Air Force flightless, helpless?

Government troops in Mindanao are apparently having a hard time repelling Muslim rebels due to the lack of war planes to bomb and strafe enemy strongholds, a source at Camp Aguinaldo said yesterday.

To compound the soldiers' miseries, not a single military transport plane to carry ammunition and other supplies was available yesterday, the source added.

The Philippine Air Force admitted that no C-130 cargo plane could take off because of an "unscheduled maintenance."

The Air Force's fighter aircraft, the MG-520, are also under a "maintenance standdown." Simply put, these fighter planes were grounded because one had crashed prior to the Mindanao conflict.

Air Force spokesman Col. Eduardo Oban assured troops that a transport plane would be available today, while two more will be ready for other missions in two days.

He also denied that the military has no airlift capabilities in Mindanao, where Muslim rebels staged simultaneous attacks in several detachments.

At least six soldiers and 41 guerrillas of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front were killed in the fierce fighting.

The source said the lives of those wounded in battle are in danger since they have to be transported by land through rebel-infested areas.

"We still have the OV-10s that can provide air support," Oban said.

He added that Huey helicopters are also currently doubling as gunships and carriers.

Oban also said that there are a number of helicopters presently operating in Mindanao, and several others from the Visayas would be sent there to improve air capabilities.

Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado told US Defense Secretary William Cohen earlier that the military urgently needs "lift capabilities."

He said more aircraft, especially C-130s, can speed up military operations. --