The newly-turned over eight Bell-412EPs combat utility
helicopters and two attack versions of the AgustaWestland AW-109Es will greatly
boost the Air Force's capability to carry out its security and humanitarian
assistance and disaster relief (HADR) mandate effectively.
"As soon as the new helicopters are ready we will
deploy them to Central Mindanao (and the)
Visayas. These will be in support our HADR and other security engagement that
we need to perform," Philippine Air Force (PAF) chief Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Delgado
said.
And despite the arrival of these brand-new air assets,
Delgado said that the PAF modernization program was still in the "starting
phase."
"As you have witnessed, 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 its, 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.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=795641
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