Duterte okays jet purchase

MANILA — The Philippine Air Force (PAF)’s modernization program is on a roll following President Duterte’s approval to purchase multirole fighter jets.

Officials based in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) headquarters at Camp Aguinaldo and Villamor Air Base revealed the president has approved the defense acquisition project for two squadrons of brand-new Multi-Role Fighters (MRF) under the Horizon 2 modernization program of the AFP.

It also includes the purchase of another brand-new missile frigate for the Philippine Navy (PN).

“The next process of the approved MRF acquisition project now is to finalize its technical side for deliberation and approval by senior defense and military leaders,” a Camp Aguinaldo official said.

For now, military planners have yet to come up with the exact amount or specific budget of the MRFs acquisition project for the Air Force, the official said.

The official added the government has allotted P289 billion to bankroll the AFP’s Horizon 2 Modernization Program. There was also no mention of what multirole aircraft would be acquired but advanced information obtained said the PAF is heavily inclined to acquire European-made MRFs.

“All now depends how fast our senior leadership can act on this MRF project as approved by the president. But it could be implemented immediately once there’s a go signal from our senior leaders,” the official said.