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| An FA-50PH with Tail Number 002 currently undergoing qualifications prior to its delivery to the Philippines |
Below is the approximate timeline of the acquisition of the FA-50 Fighting Eagle by the Philippines arranged from the latest to the previous news. It's not meant to be comprehensive, just the major developments during the acquisition of the aircraft.
I will be updating this post every time an important, new development occurs regarding the FA-50 Acquisition. For quick reference, just look for it on the "Timelines" category on the "Categories" section on the Side Bar.
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* April 17, 2016
The first two FA-50PHs of the Philippine Air Force joined its first major Military Exercise in the “Exercise Balikatan 2016” where it performed a simulated interception on two Hawker Hunters asking as aggressors while being supported by an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft of the United States Air Force (USAF).
(Source: FA-50PHs gave impressive showing during 'Balikatan' exercises -- PAF spokesperson)
* February 19, 2016
The first two FA-50PHs of the Philippine Air Force conducted its first official escort mission of the Presidential aircraft when it escorted the Philipine Air Lines Flight number PR001 carrying President Benigno Aquino III and his delegation on its way back to the Philippines from the United States. It was the first time in ten years that such a mission had been performed after the Air Force retired its F-5 Freedom Fighter aircraft in 2005.
(Source: Air Force FA-50s escort Aquino, delegation upon arrival from US)
* December 22, 2015
The first two FA-50PH of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) conducted its first official fly by during the 80th Anniversary of the PAF at Clark Air Base as Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Hernando Iriberri was concluding his speech.
(Source: WATCH: Historic high-speed pass of FA-50PH jets)
* November 28, 2015
The first two FA-50PH bought by the Philippines finally arrived at Clark Air Base. They were met with a Welcoming Ceremony headed by Department of Defense (DND) Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Philippine Air Force (PAF) Chief Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Delgado, Senior Military Officials and Korean Aerospace Inc. (KAI) officials.
(Source: Air Force's 2 FA-50 fighter jets arrive)
* November 7, 2015
The current Commanding General of the Philippine Air Force, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Delgado flew a brand new FA-50PH at the Sancheon Air Base, South Korea. During the flight, Gen. Delgado reached the speed of Mach 1.2 or 1,482 kph which earned him a “Mach Buster” Plaque for breaking the Sound Barrier.
(Source: Post by the official Philippine Air Force page on Facebook on November 7, 2015 )
* August 25, 2015
Maintenance personnel of the Philippine Air Force’s 16th Figther Wing confirmed to be in South Korea for training on the maintenance of the FA-50PH.
(Source: South Korean Webpage on the Ycehn Website)
* June 19, 2015
The first FA-50PH for scheduled for delivery to the Philippines took its maiden flight in South Korea. The manufacturer on their official Facebook page also promised to try to make the delivery at the end of the year. They also noted down the official designation of "FA-50PH" for the FA-50s bought by the Philippines.
(Source: Post by the official KAI page on Facebook on June 19, 2015 )
* March 3, 2015
- Department of National Defense (DND) Undersecretary Fernando Manalo confirmed to IHS Jane's 360 that the first two FA-50s will be delivered in December 2015 and that they will be "mission-ready".
(Source: Philippines to get first two FA-50s early)
* December 14, 2014
- President Noynoy Aquino went on a side trip to inspect an actual FA-50 Fighting Eagle aircraft at the Gimhae Air Base in Busan during his visit to South Korea to attend the Asean-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit. Here is the official video of the visit:
http://youtu.be/Q3dexIwJ74s
(Source: Viewing of the FA 50 Aircraft and Departure for Manila 12/12/2014)
* July 28, 2014
- Defense Undersecretary for Finance, Modernization, Installation and Munitions Fernando Manalo confirmed that the 15% downpayment was released and that the Letter of Credit (LoC) was also opened for the purchase of the FA-50 Fighting Eagles within July 2014, firming up the delivery dates of the aircraft, which will be as follows:
+ First 2 should be delivered no later than January 2016;
+ Next 2 should be delivered no later than January 2017;
+ Last 8 should be delivered no later than September 2017.
(Source: Another milestone for F/A-50 program reached --DND)
- President Benigno Aquino Jr. in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) mentioned in his speech that the first 2 FA-50 Fighting Eagle aircraft will be delivered within 2015, indicating an earlier delivery date for these first 2 aircraft than the no-later-than-January 2016 delivery indicated in the contract after the opening of the Letter of Credit (LoC).
(Source: READ: 5th SONA of President Aquino)
* July 8, 2014
- Defense Undersecretary for Finance, Modernization, Installation and Munitions Fernando Manalo said that the Letter of Credit (LoC) for the purchase of the FA-50 Fighting Eagles will be opened within the week starting from July 8, 2014. The release of the LoC will finalize the exact delivery dates and delivery schedule of the FA-50 aircraft.
(Source: Letter of Credit for F/A-50 to be opened within 7 days - DND)
* June 30, 2014
- Defense Undersecretary Fernando Manalo confirmed that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released the Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) for the purchase of the FA-50 Fighting Eagles. This will pave the way for the release of the Notice to Proceed (NtP) and Letter of Credit (LoC) for the purchase of the aircraft.
(Source: DBM releases SARO for purchase of 12 fighter jets)
* May 20, 2014
- Philippine Air Force (PhAF) Col. Miguel Okol said that the field for the PIONEER Philippine FA-50 Pilots has been narrowed down to 4 candidates with the ranks of Majors and Captains, all with high number of flying hours in the S-211 jets and have long expected remaining service times with the air force. All will be sent to South Korea probably starting at the end of 2014. An undisclosed number of pilots also will undergo simulator training, these will then be trained by the 4 pilots once they get back from their South Korean training.
(Source: Four PAF pilots to train in Korea for new jets)
* April 4, 2014
- Philippine Air Force (PhAF) Spokesman Col. Miguel Ernest Okol said that 6 pilots (2 Instructors, 2 Operations Pilots and 2 Test Pilots) have been identified and included in the pool of Pilots for the FA-50 Fighting Eagle. All of them have considerable flight time on the S-211 Jet Trainers and are junior in rank so their employment with the PhAF will be maximized. The pilots will start training in South Korea at a future date.
(Source: Only pilots with high jet time to fly F/A-50s)
* March 29, 2014
- Department of National Defense (DND) Assistant Secretary Patrick Velez said that plans are in place to upgrade the FA-50s the Philippines are buying to have Beyond Visual Range (BVR) capability thru the use of missiles like the AIM-7 Sparrow. But due to the expensive cost of the upgrade, costing between P 800 million to P 1 billion (USD 17.8 to 22.2 million) per aircraft, only 3-4 aircraft will be upgraded.
(Source: DND eyes BVR upgrades for F/A-50s)
* March 28, 2014
- The contract for the 12 FA-50 Fighting Eagle worth USD 420 million (USD 35 million per aircraft at the exchange rate of USD 1 = P 45) was finally officially signed by both the Philippines and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). All 12 aircraft are scheduled for delivery within 38 months after the deal goes into effect.
(Source: KAI won a contract to export 12 FA-50s to the Phil)
* March 21, 2014
- Defense Undersecretary Fernando Manalo said the signing of the contract for the purchase of the T-50PH aircraft will be moved from this week to March 28, 2014 to accommodate the schedule of the President of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA). KOTRA is the agency in charge of the South Korean government’s commercial transactions.
(Source: Phl to sign P24B jet, helicopter deals with SKorea, Canada)
* March 18, 2014
- Philippine Air Force (PhAF) Spokesperson Col. Ernesto Miguel Okol said that PhAF Pilots for the T-50PH will be trained in South Korea once the contract signing is completed this month. He also said that the aircraft will prepare the pilots for the acquisition of Multi-Role Fighter aircraft in the future.
(Source: PAF pilots to be trained in South Korea)
* March 17, 2014
- The Department of National Defense (DND) announced that it expects the contract for the 12 T-50PH aircraft to be signed within the 3rd week of March (Mar. 17-22) 2014.
(Source: Phl, SoKor to sign P18.9-B jet deal this week)
* February 21, 2014
- Korea Aerospace Industry (KAI) dropped its demand for a 52% downpayment and agreed instead to the 15% downpayment plus a new progressive payment scheme based on agreed “milestones” related to the construction of the aircraft.
(Source: Palace OKs payment scheme for S. Korean fighter jets)
- The Department of National Defense (DND) and Korea Aerospace Industry (KAI) completed negotiations for the acquisition of the 12 T-50PH in a meeting at Camp Aguinaldo. Official signing of the contract is expected to be in March 2014.
(Source: PH completes negotiations for 12 fighter jets)
* February 14, 2014
- Korea Aerospace Industry (KAI) revealed that the negotiations for the sale of T-50PH to the Philippines was delayed due to the rehabilitation of damaged areas done by Typhoon Haiyan. They said they are just waiting for the Philippine government's final decision, and they expect a favorable decision within the first half of 2014.
(Source: KAI eyes final FA-50 deal with Philippines in H1)
* February 12, 2014
- Korea Aerospace Industry (KAI) announced it is in the final stages of negotiations for the sale of FA-50 Fighting Eagles to the Philippines. They also announced that the aircraft for the Philippines will be designated “T-50PH” if the sale pushes thru.
(Source: Korea Pushing Helos, Mini-F-16, and Devil Killer at Singapore Airshow)
* December 26, 2013
- The Department of National Defense (DND) and Korea Aerospace Industry (KAI) agree to a 60-day Turn Around Time for the spare parts of the FA-50 Fighting Eagle during the warranty period. The DND also submits to President Aquino the recommendation to approve the 52% down payment to KAI for the 12 FA-50s.
(Source: DND seeks release of funds to buy Korean fighter jets)
* December 2, 2013
- Defense Undersecretary Fernando Manalo outlined some issues delaying the negotiations for the FA-50 Fighting Eagles, which are the demand by Korea Aerospace Industry (KAI) for a 52% downpayment and a 180-day turnaround time for spare parts during the 2 year warranty period. The Department of National Defense (DND) can only agree to a 15% downpayment and 45 days turnaround time. Manalo also said they will decide by end of December whether to push thru with the deal or not.
(Source: DND: No consensus yet on P18.9-B fighter jets’ purchase)
* November 7, 2013
- Defense Undersecretary Fernando Manalo in a telephone interview with the Manila Standard said that the FA-50s would be used to patrol Philippine airspace especially the West Philippine Sea where China had been intruding. Manalo also said he expects the negotiations to be completed by January 2014.
(Source: Korean jets eyed to patrol WPH Sea)
* November 4, 2013
- Korea Aerospace Industry (KAI) releases a new video on Youtube of the FA-50 giving it the nickname, "Fighting Eagle".
(Source: [Korea Aerospace Industries: KAI] FA-50 Fighting Eagle Video Clip )
* October 17, 2013
- A Spokesman for South Korean President Park Geun-Hye released a statement during President Noynoy Aquino's State Visit to South Korea that said that the South Korean President, "... expressed gratitude for Manila’s selection of the FA-50 as the candidate for the Philippine jet acquisition program, and she hoped that a final contract would be signed at an early date …"
(Source: S. Korea To Export Light Attack Jets to Philippines)
* September 4, 2013
- Department of National Defense (DND) Spokesman Peter Galvez said that the DND is still pushing thru with the plan to acquire FA-50s despite a recent crash in South Korea involving a similar aircraft.
(Source: Despite crash, acquisition process for fighter jets continues)
* September 1, 2013
- The Air Defense Wing Journal showed a Pilot Qualification Training Plan for the FA-50. The plan anticipated the arrival of the FA-50 by the 3rd Quarter of 2014.
(Source: Jet 14-16 Air Defense Wing Journal, September 2013)
* August 28, 2013
- In a speech at the Manila Overseas Press Club Forum, Philippine Air Force (PhAF) Lt. Gen. Lauro Catalino Dela Cruz announced that formal negotiations for the acquisition of 12 FA-50 Golden Eagle from the manufacturer Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) formally started the previous month, July of 2013.
(Source: Air Force chief: 12 fighter jets by 2016)
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Revision History:
(1) March 1, 2014: Originally posted
(2) March 17, 2014: Updated post to reflect announcement by DND that the T-50PH contract will be signed within Mar. 17-22, 2014.
(3) March 22, 2014: Updated post to reflect news on rescheduling of the contract signing to March 28, 2014 and news on training of PhAF T-50PH pilots in South Korea.
(4) April 1, 2014: Updated post with news on the official signing of the FA-50 contract.
(5) April 6, 2014: Added information on pool of pilots and possible BVR upgrade for the FA-50; Uploaded new photo for the blog with Gen. Bautista looking at the FA-50 scale model.
(6) May 24, 2014: Added information on narrowed down pool of pilots for the FA-50s.
(7) July 29, 2014: Added information on the release of the Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) and Letter of Credit (LoC) for the FA-50s, the no later than delivery dates and PNoy's announcement.
(8) December 14, 2014: Added video and picture of PNoy's inspection of an FA-50.
(9) May 6, 2015: Added report on the Dec. 2015 delivery of the first two FA-50s.
(10) November 9, 2015: Added reports on the first flight of the FA-50PH, training of Air Force Maintenance Personnel and Mach 1.2 flight of Gen. Delgado; Added a picture of FA-50PH with Tail Number 002 and revised the numbering system for the revision summary.
(11) June 9, 2016: Added news about the FA-50PH’s arrival, first official fly by, first escort mission of the Presidential plane, and first major military exercise; Started using “The Wayback Machine” to archive the links.
At last! Just hope that AFP will learn their lesson not to be cheap when it comes to the airforce. A true MRF should be studied as early as possible for continuity and security. Currently the Singaporeans are the most updated in the air with their F15sg's in the ASEAN. The Malaysians are not that far behind with ther Su30's and F18's. Hopefully the PhAF's next project would be an MRF or an ASF and they would be discussed in this blog. The question is will the PhAF ever get to that stage that they can now openly discuss the purchase of an MRF?
ReplyDeleteLike it or not, its going to be under the next President. UNLESS, China takes over all of our territories in the Spratly's Islands, which may, or may NOT happen soon ...
ReplyDeletethats true omar. fa-50 is the starting point to train our pilots to prepare them for the 4th generation fighters. its time with govt and the afp to sit down including congress and senate. we have to be fast in our decision to choose our next MRF. or we might lost again all our fa-50 without a chance to get a single MRF in our air force. we have already lost a part of our territory to china. every minute or hour of indecision is crucial we could again lost portion of our territory tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteone thing for sure...our allies can only come to our rescue if we will not surrender an inch to china. just what japan have shown to the world and what happen U.S.A deploy their b-52s and their carrier strike group. unlike what we have done...our govt abandoned panatag shoals no coast guard no navy our fishermen have no chance with the chinese coast guards guarding the shoals. how can our big brother U.S.A come to our rescue when we ourselves have no guts to defend our territories and just see our fishermen humiliated.
our armed forces declared that will try to avoid confrontation against china, yes that's right, but at least we should have military presence in the disputed area.
As long as the next presidential candidate campaigns that he will modernize the AFP I will personally vote for him. Im envious of other countries' leaders who openly discuss what weapons to buy, what assets to develop, what assets to replace in their military deliberations. Unlike here politicians bicker and complain about everything while doing nothing. Some even want to negotiate with the Chinese. My personal favorite for the MRF candidate would be the F15sg, f16viper/blk52++ (new variant) and the Jas39NG (all 2 seat of course). I think 6 to 9 would suffice just to cover luzon, visayas and mindanao.
ReplyDeleteJas39NG or F18E/F my personal favorite with there AESA radar and anti ship capavility.
ReplyDeleteBelive or not but this is true, FA-50PH will be our next MRF. We will not buy more modern combat aircraft due lack of budget.
ReplyDeleteBut dont worry, the United States will always help us.
We have strong emotional connection with them, and they will never forget about it.
I hope not because if Putin wages war the US will devote more forces to europe. We will not be the priority. We will be left to fend for ourselves and 12 fa50ph will not be enough against 600++ chineses aircraft. This is of course a worst case scenario. The RP has money to burn but its the politicians that are at fault for not giving the AFP what it deserves. 30 years of neglect has left it impotent. RP needs to realize it is an island and it needs a world class Navy and Airforce. If we will pursue the fa50ph then at least get 50 with upgraded AESA radar with BVR capability with AWACS-CNC support and AMRAAM, AIM, HARPOON missles. Better yet get 100 kfirs with the budget of the 50 geagles (if we go the cheapo route).
ReplyDeleteyes jabra, i think FA-50 is it. but since the israelis offered to us the kfirs block 60, a mixture of fa-50 and a real MRF kfirs block 60 will be best for us for now....we can still afford the kfirs will just have to grab it rather put everything hanging. 12 fa-50 and 18 kfirs initially and wait for our govt. to decide whether if it is a gripen, f-16 block 50 or f-18 and the budget???...but for now get the kfirs because we can afford it and hold on the promise of the israelis of the 40 years warranty and delivery within a year. at least with the kfir we have already a punch we can face the chinese eye ball to eye ball.
ReplyDelete^^^agree but the problem is we have lack of fund.
ReplyDeletethat’s fact. Just for buy a dozen of jet fighter wannabe (just trainer with limited fighter cspability) we have to wait for long time with several controversy from our big mouth politician and poor knowlodge media. renember it was 12 units not 120 unit dba?
That’s why we shouldn’t rely on the US anymore for weapons acquisitions. The American political climate doesn’t guarantee a successful US pivot in theSouth East Asia anymore. Their economy is whacked, and buying stuff from them will indirectly benefit China through debt repayments. I say let both US and China drown on each other’s debts to partially solve the problem. I think our government is myopic and only sees the territorial problem from the local context, not at least regional. We can amplify the effect of our spending plan by purchasing from countries with more substantial stakes in the region. If you ask me, I think we should be getting the Rafale. Hindustan (HAL) is already licensed by Dassault to co-manufacture it, which will substantially bring down its price. Then throw in some Tejas which they are planning to gradually morph into a gen-5 fighter. Patronizing India’s promising defense industry will help India stand its ground against the China-Pakistan Alliance and better ability to fulfill its defense treaty with Vietnam which also has an axe to grind against China.
ReplyDeleteI still like the f-16 with the latest armaments and avionics. It has undeniably reliable service because it is serving many countries, nevermind the indirect debt to china thing.. But a squadron of korean-made jets isn't bad as of now because they are a step away from the real thing (f-16). We need more of news on purchase on defense to avoid being so bullied.
ReplyDeleteWe have funds but the problem is allocation. If the Politicians don't certify the purchases as urgent then there goes the aircraft. The government should understand that buying these assets need not be one time big time purchases and that they can be paid in completion installment (fa50 installment plan). We are currently bidding for 2 new frigates and are planning to buy 2 more. We can buy them but not that fast. We also dont know how to operate them yet so there is the years of training as well.
ReplyDeleteThe F-16 will remain an option, simply because it seems to be the most numerous western fighter aircraft right now ...
ReplyDeleteI think the FA-50 will be the last fighter/trainer aircraft the PNoy Administration will buy. Whether the next Administration will buy a new and better aircraft is a big, big question ...
ReplyDeleteOur government should start leasing "now" a squadron or two of F-16s while waiting to acquire the FA-50s for the next 3 years so it can immediately assist our naval pratrols in preventing Chinese naval vessels and fishing boats from intruding into our 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone.
ReplyDeleteNow that the geagles are in order the next step in mrf should also be considered asap. I came across an article that su30's are about 40m a piece which is really cheap compared to the alternative which is an f16 or jas39 which is 60 to 70m. It would be the next logical choice based on funding. HAL or IAI can westernize the avionics and weapons easily and it might still cost much less, The only problem is its not from western allies and the workmanship (if it needs a lot of maintenance). How about rhk take the next step and compare probable mrf candidates based on practicality, ease of maintenance, deterrence, survivability etc.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we'll get anything from Russia, Russian companies themselves have not been attending our biddings. It will likely come from western sources to be on the safe side. I think its down to the F-16 and Gripen at the moment. If we wait a couple of years more, maybe the Tejas will be feasible, but other than that I can't think of anything else.
ReplyDeleteI think the range is just about more or less the same between the Hamina and Kung Hua 6, because the quoted 900 km range of the Hamina is at 30 knots, while the quoted range of the Kung Hua 6 is around 1,800 km at 12 knots, so my guess is that the range between the 2 won’t be that far.
ReplyDeleteLets get the ball rolling. Place you bets. I hope this isnt april fools though. (http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn&nid=1&rid=630919) An MRF within my lifetime at last. Thank you China!!!
ReplyDeleteI am beginning to doubt that news because virtually no other news organization is reporting it. If it gets picked up by the other news organization in the next day or so, then that would confirm it. If not, then its an April Fool's prank ...
ReplyDeleteThis news now seems legit, posted it just now on the FB and Twitter pages ... http://balita.ph/2014/04/01/phl-to-get-mrf-by-2018/
ReplyDeleteThe article says, "by 2018", so this means serious negotiations should start by 2016. However, this is highly dependent on whether the next President will agree to it or not ...
Yup. Will support patriotic candidates with balls. Just hope pnoys you know who has one of those. Like ambassador shahani said on anc nobody is gonna help us but ouselves. Now if only our poloticians could just shut up already and buy the stuff we need.
ReplyDeleteforget about russian planes. russia would never sell as any military hardware. or they might, ones that are rigged and controlled by them and china. remember, we voted against russia on the crimea issue. so, europe, india, korea, japan or the us are the only reliable sources.
ReplyDeleteIndia has a license to produce su30s. The only reason i thought of it is because of its cheapness. F15s cost 3x as much for an air superiority fighter. I just hope that when we finish training with the geagle we get a squad of air superiority fighters.
ReplyDeleteFound this
ReplyDeletehttp://defenseissues.wordpress.com/2014/01/11/comparing-modern-western-fighters/
Turns out the rafale is the top pick overall and the gripen is number 2. The cheapest is the gripen followed by the hornet. Western fighters only. If the US does give us protection in exchange for exclusivity rights in defense material then i guess its the f18.
Interesting blog, but I don't really agree that the Rafale is better off than the F-22 or F-35. Looking at the tone of his blog, it seems its just another one of those guys who just wants to keep dissing the American stealth fighters.
ReplyDeleteThe fact is, no matter what they write, the major western air forces still end up wanting the F-35 and/or F-22, and don't tell me all of those air forces are wrong and these guys are right.
I wouldn't be surprised if this was written by some high school kid, you don't even know where his sources are coming from. Anyway, he's free to do whatever he wants with his blog ...
ReplyDeleteI guess you're right about that. The point system is dubious but the reason i found this is that i was looking for jet aircraft pricing in fy 2013. Gripen talaga mura.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing anyway.
ReplyDeleteI'll bet my ass on F-35, F-18 and F-22 if they come to an actual dogfight with any of the MIGs, Sukhoi, Typhoon, Rafale and the Gripen. Why? American planes will always have the advantage in advance warning/info (credit it to their top secret devices and features) and the superior quality of their pilots. So before those non-American planes can get near and have a visibility of the American planes, they have been blasted out of the sky. And if the enemy gets through, the savvy and superior flying skills of the American pilots will kill them.
ReplyDeleteDuring the cold war, Soviets and other analysts have been bragging that their MIGs are more superior than their American counterparts (F4/F5/F14/F15/F16). But in recorded modern dogfights, I can only count with my fingers the actual losses of American planes versus MIGs all over the world.You can even say that the face-off is a mismatch.
And am hearing these dud claims all over again.
I agree with RHK that "no matter what they write, the major western air forces still end up wanting the F-35 and/or F-22, and don’t tell me all of those air forces are wrong and these guys are right."
The guys with the most experience in actual dogfighting using jet aircraft really are the israelis. But i agree that american pilots perhaps are the most experienced since they routinely fly all the time compared to the rest of the world. The only thing i dislike is the price of their hardware. Its so expensive. If the US could somehow make their fighters less expensive and affordable (just like what they did in the f5, f20) maybe they could have won the geagle contract. The f50 is the little bro of the f16 just out of elementary. If the swedes can do it better with a small jas39 i hope the US can come up with a new f16 incorporating swedish lessons and pricing. Its not fair that some countries get all the high tech gear and we are left with imitations or derivatives of the real thing.
ReplyDeleteFascinating comparison. 6 Mutts against 2 Jeffs. You can really see that fighter jet designers are really trying hard to graduate from the LCA / Fighter-bomber combo, ending up with extremely expensive twin-engine giants.
ReplyDeleteI know we turned this down but aside from argentina who else bought these?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.janes.com/article/36487/iai-to-announce-kfir-deals-shortly
Sayang...oh well.
Argentina is only buying 14, and correct me if I am wrong but as far as I understand it there are dozens of Kfir airframes that IAI is selling, hence quantity shouldn't be a problem, unless we buy a lot, like 3 or more dozen.
ReplyDeleteBased on what I read around, it seems the field has been narrowed down to the Gripen E and the F-16C/V as far as the PhAF's main combat aircraft is concerned ...
F16 as in the viper version (newest)? Thats great news. Now if only lockheed would price it competitively. Alas 2017 is pretty far off...
ReplyDeleteSouth Korea is expected to buy the F-16Vs to complement their F-15 slam eagles. They are basically old airframes stuffed with the newest electronics and hardware. I hope we will go for the Gripen-Rafale combo, It's a lot cheaper High-low mix than the US counterpart.
ReplyDeleteJust my guess, nothing concrete ...
ReplyDeleteIf we can afford the Rafale, why not? I haven't checked which is better between the Rafale and the Typhoon, though ...
ReplyDeletethe rafale and gripen's design philosophy is typical of european fighter aircraft. the only problem is i think the phaf isn't in the market for two engine fighter aircraft. While it is very practical as a deterrent and a basic dog fighter.If push comes to shove two engine jets will always defeat single engine jets or am I mistaken (are there instances that a single engine jet legitimately shoot down a two engine jet of the same era and technology in a dog fight not including the vietnam war when f4's did not have guns yet) ? Or unless the pilot is just really stupid.
ReplyDeleteI initially had reservations about 2-engined fighters for the PhAF, but then again, large 2-engined fighters in the league of the F-15, Rafale, Typhoon, SU-30, etc., generally have better radars than single engined fighters. This is because 2-engined fighters can carry heavier radars with bigger antennas, and also can supply the power requirement of these larger radars.
ReplyDeleteThe F-15, for example, with its APG-63v2 radar has a detection range of 195 km for a 5 m^2 target, compared to the F-16's APG-66 radar which can only detect the same target at 105 km. Hence, it might be worthwhile to have 2-engined fighter aircraft, as long as they translate to longer radar range, etc. Of course, that's not always the case, like in the F-18 and MIG-29 which has twin engines but doesn't really carry a particularly large radar.
The ideal fighter is supposed to be multi-role, able to perform any kind of mission but US and Russia got stuck with the High-low mix for a long time because small fighters excel in point defense while twin engines are good at long range strikes. Particularly the F-15/F-16 combo and the Sukhoi/MIkoyan programs. Attempts to create a single-fighter-fits-all missions resulted into F-22 and Eurofighter, able to stand against the agile LCAs with their vectored thrust but horribly expensive. Gripens and F-16's are good enough for our territorial defense but of course twin engines are handy too if we need to strike at Beijing or Kuala Lumpur. It's all about compromising range/payload for the sake of RCS and maneuverability.
ReplyDeleteI see. If that is the case then a high-low mix of f-50 and rafale should be the ideal for phaf or jas39 and rafale. They are the most cost effective/ cost efficient combination if a single engine and two engine western jet aircraft is to be considered. The f15 and the typhoons are 2 times more expensive.
ReplyDeletedue respect raymondX we dont have to be ambitious to have capability to strike on beijing, kua lumpur or to any country in our region that we might have dispute in the future. it is enough we can have MRFs as deterrent and can defend our territorial integrity. it really does'nt matter if our MRF we will acquire will be single or double engines. what is important if it will fit our requirements particularly due to our limited defence budget,. and what is these requirements:
ReplyDelete1. we can afford the price per aircraft
1. less maintenance cost
2. parts availability
3. not so sophisticated but effective for defence
4. has data link system and BVR capability
we should look on the practicability of acquiring an MRF rather acquire something but later on we cannot afford to maintain or fly it.
I agree that striking beijing and kl is too much naman. On the other hand two engined jets also need to be explored when we complete the 12 fa50 deliveries as well. Again if china then decides to harass us in the air naman a sukhoi or mig knock off would easily taunt the fa50 by going higher and faster and staying longer just what they do at a regular basis to Japan. Difference is the JSDF has f15's. As soon as we complete training in the fa50's we should not stop there and consider both single and dual engine mrf's.
ReplyDeletei wonder how an FA-50 with BVR missiles and DASH would fare up against a JF-17
ReplyDeleteI'm not so sure about this but it seems that the fa-50 is capable of bvr. is this confirmed that the fa-50 is configured to use an aim-120 amraam and its radar is an EL/M-2032? EL/M-2032 which has a range of 150 km for airborne targets and 300 km for naval targets.
ReplyDeleteI like this group of people, good talk. Sana walang umepal na utak talangka. I'm all for these FA acquisitions and upgrades. we are a country surrounded by waters, so dapat lang talaga palakasin and air force at navy. To future presidents, sana ituloy nyo na to..
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