PAF to retire F-5 fleet

FLORIDABLANCA, Pampanga — Goodbye, "Freedom Fighters."

The Air Defense Wing of the Philippine Air Force at Basa Air Base here is retiring this Saturday the remaining fleet of F-5 supersonic jet fighter-bombers, referred to as "Freedom Fighters," in ceremonies befitting their historic 40-year role in the country’s air defense.

The "Freedom Fighters" were also flown by the Blue Diamond aerobatics team, captivating the public in spectacular air shows during public events, including presidential inaugurations, since they were first acquired by the government from the United States on Aug. 27, 1965 under the Philippine-US military agreement. Their last air show was in 2002 at the Clark special economic zone.

Capt. Ephraim Suyom, spokesman of the Air Defense Wing, said the decommissioning rites will be held at the 431st maintenance hanger at Basa Air Base, with Lt. Gen. Jose Reyes, Air Force chief, as guest of honor.

Highlighting the ceremonies will be the final taxiing and engine shutdown of F-5 No. 191 by Brig. Gen. Manuel Natividad, commander of the Air Defense Wing, Suyon said.

To be decommissioned are 10 F-5s, the only ones which have remained operational out of the 37 acquired by the government from the US from 1965 to 1998, he said.

Suyom said Philippine authorities agreed to decommission the F-5s due to difficulties in maintaining the single-seater supersonic aircraft.

He said the "freedom fighters" were involved in "interceptor and air reconnaissance missions" over the disputed Kalayaan group of islands and the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.

Though primarily fighter aircraft, Suyom said the F-5s were also used in the campaigns against the Moro National Liberation Front, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Abu Sayyaf as well as in counter-insurgency operations in Luzon and the Visayas.

Suyom added that the F-5s also played a historic role in thwarting the coup d’etat against the administration of former President Corazon Aquino in December 1989.

"The F-5s neutralized the military rebels by bombing Sangley Point in Cavite, which (they) used as a staging area for their T-28 attack planes," he said.

Suyom recalled that the entire fleet of "Freedom Fighters" was grounded when an F-5 crashed during the Philippine-US joint military exercises on May 2, 2001, although "recovery efforts" were done to make them operational again.

These efforts, however, did not accomplish anything. Suyom said, "Due to changing national priorities, resources were channeled to support internal security operations, thereby relegating external defense requirements, such as the F-5 recovery program, to the realm of secondary importance."

"As a result, the F-5 never flew again and was later placed on mothball status," he said.

Suyom said the subsonic Augusta AS-211 jet trainer and light attack aircraft will fill in the gap with the F-5s’ decommissioning "until the real fighter aircraft arrive."

While the F-5 can carry a bomb and ammunition load of up to 6,000 pounds, the AS-211 can carry up to only 2,000 pounds. — With Jaime Laude