Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana 蜜桃工作室 PHOTO/LYN RILLON
DEFENSE Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Monday said the two FA-50 combat aircraft that arrived in the country in November last year had come from South Korea and not from the United States as President Duterte had stated.
Lorenzana issued the clarification following the President鈥檚 speech before the Filipino community in Indonesia last week, that the two FA-50s, which he claimed were just for show, had come from the United States.
鈥淢ukhang nagkamali lang siya (It looks like he made a mistake),鈥� said Lorenzana. 鈥淚yong FA-50 is from Korea. Sabi niya dalawa lang binigay, hindi eh labindalawa iyon (The FA-50 is from Korea. He said only two aircraft were given, but there were 12).鈥�
Ceremonial only
In his speech before the Filipino community in Indonesia on Sept. 9, the President belittled the US defense assistance to the Philippines as for 鈥渃eremonial鈥� purposes only.
He said: 鈥淲e have received so many things from America. Thank you for your generosity. What they sold us, two, only two FA-50 (fighter jets). It鈥檚 FA-50 but they never gave us the missiles and the bullets and the cannons to fight. For ceremonial lang (only).鈥�
Manufactured by the Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI), the FA-50s are expected to serve as the PAF鈥檚 lead-in trainer. Lorenzana said 10 more FA-50s will arrive in batches next year as part of the 12 planes purchased for the Armed Forces of the Philippines鈥� P18.9-billion modernization program.
According to IHS Jane鈥檚 All the World鈥檚 Aircraft, the FA-50 type, although billed as a 鈥渓ight鈥� fighter, has a potent air-to-air and air-to-surface capability.
鈥淭he type has been flown by South Korea and the Philippines, with Iraq set to receive its first aircraft shortly and Peru considering an offer of the aircraft,鈥� said IHS Jane, considered the most trusted and respected public source of defense, risk and security information in the world.
Lorenzana said the FA-50 would serve as lead-in fighter, which means it could serve both as a trainer and fighter plane for Filipino pilots who have not experienced flying fighter planes for a long time.
The defense chief said it will take many years to train fighter pilots from the Philippine Air Force to fly real fighter planes.
鈥淪o FA-50 first, and then later on, if we have capabilities to purchase real fighter planes, we will do that,鈥� he said.