Navy to receive 3 surveillance planes from Japan

The Japanese government will be giving three TC90 patrol and surveillance planes to the Philippine Navy (PN) on Monday.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana will join Japanese Ambassador Koji Haneda to officially receive the three planes from officials of the Japanese Ministry of Defense and the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF).

The turnover ceremonies will be held at the Naval Air Group headquarters at Heracleo Alano Naval Base, Sangley Point in Cavite City.

“These TC90 aircraft are in addition to the two units previously transferred to the PN last year and will complete the whole project involving five units of TC90 aircraft pursuant to the agreement between the Philippines and Japan,” Navy spokesman Capt. Lued Lincuna said.

Upon delivery and transfer, the TC90 aircraft are expected to boost the Navy’s maritime and territorial monitoring as it intends to convert them into patrol and surveillance aircraft.

One of the two TC90s delivered last year is now performing maritime and domain awareness operations for the Navy following its conversion into a patrol and surveillance aircraft.

In one of its recent air patrols, the TC90 plane flew over the Chinese-controlled Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal where it monitored the presence of Chinese vessels in the area.

The patrol plane is also being used to monitor maritime activities in the Philippine Rise.

The TC90 planes are being used by the JMSDF to train its maritime pilots.

Tokyo decided to offer the planes on lease to the Philippine government in the wake of the mounting territorial row in the West Philippine Sea.

The lease agreement was later rescinded, with Japan simply handing over the planes to the Philippine Navy for free.