PAF sorties in South China Sea help strengthen RP’s position vs China

From the Daily Tribune (Jul 2): PAF sorties in South China Sea help strengthen RP’s position vs China

Sorties by the Philippine Air Force in the West Philippine Sea are helping in strengthening the country’s position against China over the disputed territory, with the PAF spending a huge number of flying hours in support of territorial defense operations.

In his speech during the 68th Founding Anniversary of PAF in Clark Air Base, Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Delgado said the PAF will continue to conduct sorties to provide “critical information” to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) which is the primary office dealing with the dispute.

“As we face more complex challenges, we remain committed and dedicated to duty to defend our territory and our people,” said Delgado.

“Our sorties in the western borders help strengthen the arm of our diplomats by providing them with critical information. Communities can count on the Air Force being there whether the challenge comes from those who threaten the peace or those from the fury of nature,” he added.

The Philippines is entangled in a tense dispute with China over several reefs and islets in the West Philippine Sea or South China Sea where Beijing has been conducting massive reclamation activities on disputed areas.

Despite continuing aggressive action by China, the Philippines is committed to the peaceful resolution of the West Philippine Sea dispute by filing cases against Beijing before the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea, or ITLoS.

Recently, at least two sorties of PAF surveillance aircraft in the West Philippine Sea were challenged by Chinese ships.

During the past anniversary year, Delgado said the PAF was able to log a total of 28,179.6 flying hours in 21,741 sorties, transporting 83,809 passengers and a total of 5,593,012 pounds of cargo to various parts of the country.

“A huge amount of these missions was conducted in support for territorial defense, security and stability, with the rest for humanitarian assistance and disaster response and force level command and control,” said Delgado.

Delgado welcomed the new aircraft procured under the Aquino administration as a huge boost to the aging PAF fleet.

During the past year, PAF acquired seven refurbished Hueys, a brand new C295 which is one of the three contracted medium lift aircraft and the initial batch of Bell 412 combat utility helicopters.

“These new aircraft and the others that will be arriving in the coming years will significantly improve the PAF’s capabilities to accomplish its mandated mission,” said Delgado.

The Air Force chief thanked President Aquino for the support given to the PAF modernization program.

Under the Aquino administration, PAF crafted its so-called Flight Plan 2028 which includes the acquisition of 12 FA50 lead in fighter jets from South Korea.

“We have crafted our Flight Plan 2028, the PAF Transformation Roadmap, whose goal is to enable us to upgrade our capabilities and provide a credible defense to our territory,” said Delgado.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/nation/paf-sorties-in-south-china-sea-help-strengthen-rp-s-position-vs-china