MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Air Force (PAF) yesterday commissioned newly refurbished ground and air assets, including the first ever C-130 cargo plane repaired completely by Filipino airmen.
Commissioned during simple ceremonies in Villamor Airbase were the C-130 cargo plane, one Cessna LC-210 weather aircraft, a UH-1H helicopter and 12 M-3 trucks.
The maintenance and repair of these assets cost P579.4 million.
“The commissioning of these air and ground assets will definitely increase the capability of the Philippine Air Force in the performance of its multi-faceted roles,” Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Lauro Catalino dela Cruz said in a message read by Vice Commander Maj. Gen. Raul Dimatatac.
The Air Force spent P549 million for the repair and maintenance of the C-130, the third cargo plane in its inventory.
“For the information of everyone, C-130 Nr 3633 is the first C-130 aircraft of the Philippine Air Force to be completely repaired and recovered locally using Filipino perseverance, dedication and skill,” Dela Cruz said.
Dimatatac said the PAF had saved money from the project since the cost of maintaining the plane locally was lower.
“Compared to the 4704 (C-130 plane) which has been delivered from the US, the maintenance was undertaken by British Aerospace, we spent P594 million,” he said.
Brig. Gen. Rolando Aquino, chief of the Air Force’s 410th Maintenance Wing, said the maintenance project took two years and eight months to be completed.
The project, which started in 2010, also involved the recovery of the aircraft itself and the building-up of a facility capable of performing C-130 depot level maintenance.
Because of the commissioning of the C-130 Nr 3633, the Air Force now has three such planes in its inventory, the first time it had such number in 23 years.
Dimatatac said the project proved that their airmen possess the skills needed to undertake important and technical tasks.
Meanwhile, the refurbished UH-1H helicopter will be used for combat missions and disaster relief operations. The recovery of the air asset started last Sept. 2, 2011 and amounted to P17.5 million.
The repair of the weather aircraft Cessna LC-210 Nr 227 started on April 16, 2012. The P11.6-million project was meant to ensure that its fuselage, wings, flight surfaces and electrical components are in good condition.