By Chester Cabalza and Yuan Suficiencia
For the first time in history, French pilots flew various military aircraft into Clark Air Base, colloquially known by its Filipino pilots as Air Force City last 28 July 2024. As a mighty display of French air power, these pilots hovered in with Rafale fighter jets─A400M transport aircraft and the A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) capable of aerial refueling which a capability that the Philippine Air Force (PAF) has yet to establish. The French arrival was a single shot to share their aerial expertise with Filipino airmen through vital air power information. Altogether the French Air and Space Force sent a strong contingent in Manila for the PEGASE 24, an annual French air force mission to the Indo-pacific region.
But what makes PEGASE 24 particularly significant to the Philippines comes with a strong message in the tense region amid the rising tensions in the South China Sea and the ongoing PAF Flight Plan 2040 (FP40) ― a transformational plan aimed at aligning all activities within the ambit of good governance of air force. Seventy-five years ago, the Philippine Air Force was created to train and conduct prompt air operations with a strategy designed to sustain responsiveness to air defense and security.
In the recent speech President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to the airmen and women pilots, he vowed for the acceleration of a more modern aerial and surveillance capability of the Air Force, mandated to protect the Southeast Asian archipelagic nation’s airspace for the freedom of overflight and tasked to conduct regular sovereignty air patrol for closer air support operations, aerial reconnaissance missions in fighting insurgency, and aid aerial humanitarian operations in responding to natural disasters.
With France’s eager desire to strengthen security ties in the region, PEGASE 24 proves to be a significant strategic milestone for both the French and Filipino militaries. The Philippines’ Department of National Defense expressed the stopover is “expected to build the foundations of air-to-air cooperation between the two countries”. More so, PEGASE 24 and France’s newly found commitment to the Philippines shows signs of becoming a boon for the PAF with the possibility of strengthening interoperability and jointness between the air forces, as well as the potential for the PAF to purchase new aircraft from France.
The PAF is in dire need of modernization if it is to successfully fulfill its mandate and missions. In 2005, military leaders ordered the decommissioning of the PAF’s remaining F-5 A/B fighters, robbing the country of its remaining external defense capabilities. Whereas in past decades the PAF acquired refurbished aircraft from the United States, they remained insufficient for combat readiness in territorial defense. Ironically, the PAF was considered the most advanced Southeast Asian air force in the 1970s, before following a drastic decline over the years.
Manila has embarked on a modernization program via the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Modernization Program (RAFPMP) initiated by former President Aquino in 2012. It is hoped that by the end of President Marcos Jr.’s tenure in 2028, the PAF will have achieved its minimum credible defense posture. Operationally, the FP40’s vision is to operate a fully capable air force receptive to external threats against territorial integrity and sovereignty. The plan envisions to technically restructuring PAF’s air power to prioritize interoperability and integration of platforms and weapon systems.
Through DND’s Foreign Military Financing Program, one ScanEagle Unmanned Aerial System composed of six UAVs was received by the PAF last 2018. In 2020 the PAF procured 16 S70i Black Hawk helicopters for internal security, territorial defense and humanitarian assistance and disaster response. This was later followed on with an additional order for 32 more helicopters in 2022. Collectively, these orders will make the PAF as Southeast Asia’s largest user and operator of the S-70i. By 2022, the PAF had acquired various new assets such as FA-50PH fighter jets, A29B Super Tucano, Bell 412, S-70i Black Hawk, AW-109, T-129 ATAK and AH-1S Cobra helicopters, Hermes 900 and ScanEagle UAVs, G280 Command and Control aircraft, and a Spyder Battery Defense System.
However, more than just the procurement of platforms themselves, the nexus of base operations to readiness should be orchestrated to the vision of more capable and credible airpower. Programming to maintain a safe operational environment for warfighting planes with sustained performance and safety, and acquiring larger aerodrome requirements to deal with the influx of these new platforms is essential. The centrality of the upgrade and technological progress of the PAF, focused on its defense equipment and military materiel must also constantly align its clever strategies to establish a more robust sustainment of both platforms and experienced personnel.
Moreover, the PAF has yet to procure true Multi-Role Fighters (MRFs) to deal with external aggression. While there are offers from the United States and Sweden for their homegrown MRFs have been made – the F16 and Saab JAS 39 ‘Gripen’ respectively – no decision at the political level has been made to pursue either. Instead, the quest for the Philippines first MRF in two decades has been in the backburner. While the Philippines does have the FA-50 PH fighter jets ─ these are lead in trainer jets and lack the capabilities offered by real MRFs. Not all hope is lost, however, for FP40’s ambitious goals. Part of the picture lies in improving joint operations and interoperability between and among like-minded nations and allies. Increasingly, Paris has proven itself willing to improve defense ties with Manila.
Authors: Dr. Chester Cabalza is the Founding President of the Manila-based think tank International Development and Security Cooperation (IDSC), while Mr. Yuan Suficiencia is a Research Associate of IDSC.
(The views expressed in this article belong to the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of World Geostrategic Insights).
Image Credit: PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER