PH Air Force eyes purchase of ‘flying radar’ system
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has proposed the purchase of a “flying radar” system which would bolster its capability to detect foreign aircraft or drones making an unauthorized entry into the country’s airspace, or incoming missiles in the event of a conflict.
‘Re-Horizon H3’
PAF spokesperson Col. Maria Consuelo Castillo said the proposal was part of the service’s “Re-Horizon H3” capability list under the third phase of the modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
“The PAF has proposed to higher offices the possible acquisition of the Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEWACS),” Castillo said in a text message to the Inquirer on Tuesday.
Castillo said AEWACS would provide airborne surveillance, command, control and communications capabilities, enabling the PAF to put a comprehensive air battle management system in place.
For maximized air defense
She declined to elaborate on the planned purchase, leaving it to the Department of National Defense to provide details.
Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. was the first to float the idea of giving PAF such an upgrade, saying the operation of multi-role fighter jets to be acquired in the future may not be maximized without an airborne radar system.
The PAF currently maintains about a dozen FA-50 fighter jets in its fleet. A Japanese-built surveillance radar system at Wallace Air Station in La Union serves as its latest and most modern detection system for aerial or naval threats coming from the West Philippine Sea.
