THE Philippine Air Force (PAF) is set to commission two brand new Turkish made T-129 ATAK attack helicopters and a Japanese air surveillance radar system (ASRS) on Dec. 20.
Department of National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. will preside at the commissioning and blessing rites as guest of honor and speaker, to be held at the Wallace Air Station, San Fernando City, La Union.
The two T-129 helicopters were delivered last Nov. 30 as part of a six-helicopter contract with the Turkish Aerospace Industries.
It is part of Horizon 2 Phase of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Modernization Program with a contract worth $269 million (around PHP14.9 billion) signed on July 20, 2020, the PAF explained.
The T-129 helicopters are based on the AgustaWestland A-129 Mangusta design. They will complement a pair of refurbished Bell AH-1S Huey Cobra attack helicopters from Jordan, along with armed light observation and transport helicopters currently in PAF’s inventory.
The first two T-129s were delivered last March 9, 2022 while the second batch of two were delivered in December of that year.
These helicopters will be used for territorial defense, aerial surveillance and reconnaissance, counter-insurgency combat operations and combat support operations.
It can also be used for close air support, precision strike, deep strike, suppression of enemy air defense, security/urban warfare, and air-to-air warfare, the PAF said.
The T-129 is a twin-engine, tandem seat, multi-role, all-weather attack helicopter and armed with a variety of guns, rockets, missiles, sensors and targeting systems. It has a cruising speed of 120 knots and a range of 250 nautical miles.
Meanwhile, the ASRS is part of the PAF’s radar project signed on August 14, 2020.
The Japanese electronics firm Mitsubishi Electric Corporation bagged the P5.5 billion ASRS deal.
