Only 71 out of 265 military air assets operational

From the Daily Tribune (Sep 9): Only 71 out of 265 military air assets operational

Less than 30 percent of air assets of the Philippine Air Force are currently operational, a senior PAF official said even as he underscored the immediate need of the command to acquire air assets to perform its mandate.

Maj. Gen. Raul Dimatatac, vice commander of PAF, noted that currently only 71 out of the 265 air assets, or around 26 percent, of the PAF are serviceable.

Out of the 265, 95 were considered as beyond economical repair (BER), or for disposal, and 58 are recoverable. It was not clear, however, how many airplanes are currently operational.

Of the operational assets, 21 are helicopters.

The PAF has a total of 79 helicopters in its inventory but 33 are BER while 25 are on recoverable status.

Currently, the PAF is eyeing 21 refurbished UH-1H or Huey helicopters, which are considered as the work horse during combat and search and rescue missions, to augment its fleet.

“These 21 (Hueys) are very important for us to fill the needs not only of the Armed Forces but also other agencies that need the services of UH-1H helicopters,” Dimatatac said.

But the third bidding for the acquisition of 21 Hueys was declared a failure again last week.

Aside from the Hueys, the PAF is program to acquire 12 brand new lead-in fighter jets and combat utility helicopters as part of the ongoing P75-billion modernization program and capability upgrade of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The Department of National Defense failed to mention the reason for the failure of the first two bids earlier this year.

With the failure, the bid documents will be returned to the PAF and the military service will be directed to make a study and a recommendation on how to pursue the “Huey” acquisition program.

The project is worth P1.2 billion.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/18976-only-71-out-of-265-military-air-assets-operational