Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Gazmin says AFP modernization to gain more momentum

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 7): Gazmin says AFP modernization to gain more momentum

Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Voltaire Gazmin on Tuesday said the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will continue until the country has sufficient capability to patrol and secure the national territory.

He said further acquisitions will consist of modern air and naval assets that would give the AFP the capability to protect the country from intruders in the air and sea.

For 2014, Gazmin said the DND is committed to completing all the projects allotted in the P85 billion AFP Modernization Program.

The DND chief assured the public that the Philippines will be fielding modern supersonic jet aircraft by the middle of 2015.

Gazmin earlier announced that the decision to acquire South Korea's F/A-50 jet aircraft is still on.

He made this statement after noting that the DND has submitted its report to the Office of the President, which recommended approval of the Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) request that the Philippines pay 52 percent of the P18.9 billion price of the 12 F/A-50 aircraft that the country is planning to acquire for its interim fighter planes.

Gazmin said should the Office of the President approve their recommendation, along with the so-called progress billing, the planes will be delivered by June 2015.

The DND chief added that both parties have reached a compromise on the delivery of spare parts to 60 days.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=602558

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