Gazmin: No more 'all air, no force' joke on PAF

MANILA, Philippines - The persistent joke that the Philippine Air Force (PAF) is just “all air and no force” may soon become a thing of the past as defense officials on Friday sealed two deals aimed at boosting its capabilities.

Defense and military officials signed the contracts for 12 lead-in fighter trainer jets worth P18.9-billion from South Korea and eight combat utility helicopters worth P4.8-billion from Canada.

“With the eventual delivery and acquisition of these new air assets, our Air Force can already forget the lingering naughty joke that it is all air without force,” Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said during the signing ceremony.

“The completion of these acquisition projects is symbolic of the friendship we share with Canada and South Korea. It is heartening to know that in the near future we will see this air assets fly across the Philippines,” he added.

Defense Undersecretary Fernando Manalo said the acquisitions would pave the way to the restoration of the Air Force’s territorial defense capabilities.

“For the Philippine Air Force, it means slowly but surely bringing back its capability for territorial defense,” he said.

The sales agreement for the 12 lead-in fighter trainer jets was signed by Manalo, Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) President Young Ho Oh and Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. (KAI) President Ha Sung Yong.

The document containing details of the jets acquisition project was inked by Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista, Young and Ha.

South Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Hyuk served as witness of the signing.

KAI’s Ha described the FA-50 as a “brilliant choice.”

“It will not only serve as the most powerful advanced jet trainer and lead in fighter. The FA-50, the Fighting Eagle, will also serve as a multi-purpose fighter,” he said.

“I am sure that there will be further opportunities that we can cooperate based on our strategic partnership.”

The delivery of the jets will start 18 months after the opening of the letter of credit, a document that assures KAI that the Philippines will honor its obligations. All jets will be delivered by 2017.

Meanwhile, the contract for the eight combat utility helicopters from Canada was signed by Bautista and Canadian Ambassador Neil Reeder.

The Bell 412EP helicopters will be acquired through the state-owned Canadian Commercial Corporation.

“The Government of Canada is pleased and honored that the Philippine Department of National Defense has selected our country as a trusted partner in meeting the needs of the Philippine Armed Forces Modernization program,” Reeder said.

“We look forward to continued close collaboration on this project and other opportunities in the future,” he added.

Bell 412EP helicopters are capable of assault support, close air support and are adaptable for any mission. Each helicopter can accommodate 14 passengers and one crew.

The delivery of the helicopters will start on August 2015 and will be completed in 2017.

Three of the eight helicopters will be configured as VIP helicopters while the rest will replace the ageing Bell helicopters acquired during the Ramos administration.