Cygnus
11-28-2005, 12:51 AM
No fighter jets for Philippines until 2011
MANILA (AFP) - The Philippines will only consider buying new military aircraft in 2011 when internal security problems were hopefully resolved, despite retiring the last of its fighter jets this year, an official said Thursday.
"Our thrust now is to clear our internal security problems and when that is finished, then that's the time we move on to the acquisition of these high value items. The price of fighter planes is just too much," said Air Force commanding general Lieutenant General Jose Reyes.
"If we buy it, then all of the resources of the armed forces will go there and we cannot afford that at this time. So for now we will make do with what we have, S211 trainer jets," Reyes said.
"After 2011 we start planning for external defense. I pray that we'll be able to do it (acquire new fighter aircraft)," he said.
Last month, the military decommissioned the last of its 40-year-old F-5 fighter jets, leaving the Italian-made S211 training aircraft to defend the country's skies.
The S211 jets are being used to train Philippine fighter pilots and perform patrol and reconnaissance missions, Reyes said.
The cash-strapped Philippine military has been focused on fighting communist insurgents across the Southeast Asian archipelago as well as Muslim separatists and Islamic militants in the south.
http://www.brunei-online.com/bb/fri/nov25w5.htm
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PAF admits no fighter jets to combat insurgents until 2011
Friday, 11 25, 2005
Despite the need to acquire new military aircraft to effectively pursue its war against communist rebels and other internal security threats, Philippine Air Force commanding general Lt. Gen. Jose Reyes Jr. yesterday said the cash-strapped Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has no choice but to make do with the PAF's existing resources, including jet fighters, until 2011 in combating the insurgents.
He admitted the country will have to make do without any air defense until 2011 when internal threats are hopefully addressed.
“As of now, our thrust is to clear our internal security problems. Once we're finished, that's the time we move on to the acquisition of these high-value items,” Reyes told reporters in a chance interview in Camp Aguinaldo.
“Fighter planes are very expensive. If you buy them, all of the resources of the military will be used up and we cannot afford that. At this time, we make do with what we have…the S2-11 trainers,” he said.
But the lack of air defense may further put the lives of the patrolling airmen at risk.
On Tuesday, three members of the Air Force were wounded in an encounter with communist rebels in Tiaong, Quezon.
The Airmen, all from the 730th Combat Group of 710th Special Operations Wing (SPOW), were members of a team sent out to check reports on the presence of insurgents in Cabatang village.
The SPOW team was patrolling along with police personnel when they encountered the undetermined number of heavily armed rebels.
In October, the Air Force decommissioned the last of the 37 F-5 or “Freedom Fighter” jets that it received from the United States.
Since then, the PAF has been making do with its five S2-11 trainer jets despite the aircraft's very limited fighter capability.
The F-5 jets saw action against leftist and Muslim insurgents and rebel soldiers who staged a coup d'etat against former President Corazon Aquino in 1989.
Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Restituto Padilla said at present, they have 16 S2-11 jets in its inventory but only five are operational.
The S2-11 jets are being used to train fighter pilots and perform patrol and reconnaissance missions.
Earlier, Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz revealed they have set 2010 as target to eliminate all armed threats in the country that include guerrillas, Islamic militants and foreign terrorists.
Should the target be met, Reyes said, planning would start on the acquisition of new fighter planes.
He, however, would not say what aircraft models would be purchased.
“By 2011, these types of aircraft, the F-16s and the F-18s will already be obsolete. That's why as of now, we have not done any planning on what types of jets to acquire after this internal security problem,” Reyes stressed.
Though the Air Force is without fighter jets, he said, training for fighter pilots is continuing, even as he conceded that commercial airlines have attracted quite a number of military pilots lately.
Meanwhile, Reyes ordered the spot promotion to the next higher grade of three airmen who were wounded in an encounter in Tiaong, Quezon.
The PAF chief personally awarded the airmen with the Wounded Personnel Medal on Thursday at the Armed Forces Medical Center in recognition of their bravery despite injuries sustained from the communist rebels.
The airmen were identified as A1C Constantino Baral, A1C Rodel Bongar and A2C Mario Garcia who were immediately airlifted to AFP Medical Center in Quezon City for treatment.
An undetermined number of insurgents were also wounded during the skirmish. Amita O. Legaspi, PNA and AFP
http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/20051125.hed06.html
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Sad but practical... In the early 90's the GRP was deciding on which plane buy. The AFP Modernization calls for 36 MRF and 36 ground attack aircrafts... The choices for the PAF were F-16A/B's USAF surplus [used during the first Gulf War], Kfir C.7/2000 [some say the prices were insanely low US$ 5-7 Million a plane], Mig-29s. Offers for brand new jets came in the form of the F-16C/D [I think it was Block 30 during these times], F/A-18A/B, Grippen and Mig-29.
The Air Force was split with the F-16s and Grippen. I'm not sure if the winner for the PAF Modernization was announced, but according to some it was the Grippen that was the choice. Then problem with the economy came and prolonged the arrival of the plane... Not it will just have to wait for another 6 years....
http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/rids/20051030/i/r1900449301.jpg?x=380&y=262&sig=9pTJqGl7GAm4RUBxdunqzA--
Philippine airforce Brigadier General Manuel Natividad (R) walks past a F-5 fighter plane during a decommissioning ceremony at an airforce base, north of Manila, October 1, 2005. The Philippines, a close ally of the United States, has one of the worst equipped armed forces in the Asia-Pacific region, patrolling the nation's 7,000 islands with World War Two navy boats and aircraft dating from the Vietnam War. The Philippines has been virtually defenceless after scrapping its fleet of F-5 planes due to lack of funds and shift of its defence policy to internal security, losing its pool of experienced pilots to commercial airliners. Picture taken October 1, 2005. To match feature Security-Philippines-Pilots. *******/Romeo Ranoco
http://www.acig.org/artman/uploads/phaf_f-5a_13323.jpg
http://www.acig.org/artman/uploads/phaf_f-5a_21191.jpg
http://www.acig.org/artman/uploads/phaf_f-5a_10507_on_ground.jpg
MANILA (AFP) - The Philippines will only consider buying new military aircraft in 2011 when internal security problems were hopefully resolved, despite retiring the last of its fighter jets this year, an official said Thursday.
"Our thrust now is to clear our internal security problems and when that is finished, then that's the time we move on to the acquisition of these high value items. The price of fighter planes is just too much," said Air Force commanding general Lieutenant General Jose Reyes.
"If we buy it, then all of the resources of the armed forces will go there and we cannot afford that at this time. So for now we will make do with what we have, S211 trainer jets," Reyes said.
"After 2011 we start planning for external defense. I pray that we'll be able to do it (acquire new fighter aircraft)," he said.
Last month, the military decommissioned the last of its 40-year-old F-5 fighter jets, leaving the Italian-made S211 training aircraft to defend the country's skies.
The S211 jets are being used to train Philippine fighter pilots and perform patrol and reconnaissance missions, Reyes said.
The cash-strapped Philippine military has been focused on fighting communist insurgents across the Southeast Asian archipelago as well as Muslim separatists and Islamic militants in the south.
http://www.brunei-online.com/bb/fri/nov25w5.htm
= / = / = / = / = / =
PAF admits no fighter jets to combat insurgents until 2011
Friday, 11 25, 2005
Despite the need to acquire new military aircraft to effectively pursue its war against communist rebels and other internal security threats, Philippine Air Force commanding general Lt. Gen. Jose Reyes Jr. yesterday said the cash-strapped Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has no choice but to make do with the PAF's existing resources, including jet fighters, until 2011 in combating the insurgents.
He admitted the country will have to make do without any air defense until 2011 when internal threats are hopefully addressed.
“As of now, our thrust is to clear our internal security problems. Once we're finished, that's the time we move on to the acquisition of these high-value items,” Reyes told reporters in a chance interview in Camp Aguinaldo.
“Fighter planes are very expensive. If you buy them, all of the resources of the military will be used up and we cannot afford that. At this time, we make do with what we have…the S2-11 trainers,” he said.
But the lack of air defense may further put the lives of the patrolling airmen at risk.
On Tuesday, three members of the Air Force were wounded in an encounter with communist rebels in Tiaong, Quezon.
The Airmen, all from the 730th Combat Group of 710th Special Operations Wing (SPOW), were members of a team sent out to check reports on the presence of insurgents in Cabatang village.
The SPOW team was patrolling along with police personnel when they encountered the undetermined number of heavily armed rebels.
In October, the Air Force decommissioned the last of the 37 F-5 or “Freedom Fighter” jets that it received from the United States.
Since then, the PAF has been making do with its five S2-11 trainer jets despite the aircraft's very limited fighter capability.
The F-5 jets saw action against leftist and Muslim insurgents and rebel soldiers who staged a coup d'etat against former President Corazon Aquino in 1989.
Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Restituto Padilla said at present, they have 16 S2-11 jets in its inventory but only five are operational.
The S2-11 jets are being used to train fighter pilots and perform patrol and reconnaissance missions.
Earlier, Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz revealed they have set 2010 as target to eliminate all armed threats in the country that include guerrillas, Islamic militants and foreign terrorists.
Should the target be met, Reyes said, planning would start on the acquisition of new fighter planes.
He, however, would not say what aircraft models would be purchased.
“By 2011, these types of aircraft, the F-16s and the F-18s will already be obsolete. That's why as of now, we have not done any planning on what types of jets to acquire after this internal security problem,” Reyes stressed.
Though the Air Force is without fighter jets, he said, training for fighter pilots is continuing, even as he conceded that commercial airlines have attracted quite a number of military pilots lately.
Meanwhile, Reyes ordered the spot promotion to the next higher grade of three airmen who were wounded in an encounter in Tiaong, Quezon.
The PAF chief personally awarded the airmen with the Wounded Personnel Medal on Thursday at the Armed Forces Medical Center in recognition of their bravery despite injuries sustained from the communist rebels.
The airmen were identified as A1C Constantino Baral, A1C Rodel Bongar and A2C Mario Garcia who were immediately airlifted to AFP Medical Center in Quezon City for treatment.
An undetermined number of insurgents were also wounded during the skirmish. Amita O. Legaspi, PNA and AFP
http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/20051125.hed06.html
= / = / = / = / = / =
Sad but practical... In the early 90's the GRP was deciding on which plane buy. The AFP Modernization calls for 36 MRF and 36 ground attack aircrafts... The choices for the PAF were F-16A/B's USAF surplus [used during the first Gulf War], Kfir C.7/2000 [some say the prices were insanely low US$ 5-7 Million a plane], Mig-29s. Offers for brand new jets came in the form of the F-16C/D [I think it was Block 30 during these times], F/A-18A/B, Grippen and Mig-29.
The Air Force was split with the F-16s and Grippen. I'm not sure if the winner for the PAF Modernization was announced, but according to some it was the Grippen that was the choice. Then problem with the economy came and prolonged the arrival of the plane... Not it will just have to wait for another 6 years....
http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/rids/20051030/i/r1900449301.jpg?x=380&y=262&sig=9pTJqGl7GAm4RUBxdunqzA--
Philippine airforce Brigadier General Manuel Natividad (R) walks past a F-5 fighter plane during a decommissioning ceremony at an airforce base, north of Manila, October 1, 2005. The Philippines, a close ally of the United States, has one of the worst equipped armed forces in the Asia-Pacific region, patrolling the nation's 7,000 islands with World War Two navy boats and aircraft dating from the Vietnam War. The Philippines has been virtually defenceless after scrapping its fleet of F-5 planes due to lack of funds and shift of its defence policy to internal security, losing its pool of experienced pilots to commercial airliners. Picture taken October 1, 2005. To match feature Security-Philippines-Pilots. *******/Romeo Ranoco
http://www.acig.org/artman/uploads/phaf_f-5a_13323.jpg
http://www.acig.org/artman/uploads/phaf_f-5a_21191.jpg
http://www.acig.org/artman/uploads/phaf_f-5a_10507_on_ground.jpg