DND to look into purchase of Korean helicopters

SEOUL – President Duterte has tasked Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to look into buying helicopters from South Korea to augment the fleet of the Philippine Air Force (PAF).

National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said the PAF has created a technical working group to look into the viability of Korean-made Surion helicopters.

The defense department is looking at South Korea as an alternative supplier for its helicopters after Du- terte cancelled a $233-million deal with Canada. Duterte scrapped the deal after the Canadian government imposed

several conditions on the use of the helicopters.

Duterte toured a facility manufacturing planes and military hardware before he left for Manila on a commercial flight late Tuesday.

The Philippines had not purchased utility helicopters from South Korea before but the PAF has acquired 12 FA 50 fighter jets worth $18.9-blllion during the Aquino administration.

Esperon said the military purchased 110 units of KM450 military trucks from South Korea when he was Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief during the Arroyo administration.

The government has repeated the same order, which has brought to 2,100 the number of units of the same trucks being used by the AFP.

Apart from South Korea, the Philippines is looking at other suppliers such as Russia, Europe and the United States for the helicopters.

What is important is the quality of the helicopters and the supplier’s after sales service, Esperon stressed.

“Surion helicopters can accommodate 16 passengers as against Bell (helicopters) which could only load up to six passengers,” Esperon said.

“And if you look at their after sales, the availability of spare parts, Bell is proven because we have Bell helicopers but (Surion) is near to us,” he added.

Esperon noted the amount of the scrapped deal from Canada may allow the government to get about 10 to 12 Surion helicopters from South Korea.

The US government, on the other hand, has equipped two Philippine Marine units with P178 million worth of lightweight ballistic personal protective equipment vests.