AFP: Final batch of FA-50 fighter jets delivered by May
The Philippine Air Force will receive the final batch of FA-50 fighter jets from South Korea in May or four months earlier than the original date.
The fifth batch of trainer planes from the Korean Aerospace Industries will arrive in April while the sixth batch will be delivered in May, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla told reporters.
The Air Force earlier announced that the fourth batch will arrive next week.
Padilla said the final delivery supposedly set in September was rescheduled to May because the manufacturer finished it earlier than planned.
He added that they will buy six more trainer planes if there are enough funds and they continue their good performance.
The government ordered a dozen fighter planes worth P18.9 billion during the time of President Benigno Aquino III. The first two jets arrived last November 2015.
The arrival of these planes allowed the return of the Philippine Air Force to the supersonic age after retiring its F-5 fighter jets in 2005.
The existing fighter jets recently conducted familiarization flights in Visayas and Mindanao “to demonstrate its present air power capability to the public” and “to train the pilots and allow them to be acquainted with the various aspects in flight missions, such as the country’s different terrains, weather and possible areas of interest.” IDL/rga
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