source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
MANILA
- The Philippines will buy 12 South Korean FA-50 fighter jets to strengthen its
poorly-armed military, government spokesmen said Wednesday, amid increasing
maritime tensions with China.
The
FA-50s will be the first fighter jets to be operated by the Philippine air
force since it retired the last of its US-designed F-5 fighters in 2005, said
President Benigno Aquino's spokesman Edwin Lacierda.
"We
don't have any existing jets right now that are in use, therefore it is
necessary for us to upgrade. This is part of the ongoing process of modernizing
our military hardware," he told reporters.
Lacierda
said the jets would be used for "training, interdiction and disaster
response" and would use their aerial cameras to survey areas.
He
stressed that the planned purchase was "not aimed at any particular
country" despite the new tensions with China over conflicting maritime
territorial claims in the South China Sea.
Defense
department spokesman Peter Galvez said the FA-50 was chosen because it fitted
all the country's requirements and because of its cost, adding that 18.9
billion pesos ($464 million) had been budgeted for their acquisition.
Manila
will now begin negotiations for the aircraft, he said, adding that the
government will seek to have two planes delivered as soon as possible so
Filipino pilots can begin training on them.
In
recent months the cash-strapped Philippines has stepped up efforts to modernize
its military in the face of increasing Chinese assertiveness in pressing its
claims to most of the South China Sea.
Although
the Philippines has long relied on its defense ties with the United States for
most of its arms, it has recently been seeking more weaponry from other
countries like Poland, Spain, Italy, Canada and France.
President
Aquino discussed acquiring more South Korean military equipment when South
Korean President Lee Myung-Bak visited the country in November 2011.
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1994-2013 Agence France-Presse
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