Philippines to buy 12 South Korean fighter jets

The Philippines will buy 12 South Korean FA-50 fighter jets to strengthen its poorly-armed military, government spokesmen said on Wednesday, amid increasing maritime tensions with China.

The FA-50s will be the first fighter jets to be operated by the Philippine air force since it retired the last of its US-designed F-5 fighters in 2005, said President Benigno Aquino’s spokesman Edwin Lacierda.

“We don’t have any existing jets right now that are in use, therefore it is necessary for us to upgrade. This is part of the ongoing process of modernising our military hardware,” he told reporters.

Lacierda said the jets would be used for “training, interdiction and disaster response” and would use their aerial cameras to survey areas.

He stressed that the planned purchase was “not aimed at any particular country” despite the new tensions with China over conflicting maritime territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Defence department spokesman Peter Galvez said the FA-50 was chosen because it fitted all the country’s requirements and because of its cost, adding that 18.9 billion pesos (US$464 million) had been budgeted for their acquisition.