COL JESUS VILLAMOR AIRBASE, Pasay City (DWDD) – The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has retrofitted one of its C-130 Cargo Plane with the “Special Airborne Mission Installation and Response (Sabir) System” thus transforming it into a maritime patrol aircraft.
The aircraft is operated by the 300th Air Intelligence and Security Wing and is based at Mactan Air Base in Cebu,
The P807-million worth platform from the United States was turned-over last August 14, 2018 in a simple ceremony at Col Jesus Villamor Airbase in Pasay City which was attended by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim, Air Force chief Lt Gen Galileo Kintanar Jr. and other high ranking officials of the AFP.
“As we can see here, Sabir has been fitted from a C-130 aircraft of the Philippine Air Force which will transform into a sophisticated ISR platform without losing any of its capacity of basic air mobility,” CGPAF Lt. Gen. Kintanar. said.
The Sabir system is expected to boost the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions of the Air Force. Some of its features include: near real-time HD streaming, HD thermal image, low-light continuous zoom, long-range maritime surveillance up to 200 nautical miles and automatic tracking. It is capable of operating into different configurations.
The Sabir system was part of the Maritime Security Initiative of the US government in 2016 that aimed at assisting Southeast Asian countries in maritime security, maritime domain awareness and other capabilities. Part of the program included electro-optical infrared and aperture radars and training support.
According to US Ambassador Kim, the new capability would also “increase the interoperability of the two militaries and contribute greatly to the security of the citizens in the country.” Aside from border patrols, the system can also be used for various missions like humanitarian assistance and disaster response and counterterrorism.
The Philippines is facing various security challenges like insurgency and terrorism. It is also vulnerable to natural disasters, aside from the issue of the West Philippine Sea
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Lorenzana expressed his gratitude to the US government for its contribution to enhancing the capabilities of the AFP, thus making the Air Force a much bigger role to play in the future. PAF PIO / MCAG
http://dwdd.com.ph/2018/08/15/boosting-capability-paf-retrofits-c-130-with-sabir-system/
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