DND chief says funding constraints highlight need for acquisition of reliable platforms

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 17): DND chief says funding constraints highlight need for acquisition of reliable platforms

With the country's military modernization program being affected by funding constraints, Department of National Defense (DND) secretary Voltaire Gazmin stressed the need to acquire reliable platforms at reasonable costs.

He made this statement during the turnover ceremonies of the eight brand-new Bell-412EP combat utility helicopters and two attack versions of the AgustaWestland AW-109Es Monday morning at Villamor Air Base, Pasay City.

"We, therefore, need to persevere and be contented with what we can afford, based on the priorities of our urgent operational needs and their financial affordability. This means that we have to be frugal and acquire reliable platforms at very reasonable costs possible as allowed by our meager financial resources," Gazmin added.

Earlier, PAF chief Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Delgado said despite the arrival of these new air assets the Air Force modernization program is still in the "starting phase."

"As you have witnessed this morning we have brand-new aircraft that came in lately but we expect more to come in the coming months, we expect six more attack helicopters that will come before the year ends together with two lift aircraft, one medium lift aircraft, and hopefully before the year ends we get the two F/A-50s that had been announced," he added.

The PAF chief also stressed that credibility of the country's air defense lies not solely on the air assets but on the capability of the pilots and the supporting systems.

"The credibility will lie on several factors not necessarily the platform that will be, of course the platform is a big factor but it will also depend on the level of competency of our pilots, the support systems, the radar systems, the ISR (intelligence surveillance reconnaissance) system that supports our air defense capability so this will put us somehow in a more respectable position as far our air defense is concerned, this is our mandate which is to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country," Delgado pointed out.

And regardless of the PAF's limitations, the PAF chief vowed to protect the country's aerial boundaries all against threats.

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