2013 AGM-65 Maverick Procurement for the FA-50 Golden Eagle

An AGM-65 Maverick missile. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

Aside from the possible AIM-9L Sidewinder missile procurement for the FA-50 Golden Eagle (or Geagle) mentioned in my previous blog "2013 AIM-9L Sidewinder Procurement for the FA-50 Golden Eagle", another type of missile is being procured for the aircraft as per the Philippine Air Force's Modernization Update,¹ this time it is an "Air to Surface Missile".

The procurement details called for 125 Air to Surface Missiles for a total cost of P 1,696,697,702 which at the exchange rate of USD 1 = P 45 (used in the FA-50 transaction) would be equivalent to USD 37,704,393. Unit price will be at P 13,573,582 or USD 301,635. The transaction will be made thru direct contracting, and a note for October 2013 read, "... reviewed lot 2 AGM 65 ...". So it seems that the procured missile will be for the AGM-65 Maverick.

'Maverick Background'
The AGM-65 Maverick missile is made by the American company "Hughes Missile Systems" and first entered service with the United States Armed Forces in 1972. It is described as an air-to-ground or surface, precision-guided tactical missile designed for close air support for use against targets such as armored vehicles, air defense systems, ships, ground transport and military/logistical facilities.

Just like the Sidewinder it is another commercially successful missile with over 70,00 built and served in over 34 countries in eleven versions. The Maverick is a COMBAT-PROVEN design, having seen actual combat action from the jungles of Vietnam during the Vietnam War to the deserts of Iraq during the US-Iraqi wars. Estimated combat accuracy of the missile has been between 60-90%.²

2013 AIM-9L Sidewinder Procurement for the FA-50 Golden Eagle

Revised January 3, 2014. See bottom of the page for the complete revision history

The AIM-9L Sidewinder. Photo courtesy of halfmind thru Flickr

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) posted an update on the status of their modernization program on their website recently, and there are a lot of "goodies" there, among them are the procurement of Short Range Air to Air Missiles (SRAAM) for a "Fighter/Surface Attack Aircraft/Lead-in Fighter Trainer (F/SAA/LIFT) Aircraft", which we can safely assume to be for the FA-50 Fighting Eagle (no, I'm not going to call it the "Feagle") as it is the only such aircraft we are procuring as of now, and the fact that the status specifically mentioned that they have consulted with the manufacturer Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) with regards to the official certification of weapons of the aircraft, and KAI also just happens to be the manufacturer of the FA-50.¹

'Bidding Details and Significance'
The procurement called for 312 SRAAMs for a total cost of P 2,636,637,612 which at the exchange rate of USD 1 = P 45 (used in the FA-50 transaction) would be equivalent to USD 58,591,947. Unit price will be at P 8,450,761 or USD 187,795. The transaction will be made thru direct contracting, and a note for October 2013 read, "... reviewed lot one (1) (Aim 9L/I-1) that focused on conditions of the contract ...". So it seems that the procured SRAAM will be for the AIM-9L/I-1 Sidewinder.

Comparing the Agusta Westland AW109E Power to the McDonnell Douglas MD520MG Defender

Malaysian Army Air Corps AW109LUH armed with rockets and cannons. Photo courtesy of the Malaysia Flying Herald website

Agusta Westland formally announced the signing of the contract and delivery date of eight AW109E Power as the Philippine Air Force (PAF) next Light Attack Helicopter.¹ I am now comparing these new helicopters with the current light attack helicopter in service with the PAF which is the MD520MG so people can see the difference and get a better appreciation about these new helicopters we are getting.

Some people might've been a disappointed as they were expecting that we would get something similar to the AH-64 Apache as our next attack helicopter, but obviously the AW109E is nothing like that. But it will still be a major improvement for our armed forces, by how much we will try to see.

The Flanker-G Killer: The JAS-39C Gripen versus the SU-30MKK/MK2 Flanker-G

Revised March 26, 2014. See bottom of the page for the complete revision history

A JAS-39C Gripen of the Czechoslovakian Air Force. Photo courtesy of Saab AB thru Flickr

Aside from the F-16C Fighting Falcon, another aircraft that the Philippine Air Force (PAF) has its sights on for the Philippines' main combat aircraft is the JAS-39 Gripen. An informal survey by the Philippine News Agency just a couple of months ago showed that most PAF pilots preferred to have the Gripen to be the country's next fighter aircraft.¹ We've already seen how the F-16C could fare against the SU-30MKK Flanker in my blog, "The F-16C Block 50/52+ Viper versus the SU-30MKK/MK2 Flanker-G", let us now take a look at how the JAS-39 could fare against the same adversary.

'Aircraft Backgrounds'
The JAS-39 is made by the Swedish company "Saab” and first entered service with the Swedish Air Force in 1997. It is described as a lightweight Multi Role Fighter (MRF) and 250 aircrafts have been built so far in service with six countries around the world.

The JAS-39C is the latest mass produced version of the aircraft introduced into service in 2003 with improvements like better avionics, in-flight refueling capability and an improved oxygen system for long-duration flights. The aircraft's official name is "Gripen" which is the Swedish word for "Griffin",² a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an Eagle.

The F-16C Block 50/52+ Viper versus the SU-30MKK/MK2 Flanker-G

A Hellenic Air Force F-16C Block 50/52+. Photo courtesy of Chris Lofting thru Airliners.net

I've noted on my blog "The FA-50 Golden Eagle versus the SU-30MKK/MK2 Flanker-G" the apparent shortcoming of the FA-50 Golden Eagle in Beyond Visual Range (BVR) combat against China's current premiere fighter aircraft, the SU-30MKK/MK2 Flanker-G. So the question is, what kind of aircraft would be needed to match up individually against the Flanker-G? 

The F-16C has always been on the radar of the Philippine Air Force (PhAF) to be its main combat aircraft, and plans were in fact under way to acquire second-hand models of it from the United States before being eventually abandoned due to the projected high costs of maintenance of the used aircrafts.[1] Despite this, let's take a curious look at how the F-16C Block 50/52+ would fare against the Flanker-G.