GROUNDING of the Philippine Air Force’s (PAF) fighter jets does not affect the country’s maritime domain awareness (MDA) capabilities in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), a senior naval officer said on Tuesday.
“The MDA capability of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) has different components. One of these components is the air component composed of different aircraft to include the FA-50. The FA-50 is not the major contributor for our MDA although they form a part of the overall picture,” Philippine Navy spokesman for the WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said in a media briefing.
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) grounded its remaining 11 FA-50PH fighter jets on March 5, following the crash of a similar aircraft during a night-time tactical operation in Bukidnon.
“Their grounding does not affect the requirements of the AFP for MDA (as) this will be covered up by the other capabilities that we have,” Trinidad said.