THE Philippine Navy intends to procure additional five retired TC-90 aircraft from the Maritime Self-Defense Force of Japan to boost its surveillance capabilities.
“Before the end of this year, we’ll be sending a joint visual inspection team to Japan to check five TC-90s that have become available,” Philippine Navy chief Vice Adm. Jose Ma Ambrosio Ezpeleta said in an interview.
“We still have a lot of gaps in our maritime domain awareness capabilities, so we want to determine if we can incorporate these additional aircraft into our fleet to step up our patrols,” he told reporters at the Navy headquarters in Manila.
After inspecting the twin-turboprop TC-90s which the MSDF mainly utilizes for pilot training, the Philippine experts will pass on their recommendations to the Navy, and then the Department of Defense in Manila. Depending on the outcome, detailed transfer talks with Tokyo could ensue.
If successful, this would mark Japan’s second transfer of the aircraft type to the Philippines following the donation of five similar aircraft between 2017 and 2018 for use in maritime patrols.
At the time, the move which also marked Japan’s first transfer of overseas military aircraft — took place under Tokyo’s official development assistance program and followed 2014 revisions to its strict defense export rules.
The Philippines faces significant challenges in monitoring and controlling activities across its vast 2.26 million square-kilometer exclusive economic zone (EEZ), with Ezpeleta saying that only about 30 percent of that area is continuously monitored.
Such a major surveillance gap in the midst of an intensifying territorial spat with China is one of the key factors pushing the Philippines to rapidly modernize its military capabilities to help overcome critical blind spots.
Japan has been a critical partner in this regard.
Besides TC-90s, Tokyo has provided air surveillance radar systems to Manila and is expected to soon hand over coastal surveillance radars under the country’s military aid program, formally known as the official security assistance (OSA) framework.
These radars will be critical as the Philippines establishes new forward operating bases to strengthen its defense not only in the West Philippine Sea, Manila’s designation for the South China Sea waters where it has maritime claims, but also to the country’s west and north territories, as seen with a new base in Mahatao, Batanes Province, less than 200 km from Taiwan.
Additional assets such as surveillance drones are also now being discussed to support Manila as part of Tokyo’s next OSA tranche, sources familiar with the topic said on condition of anonymity.
The Philippine Navy’s inspection team for the TC-90s will be the second to travel to Japan this year after the first group returned in August which examined the MDSF’s six Abukuma-class destroyer escorts.
Tokyo is looking to transfer the aging Abukuma vessels to the Philippines as part of broader efforts to help build up the Southeast Asian country’s capabilities amid its row with China.
The MSDF currently operates six Abukuma ships, all of which entered service between 1989 and 1993.
Asked about the ongoing Abukuma discussions, Ezpeleta confirmed that the Philippine Navy “would welcome at least three vessels.”
Philippine officials explained that the reason for seeking “at least three” vessels is because this would enable the navy to keep at least one of the warships out at sea at all times while a second undergoes maintenance and a third is used for training.
The Philippine Navy has repeatedly stated that the Abukuma ships align with its operational requirements and would help boost its anti-submarine capabilities, which is why Ezpeleta expressed hope that both the warships and their associated weapon systems can be transferred.
When and how the transfer would take place, including whether the ships would first need to be overhauled, is still unclear. Discussions between Tokyo and Manila are still underway, and Japan has yet to make an official transfer offer.
A possible reason for this is that it’s unclear how Japan will be able to export entire second hand military platforms under its arms export regulations or if further revisions would be required.
But these restrictions may not remain in place for long. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which is eager to expand military equipment sales overseas, is ramping up steps to loosen the rules on the export of lethal defense equipment, a shift that would facilitate the Abukuma transfer.
Japan is also aiding the Philippines via training in a number of areas, including anti-submarine warfare.
“We’re trying to build a modern navy, and we need this expertise coming from Japan and the U.S.,” the vice admiral said, adding that Tokyo is also helping Manila with intelligence sharing.
This comes as military cooperation between Tokyo and Manila is only expected to intensify now that a bilateral visiting-forces agreement, formally known as a reciprocal access agreement (RAA), has entered into force.
“Now that the RAA is in place, we expect more regular exercises with and more port calls from the MSDF,” Ezpeleta said, adding that the pact could potentially also lay the foundation for rotational deployments by Self-Defense Forces personnel.
