A PROPOSAL to acquire an additional 12 South Korean-made FA-50 jet fighters was submitted to the Department of National Defense (DND) in a bid to enhance the country's defense capabilities.
In an interview Wednesday, Philippine Air Force (PAF) spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo said the recommendation is part of the Rehorizon 3 of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Modernization Program.
DND Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said Rehorizon 3 aims to boost the AFP's military intelligence, area denial and deterrence capabilities.
"That is just a proposal on our end, but if it's going to happen, it will depend on the DND," she added.
The PAF spokesperson said acquisition of additional FA-50s aims to beef up the Air Force and make it more capable of fulfilling its mandate.
However, Castillo did not provide details on when this proposal was submitted to the DND.
The Philippines acquired 12 units of FA-50 jet fighters from South Korea defense manufacturer, Korea Aerospace Industries, for PHP18.9 billion.
These jets were delivered from 2015 up to 2017. The PAF's FA-50PHs had their baptism of fire during the five-month Marawi Siege that took place from May to October 2017.
The aircraft were extensively used for close-air support missions along with other PAF attack planes. (Priam Nepomuceno)
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