Philippines receives first two T129B ATAK attack helicopters from Turkey
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| One of the T129B attack helicopter for the PAF during unloading from Turkish Air Force A400M transport aircraft. Photo c/o PTV News. |
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) confirmed that delivery of the first two T129B ATAK attack helicopters it ordered from Turkey has arrived on 09 March 2022.
The two helicopters were delivered with assistance from the Turkish Air Force (TAF), with its A400M Atlas transport aircraft arriving at Clark Air Base, north of Manila.
According to the PAF, the delivery also included Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) which is included as part of the PHP13.7 billion (US$275 million) contract signed between Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and the Philippines Department of National Defense (DND) for six T129B attack helicopters.
The helicopters are expected to undergo acceptance inspections by the PAF before being put to service with the PAF’s 15th Strike Wing.
The T129B ATAK was selected during a competition for a dedicated attack helicopter requirement by the PAF, and competed against the Bell AH-1Z Viper, Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian, and other Russian and European models.
The delivery of these helicopters were originally expected to happen in 2021, but was dragged in export license issues between the United States and Turkish governments, as the T129’s engines are made by US-UK company LHTEC.
Four more helicopters are expected to be delivered by TAI from 2023 to 2024.
[3] Philippine Defense Resource
Reviewed by Asia Pacific Defense Journal
on
March 09, 2022
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