Phl, SoKor complete talks on 12 fighter jets

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines is close to acquiring 12 lead-in fighter trainer jets from South Korea as the two countries completed negotiations for the multi-billion-peso project yesterday.

The Department of Defense’s special bids and awards committee, led by Undersecretary Fernando Manalo, approved the offer of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) after about seven months of negotiations. The completion of the talks would pave the way to the signing of the contract for the P18.9-billion ($415.7-million) project.

“We did not only inch closer (to a deal), we are almost there,” Manalo told reporters after the final round of negotiations in Camp Aguinaldo.

The Philippines will acquire FA-50 jets, which are derived from the family of T-50 advanced jet trainers.

The first batch of jets will be delivered late next year if a contract is signed this month. KAI is required to deliver at least two jets within 18 months after the inking of the contract. The delivery for the project is expected to be completed by 2017.

“We will have to have the contract signed if not within the month of February, before the 15th of March,” Manalo said.

FA-50s are jets that have fighter capabilities but possess some features that are different from more advanced fighter jets. The FA-50’s design was drafted from Lockheed F-16 fighter jet. The F-16 aircraft has a very long list of weapons that are certified for use while the weapon capabilities of the FA-50 are limited to the low-cost missile systems.

Lead-in trainer jets can be used to prepare pilots for more advanced aircraft.

The completion of the negotiations came after Malacañang approved making an advance payment worth 15 percent of the total contract price for the project, one of the big-ticket items in the military’s upgrade program.