The newly-acquired AgustaWestland AW-109 "Power"
attack helicopters of the Philippine Air Force could have its baptism of fire
conducting strikes against Abu Sayyaf Group brigands in Mindanao ,
a military official said.
"If the operation will call for it, yes we will do the
same role that the MG-520s (other PAF attack helicopters) are doing in Mindanao ," PAF chief-of-air staff Major Gen. Galileo
Gerard Kintanar said.
The attack aircraft will make their first operational deployment
in Mindanao by second quarter of 2016.
Kintanar said all six newly-commissioned attack helicopters
will be initially based at Danilo Atienza Air Base, Sangley Point, Cavite
Danilo Atienza Air Base is the headquarters of the PAF's
15th Strike Wing, the Air Force's primary ground attack unit.
"Some of them will be deployed in Mindanao .
That is where the aircraft is needed for ISO and hopefully all of them will be
deployed by early 2017, so in 2016 we see the initial deployment of a couple of
them by the second quarter and as we train more pilot to operate and fly them,
all of them will be flying in deployment area by 2017," Kintanar said.
The first PAF attack AW-109s were commissioned last Aug. 17
while the remaining six were formally accepted for PAF service last Dec. 5.
The Philippines
Kintanar said the eight attack AW-109s will remedy the
dwindling number of MG-520 attack helicopters primarily used for close-air
support missions.
"Definitely it will significantly increase our
capability for close-air support as the (PAF) commanding general (Lt. Gen.
Jeffrey Delgado) said we only have a dozen of the MG-520 so this is a welcome
addition of capabilities, what is important is it has more capabilities to
speak of, it will be able to carry more and it can operate at night," he
added.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=835610
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