PH to lease maritime patrol aircraft

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 2): PH to lease maritime patrol aircraft

The Philippines will lease five TC 90 aircraft from the Japan Maritime Self Defense Forces.

Four TC-90 propeller driven aircraft will be leased for $7,000 a year and another TC 90 variant for $2,000 per year.

The aircraft are aimed at bolstering maritime patrol operations in the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The current maritime patrol aircraft being used by the country is the Philippine Navy’s BN-2 Islander which has a range of only 1,349 kilometers. The TC-90 has a range of 2,446 kilometers.

The TC-90 with a maximum speed of 500 kilometers per hour is also faster than the Islander aircraft which can only cruise up to 315 Kph.

Aside from maritime patrol, the aircraft can be utilized for disaster response.

“The acquisition of our maritime and air capability assets are crucial in addressing traditional and emerging threats to our nations, including piracy, criminality at sea and terrorism, as well as in responding to disasters.” President Rodrigo Duterte said during his arrival speech at the Davao International Airport held last October 28.

 The President came from Tokyo after a three-day official visit in Japan. The agreement to lease the aircraft was signed during the President’s visit to the East Asian country.

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/1541478077790/ph-to-lease-maritime-patrol-aircraft