. Renato De Castro, trustee and program convener of Stratbase ADR Institute Inc., said the Philippines must not only focus on acquisition or leasing of military equipment but also consider its maintenance.
He cited the cases of Indonesia and Malaysia which acquired military equipment from Russia but the same were never used because some spare parts were hard to find.
“Aside from acquiring equipment from other countries, we should also focus on the maintenance,” he said in a round table discussion.
The leasing arrangement was made under former President Benigno Aquino III amid China’s claim of the whole parts of the South China Sea.
In a previous interview Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force Rear Adm. Hidetoshi Iwasaki cited that the aircraft TC-90 was one of reasons for increasing and deepening bilateral security ties.
Based from the accord, Tokyo will lease up to five TC-90 training aircraft and help Manila train pilots and aircraft mechanics.
