YEARENDER: Armed forces enter the missile age

MANILA, Philippines — While the Philippine Air Force (PAF) is gearing up this year for a good harvest in its capability upgrade projects, the year 2018 was a banner year for the Philippine Navy (PN).

Last year, the Navy started making waves as it transitioned into developing a credible maritime and territorial defense, experiencing so-called four “firsts.”

First was deployment of a Naval Task Force aboard its newly-acquired Strategic Sealift Vessel, BRP Davao del Sur, and one of its refurbished frigates, the BRP Andres Bonifacio to represent the country in the US-sponsored Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), the biggest naval exercise held in Hawaii.

The second was the deployment of BRP Tarlac, with more than 300 Marines and sailors, to the port city of Vladivostok upon the invitation of the Russian Navy. It was a six-day reciprocal visit to Russia’s Pacific Fleet in the Far East.

The visit, part of the Philippines’ diplomatic offensive, also had a week-long port call in Jeju Island in South Korea.

Third was the Navy’s participation at another maritime drill hosted by China. The PN sent its cargo and logistic ship BRP Dagupan City with a contingent of Marines and sailors to take part in the maritime exercise with navies from ASEAN member-states held inside China’s waters off the coast of Zhangijang.

The latest first for the Navy last year was the missile testing of its newly acquired short-range missile platform from Israel.

The Israeli-made Spike Extended Range (ER) missile system is now integrated into three of the Navy’s high-speed and locally manufactured Multi-Purpose Attack Craft (MPACs).

“We considered everything that happened to the Navy (last) year as the series of firsts in its recent history,” a senior naval officer said.

In 2020 the Navy is expecting delivery of a brand-new and long-range missile-armed frigate from South Korea, with another frigate coming the succeeding year.

This is on top of the scheduled deliveries this year of Agusta Westland AW-159 “Wildcat” fully armed anti-submarine attack helicopters and the Pohang Class frigate, a donation from South Korea.

“Year 2018 can be considered as a banner year for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), especially the Philippine Navy, as it formally entered the missile age and demonstrated its capability to sail beyond the country’s maritime and territorial waters,” the Navy said in its blog.

The PN is also conducting a thorough study for its submarine acquisition project where it intends to buy two of these subsurface warships in the future.

“It’s a go but it will not be immediate as we need more time to prepare in terms of training as well as putting up submarine support facilities and also the funding,” Navy chief Rear Admiral Robert Empedrad said earlier.

PAF in 2019

The Air Force, on the other hand, is also looking forward to the scheduled deliveries of newly procured air and land defense platforms.

Former Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Galileo Gerard Kintanar said that by this year, they will be “reaping the fruits of hard labor.”

Despite his replacement, Kintanar said he is not going out of the service until his mandatory retirement in January 2020.

Under Kintanar’s term, the Air Force has completed major procurement projects. This is on top of the ongoing processes to acquire land-based and air assets to secure the country’s skies as well as the nation’s maritime domain.

There will be deliveries of six Super Tucano aircraft, a close air support aircraft from Brazil, two fixed-wing command and control aircraft from Airbus, two radar systems from Israel and 13 Hermis Unmanned Aerial Vehicles also from Israel this year.

“We also anticipate to receive the following year (2020), two C130s and four OV10s from the United States as we also look forward fro the completion of three big contracts early this year for 16 Black Hawks from the US. The best combat utility helicopter in the world today as well as six AT-129 attack helicopters from Turkey, which are at par with the best in the world today, as well as three ground-based Air Defense Systems from Israel are also scheduled,” Kintanar said.

The Air Force’s quest for strategic basing for power projection is also gaining greater heights, through the active support of security and defense stakeholders with key advisers led by former defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro, a reservist Air Force officer and a pilot.

This support is translated into lot acquisitions and construction of facilities and air bases in Llalo, Cagayan, Guiuan Airport in Samar and soon at Ubay in Bohol.

The Air force was also gifted with a 300-hectare lot in Balabac Island in Southern Palawan where it is currently building an airfield. 

Balabac Island is highly strategic to the country’s air and maritime domain awareness operations as it is directly facing the country’s Kalayaan Island Group in the disputed Spratly archipelago.

The Air Force is also building an air base in Lumbia airport in Cagayan de Oro to replace the Danilo Atienza Air Base in Cavite, with the Department of Transportation and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines in the loop.