Friday, March 18, 2016

5 PN ships, 3 aircraft to participate in 'Balikatan' exercises this year

From the  Philippine News Agency (Mar 18): 5 PN ships, 3 aircraft to participate in 'Balikatan' exercises this year

The Philippine Navy (PN) announced on Friday that five ships and three naval aircraft will be participating in the "Balikatan 2016" exercises set next month.

PN spokesperson Capt. Lued Lincuna told the Philippines News Agency that the participating naval assets are one Gregorio Del Pilar class frigate, two landing craft heavies, two logistics support vessels, two AgustaWestland AW-109 "Power" combat utility helicopters and one Norman Britten Islander aircraft.

Lincuna said these ships and aircraft will be performing "Balikatan" humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, engineering civic action programs, amphibious landing operations, search-and-rescue, maritime surveillance and maritime interdiction exercises.

Opening ceremonies for this year's "Balikatan" are slated for April 4, followed by several training events throughout the 12-day duration.

On the other hand, closing ceremonies are scheduled to be held on April 15, said "Balikatan 2016" spokesperson Capt. Celeste Frank Sayson.

"Balikatan" is an annual Philippines-United States military bilateral training exercise that is a signature element of the Filipino-American alliance focused on a variety of missions, including humanitarian assistance, maritime law enforcement, and environmental protection.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=867919

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