Details of TC-90 lease still being worked out -- DND chief

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 10): Details of TC-90 lease still being worked out -- DND chief

Details regarding the lease and operation of the five TC-90 training aircraft, which will be obtained from the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force, are still in the works.

This was stressed by Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Voltaire Gazmin on Thursday when asked on details regarding the lease of the Japanese aircraft which President Benigno S. Aquino III said will be leased to help the Philippines patrol its vast maritime domains.

"Details of the lease are still being discussed. Mechanisms on how to acquire these planes will be discussed in another forum," he said in Filipino.

Gazmin said the TC-90 was offered by Japan shortly after the Agreement Concerning the Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology was finalized last February 29.

The TC-90's patrol range is double of small Philippine aircraft which only has a maximum range of 300 kilometers.

As this develops, DND spokesperson Dr. Peter Paul Galvez said the lease cost for the TC-90 is very low and "advantageous to the government."

He added that the TC-90 will be under the supervision and control if the lease is finalized.

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