Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. on Monday expressed confidence that the acquisition of an additional 12 FA-50 fighter jets will proceed as planned.
“The acquisition of the additional FA-50s—the 12 fighter jets—is now more likely, as it is already in the pipeline,” he said during a chance interview with reporters when asked for an update on the ongoing AFP modernization efforts.
Earlier, the Philippine Air Force said it had submitted a recommendation to the Department of National Defense to acquire 12 more FA-50s as part of the AFP’s Horizon 3 modernization program, which aims to enhance the military’s intelligence, area-denial, and deterrence capabilities.
These additional 12 FA-50s will augment the existing fleet of 11 FA-50PHs acquired from Korea Aerospace Industries between 2015 and 2017, at a cost of P18.9 billion.
However, when asked whether the government has already determined which multi-role fighter (MRF) it plans to acquire to further strengthen the Philippine Air Force’s defense capabilities, Brawner said they are still in the process of selecting an affordable platform that best suits the country’s needs.
“But as for the MRFs, we’re still in the process of determining which one we can acquire based on our fiscal space and what we can afford,” he said.
The AFP chief also expressed hope that these assets would be acquired soon, given their importance to national defense.
The MRFs are expected to complement the current fleet of FA-50PHs in Philippine service.
“Whether these are the F-16s (Vipers), Gripen (Swedish JAS-39s), or other MRFs, we are still studying our options,” Brawner said.
Brawner also said they welcomed the news that the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), on April 1, announced that the U.S. State Department had made a “determination approving a possible” foreign military sale of 20 Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines, with an estimated cost of $5.58 billion.
However, he noted that the Philippines has yet to make a final decision on the matter.
In addition to the aircraft, the proposed package includes spare parts, weapon systems, munitions, sensors and targeting systems, and training.