DND Finalizing TOR for Acquisition of 12 Fighter Jets

To beef up the security capabilities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Department of National Defense (DND) is finalizing the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the acquisition of 12 fighter jets from South Korea. 

DND Undersecretary Fernando said that the acquisition of fighter jets remains a priority. He also said that the TOR for the acquisition of 12 FA-50 fighter jets may be completed in a month. 

The TOR provides the details of acquisition to include the fighter jets technical features, price, payment scheme, and the time frame for the delivery of said equipment. 

Security officials are currently going through the details of acquisition, and likewise the government is hoping that negotiations with South Korea will begin soon. 

The government has allocated P18 billion for the acquisition of said fighter jets to beef up the capability of the Philippine Air Force. 

Meanwhile, DND chief Voltaire Gazmin also ordered to fast track the acquisition of 21 UH-I Huey helicopters which costs P1.26 billion. 

Last Two Sokol Helicopters have been Delivered to PAF

PZL-Świdnik completes the delivery of Sokol helicopters to the Philippine Air Force from Lublin Airport
PZL-Świdnik, an AgustaWestland company, is pleased to announce that the last two of eight Sokol helicopters have been delivered to the Philippine Air Force. The Sokols were transported from Lublin Airport to Clark Air Base near Manila on board an An-124 Ruslan large cargo airplane. 
The two Sokol helicopters follow the six aircraft delivered to the customer last year. This is the result of a contract signed in 2010, which included eight Sokols.
“It gives me a great pleasure to complete the handover of the Sokol helicopters produced in Świdnik to the customer. The delivery from Lublin Airport is an important milestone and for sure in the future we’ll cooperate further with Lublin Airport in connection with PZL-Świdnik operations”, said Nicola Bianco, Managing Director, PZL-Świdnik S.A.
Sokol helicopters, which have been in service with the Philippine Air Force for several months, have proven to be highly effective and reliable helicopters capable of operating in the most demanding conditions. The helicopters are being flown by pilots trained at the PZL-Świdnik factory.
“I’m pleased that the excellent operational capabilities of the Sokols are greatly appreciated by the Philippine Air Force. I look forward to expanding our close partnership with the customer in the future providing technical support and ongoing operational support for the Sokols”, added Mieczysław Majewski, President of PZL-Świdnik’s Management Board.

A Hercules aircraft PAF Merge Back Completed Early 2013

A Hercules C-130B aircraft with tail number 3633 have completed the treatment done in Depo 410th Maintenance Wing in Clark Air Base, Philippines and will rejoin the Philippines Air Force operational in early 2013.

Earlier in October 2012, one plane H ercules C-130H with tail number (tail number) 7607 also handed back terimakan completed the treatment and improvement in BAE Systems' facilities are located in Mojave, California.

With the completion of treatment and improvement was the then current Air Force aircraft Philippines has three operational Hercules, another C-130H Hercules is the tail number 4726.

The Hercules aircraft operated by the 222nd Airlift Squadron from the 220th Airlift Wing located at   Benito Ebuen Air Base, Lapu-Lapu, Cebu.

Philippines Air Force used to have 13 aircraft consisting of eight Hercules C-130B, 1 L-100, 2 L-100-20 and 2 C130H.

Philippines receives Sokol helos

AgustaWestland's Polish subsidiary has delivered a second batch of Sokol helicopters -- in a combat utility configuration -- to the Philippines air force.

The two helicopters were ordered in 2010. Four aircraft were delivered in February by PZL-Swidnik. The remaining two helicopters will be delivered next year.

"This delivery marks an important program milestone for both PZL-Swidnik and the Philippines air force," said Nicola Bianco, managing director of PZL-Swidnik S.A. "The outstanding capabilities of the Sokol helicopter and its ability to perform a wide range of roles will further enhance the capabilities of the Philippines air force."

The Sokol -- Polish for "Falcon" -- is a medium-sized utility aircraft that was introduced in 1985. It has a cruise speed of 148 miles per hour, a range of 463 miles and a service ceiling of about 16,000 feet.

Philippines - Bidding for Purchase of 21 Helicopters Fails

The bidding for the purchase of 21 UH-1 helicopters has been declared a failure after bidders fell short of satisfying some requirements, a defense official said yesterday.

Defense Undersecretary Fernando Manalo said the two firms that submitted offers had failed to meet certain eligibility requirements.

The opening of bids for the 21 helicopters was held last Tuesday at the Department of National Defense (DND) office in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

The government seeks to use the helicopters to meet the airlift requirements during the 2013 polls and to conduct disaster response operations.

Six companies bought bid documents but only two – Star Defense System/Radom Israel and Rise Aircraft Services Inc. – joined the bidding.

Manalo told The STAR among the issues tackled during the bidding is whether the bidders can deliver the helicopters by the end of February.

The Air Force previously recommended that the helicopters be delivered by Feb. 28, 2013 to meet the higher demand for airlift requirements during the  elections.

Manalo said the two firms could still ask the DND Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) to reconsider its decision to declare them ineligible to bid. If the companies submit motions for reconsideration, the BAC will tackle them in a meeting next week.

Philippine Loses Chance to Acquire Attack Helicopters

                                       Eurocopter AS555C3 Fennec demostrator for Pakistan Army

The Philippines has lost an opportunity to acquire 10 attack helicopters from France, a defense official said recently.

Department of National Defense (DND) spokesman Peter Galvez said the 10 attack helicopters initially offered by a French firm are no longer available.

The helicopters had been re-offered to Pakistan by the time the DND was given permission to acquire them through negotiations.

“The helicopters were produced for Pakistan. However, Pakistan had some problems with procurement so the helicopters were opened to the market,” Galvez told The STAR.

“We had planned to acquire the helicopters and had to clarify some questions (by agencies overseeing the procurement). By the time we were allowed to acquire the helicopters, Pakistan had initiated some moves to rework the procurement,” he added.

These developments prompted French firm Eurocopter to offer the helicopters again to Pakistan.

The helicopters could have been used by the military to defend the country’s territorial integrity and conduct internal security operations.

Despite the apparent setback to its modernization efforts, the DND said it continues to find suppliers that can upgrade the military’s capabilities.

“We are now looking into other short-listed participants from European countries,” Galvez said.

“We are working double-time to meet the time frame we set despite the drawbacks we are encountering,” he added.

Philippine Air Force’s - Delivery Time for 21 Refurbished Huey Expected Not Later than March 2013

21 Huey choppers to boost PAF’s operations

The 21 refurbished Huey helicopters seen to be added to the Philippine Air Force’s list of assets, will not only boost the aviation wing’s capability and military operations but will also be of use to the upcoming 2013 elections, the Department of National Defense said Monday.

Undersecretary for Finance, Munitions Installations and Materiel Fernando Manalo said the Air Force requested additional helicopters as they are anticipating an increase in air mobility requirements due to election-related flights in various parts of the country.

He also said that the project was already in the pipeline as early as 2011, when then PAF Commanding General, Lt Gen Oscar Rabena, requested President Benigno S. Aquino III for additional Hueys. The said helicopters are also urgently required during calamity and disaster operations.

According to a recent report of the Defense Acquisition System (DAS) assessment team, there are only 16 fully/partial mission-capable Hueys in the PAF inventory. Currently, the PAF is 51 units short of reaching its ideal number of operational combat utility helicopters.

“The acquisition of CUHs aims to address the capability shortfall on the number of utility helicopters in order for the PAF to efficiently perform their missions. Utility helicopters are deployed all over the Philippines and have proven to be the most effective platform for the internal security operations (ISO) and the Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) campaign,” Manalo said.

“With the present national security condition, the acquisition of additional combat utility helicopters to augment the existing UH-1H ‘Huey’ fleet is imperative. The PAF’s primary helicopter is the Huey, which falls under the light lift category. Having been the workhorse of AFP tactical operations for many years, the Huey fleet has succumbed to natural attrition due to structural stress and aircraft accidents,” he added.

Philippines Air Force Gets Newly Refurbished Cargo Plane

MANILA, Philippines - A newly refurbished C-130 Hercules cargo plane arrived at the Villamor Airbase in Pasay City yesterday from the United States, enhancing the capabilities of the Philippine Air Force (PAF).

PAF spokesman Col. Miguel Okol said the C-130 is now being maintained by the 220th Airlift Wing and will complement the lone C-130 plane in the Air Force inventory.

“This will increase our capability to help in the government’s national development initiatives as well as mitigate the effects of national calamities by providing lift to supplies and emergency response teams to stricken areas,” he said.

The C-130 with tail number 4704 was sent to a British Aerospace facility at Mojave, California last Aug. 8 for periodic depot maintenance. The maintenance works cost P190 million and was funded through foreign military sales.

“The PAF has been responsive and was able to airlift supplies and equipment to our countrymen with a single C-130 during disasters and calamities; now with another one we will double that capability,” PAF chief Lt. Gen. Lauro dela Cruz said.

Okol said the crew of the cargo plane made stopovers at Hawaii, Wake Island and Guam.

Philippines DND Plans to Purchase Indonesian Spy Plane

he government plans to procure a spy plane from Indonesia and a troop transport aircraft from Italy, the Department of National Defense (DND) said yesterday.

Peter Paul Galvez, DND spokesman, said the long-range maritime patrol and surveillance plane is manufactured in Indonesia under a joint venture agreement with Spain.

“On our shortlist is the Indonesian aircraft,” he said. “The long-range patrol aircraft would be devoted solely to conducting maritime surveillance.”

The DND is also scouting for a medium lift aircraft from other European countries at a lower cost, Galvez said. 

Once President Aquino approves the acquisition, the spy plane would strengthen the country’s maritime domain awareness.

For a long time, the Armed Forces has been relying mainly on a small number of Islander planes for maritime and territorial patrol.

Philippines to procure long-range maritime spy plane

The Department of National Defense (DND) is eyeing to procure the country’s first long-range maritime patrol and surveillance plane from Spain’s licensed aircraft manufacturer based in Indonesia, a senior defense official said Monday.
Dr. Peter Paul Galvez, DND spokesperson, said that the department is also scouting for spy planes and medium lift aircrafts from other European countries at a lower cost.
“On our shortlist is the Indonesian aircraft,” Galvez said, but added that they are also eyeing spy planes manufactured by other European companies.
Once President Aquino approves the planned acquisition, the soon-to-be procured spy plane is projected to strengthen the country’s maritime domain awareness.
For the longest time, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has been relying mainly on a small number of islander planes for its maritime and territorial patrol requirements.
“The long range patrol aircraft would be devoted solely to conducting maritime surveillance,” Galvez said, without naming the Indonesian-made aircraft.

Philippines Air Force Wants Delivery of TA-50 Aircraft Completed Before 2016

Air Force Gains credibility with South Korea Light Attack Jets

  Not too long ago, the Philippines Air Force was frequently ribbed as being all air with no force, but PAF chief Lt. Gen. Lauro Catalino de la Cruz hopes the snickering will soon stop with the looming acquisition of 12 TA-50 light attack jets from South Korea.

“There’s an ongoing top-level discussion at the Department of National Defense for the acquisition of the much needed air assets,” De la Cruz said during the 51st anniversary of PAF Air Defense Wing stationed at this air base.

The defense department announced the selection of the South Korean jets last Aug. 1 and officials expect the signing of the purchase contract within the next few months.

De la Cruz said top defense officials want to request the immediate delivery of two TA-50 jets so that PAF pilots can begin training and be ready for the delivery of entire order of 24 jets by 2016.

“This is a realization of the dream we have dreamt a long, long time ago,” De la Cruz said. “That is why many of our personnel will be sent to schooling abroad for air traffic control and related courses.”