The Philippine Air Force (PAF), ended 2015 not with a bang,
but with the loud full-throated roar as the first of its two Mach 1.5 capable
South Korean-made FA-50PHs light-interim fighter aircraft sped through the
skies last Nov. 28.
The arrival of the two jet aircraft, the first pair out of
the 12-plane contract from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) worth Php18.9
billion, highlights the return of supersonic capability to the PAF after an
absence of 10 years.
This fact was also pointed out by Department of National
Defense (DND) Secretary Voltaire Gazmin who was the guest-of-honor in the
welcoming ceremonies for the jets at Clark Air Base, Angeles City
"We’re glad we’re finally back to supersonic age,"
Voltaire said.
Supersonic refers to having aircraft capable of flying
faster than sound or 750 miles per hour.
Having this capability will allow the PAF to respond much
faster to possible threats.
The country's last supersonic aircraft was the Mach 1.6
capable Northrop F-5 "Tiger" jet fighters. These were decommissioned
in 2005 due airframe defects and lack of spare parts, forcing the PAF to rely
on the subsonic SIAI-Marchetti S-211 jet trainers as its primary interceptor
aircraft.
The other 10 FA-50PHs are expected to be deliver by 2017.
The DND and KAI signed the Php18.9 billion contract for the planes in March
2014.
The acquisition of the FA-50PHs is the highlight of the
ongoing AFP Modernization Program worth Php85 billion.
The F/A-50 (the other designation for the FA-50PH) has a top
speed of Mach 1.5 (990 miles per hour) or one and a half times the speed of
sound and is capable of being fitted air-to-air missiles, including the AIM-9
"Sidewinder" air-to-air and heat-seeking missiles aside from light
automatic cannons.
It will act as the country's interim fighter until the Philippines
The F/A-50 design is largely derived from the F-16
"Fighting Falcon", and they have many similarities: use of a single
engine, speed, size, cost, and the range of weapons.
KAI's previous engineering experience in license-producing
the KF-16 was a starting point for the development of the F/A-50.
The aircraft can carry two pilots in tandem seating. The
high-mounted canopy developed by Hankuk Fiber is applied with stretched
acrylic, providing the pilots with good visibility, and has been tested to
offer the canopy with ballistic protection against four-pound objects impacting
at 400 knots.
The altitude limit is 14,600 meters (48,000 feet), and
airframe is designed to last 8,000 hours of service.
There are seven internal fuel tanks with capacity of 2,655
liters (701 US
An additional 1,710 liters (452 US
Trainer variants have a paint scheme of white and red, and
aerobatic variants white, black, and yellow.
The F/A-50 uses a single General Electric F404-102 turbofan
engine license-produced by Samsung Techwin, upgraded with a full authority
digital engine control system jointly developed by General Electric and Korean
Aerospace Industries.
The engine consists of three-staged fans, seven axial stage
arrangement, and an afterburner.
Its engine produces a maximum of 78.7 kN (17,700 lbf) of
thrust with afterburner.
Aside from the FA-50PHs, another PAF highlight for 2015 is
the arrival and commissioning of all of eight attack versions of the AgustaWestland
AW-109 "Power" helicopter.
The first PAF attack AW-109s were commissioned last Aug. 17
while the remaining six were formally accepted for PAF service this Dec. 5.
The Philippines
Arrival of the attack AW-109Es will greatly boost the Air
Force's close-air support capability, PAF chief-of-air staff Major Gen. Galileo
Gerard Kintanar said.
"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 ordnance and it can operate at
night," Kintanar said.
Another feather in the PAF's cap, to speak of is the
completion and delivery of its three C-295 medium transport order from Airbus
Defense and Space which is worth Php5.3 billion.
The first C-295 was commissioned in March 30 while the
second was formally accepted by the PAF last Dec. 5.
While the third, which arrived last Dec. 11, is expected to
be commissioned by the first quarter of 2016.
The 220th Airlift Wing of the PAF will operate and maintain
the above-mentioned aircraft.
The PAF uses the medium lift aircraft for tactical and
medium airlift requirements, and are essential to internal security operations
in ferrying personnel and logistical requirements of different line/combat
units to any part of the country.
The timely deployment of troops and supplies is vital to
ensure the success of any military operations.
With the acquisition of the C-295, the present and future
needs of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) could be addressed having an
additional aircraft dedicated to operate in any combat support, territorial
defense and disaster response missions of the AFP as well as the national
development.
The Airbus C-295 is a new generation, very robust and
reliable, highly versatile tactical airlifter able to carry up to nine tonnes
of payload or up to 71 personnel, at a maximum cruise speed of 260 kt /480
km/h.
Fitted with a retractable landing gear and a pressurized
cabin, it can cruise at altitudes up to 25,000 ft, while retaining remarkable
short take-off & landing (STOL) performance from unprepared short, soft and
rough airstrips, as well as low level flight characteristics.
As this developed, modernization efforts for the Armed
Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has gained further momentum after President
Benigno S. Aquino III has approved DND Gazmin's request to enter into a
"Multi-Year Contract" for seven acquisition projects.
This was disclosed by DND undersecretary for finance,
munitions, material and modernization Fernando Manalo in an interview.
"PNoy (President Aquino) has approved the request of
DND for SND to be authorized to enter into Multi-Year-Contract. The approval
will pave the way for the acquisition of two frigates for the Philippine Navy;
anti-submarine helicopters and amphibious assault vehicle for PN; long-range
patrol aircraft, close-air support aircraft, munitions for FA-50 and air
surveillance for the PAF," Manalo said.
Manalo said payment from the seven projects will run from
2015 to 2018.
Granting of the Multi-Year-Contract will allow to pursue the
military modernization program beyond Aquino's term.
Total value of the seven projects is about Php44 billion.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=837599
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