Philippines offered 10 new KF-21 Block 1 Boramae, 12 FA-50 Block 20 Fighting Eagle fighters
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| The KF-21 Boramae (left) and FA-50 Fighting Eagle (right), both made by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). Photo c/o ROKAF. |
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) was said to have been offered new KF-21 Block 1 Boramae multirole fighters as well as new FA-50 Block 20 Fighting Eagle light combat aircraft to meet both its initial requirement for a new multirole fighter and a second squadron of light combat aircraft, respectively.
Philippine defense page MaxDefense Philippines, quoting an interview in South Korea of an official from South Korean aircraft manufacturer Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), said that KAI is very much interested in meeting both the Multirole Fighter and Light Combat Aircraft requirements of the PAF, which are among those planned for procurement under the “Re-Horizon 3” phase of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program.
According to the report, 10 KF-21 Boramae fighters in Block 1 configuration were offered for an initial batch of Multirole Fighters, originally budgeted at PHP61.3 billion (US$1.1 billion) for 12 fighter aircraft.
The budget was said to be originally based on Swedish defense company Saab’s original offer to sell between 12 to 14 new-build, older generation JAS-39C/D Gripen, which Saab already partially built as part of a Swedish Government initiative to bridge the production gap until the new generation JAS-39E/F Gripen variant is ready for serial production.
Previous statements from the PAF and the Philippines’ Department of National Defense (DND) pointed out to Saab’s Gripen and Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Block 70/72 Viper as among those shortlisted, although there are reports that KAI’s KF-21 Boramae, Dassault Aviation’s Rafale, the Eurofighter Consortium’s EF-2000 Typhoon, as well as Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.’s Tejas Mk. 1A are being re-looked as part of a bigger effort to procure 40 new multirole fighters.
A second squadron of FA-50 Fighting Eagle LCAs in Block 20 configuration was also offered to meet a separate requirement, although KAI is said to be marketing this as a cheaper alternative to give the PAF a much needed boost while efforts to address funding and selection issues of the Multirole Fighter program are underway.
Aside from procurement of new FA-50s, KAI also offered to upgrade all 12 of the PAF’s existing fleet of older variant FA-50PH aircraft to a certain degree. MaxDefense Philippines reported that due to funding issues, a Block 20 upgrade is not being pursued although the PAF wanted integration of a new 300-gallon external fuel tank, the Sniper advanced targeting pod, as well as the latest variant of the US-made Data Link 16.
KAI has not yet released more information to confirm these reports, although another KAI official was interviewed in the Philippines by news blogger 101 Talk Radio that Block 2 was offered and not Block 1. Should this be the case, it is expected that KAI can only deliver the KF-21 Boramae beyond 2028 and not meet the requirements of the PAF.
[3] 101 Talk Radio
Reviewed by Asia Pacific Defense Journal
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September 10, 2024
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