Philippines orders 12 more FA-50 combat jets from South Korea

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ defense department sealed the order for 12 FA-50 light combat aircraft in a $700 million package with Korea Aerospace Industries, the company said in a statement released Wednesday.

The export contract includes 12 FA-50s set to arrive around 2030. The upgraded jets are capable of aerial refueling and will be installed with AESA radars.

The deal also includes an undisclosed number of air-to-ground and air-to-air weapons.

KAI had previously exported 12 FA-50s to the Air Force in a 2014 export order, which was fulfilled in 2017. One FA-50 aircraft crashed in early March during a counterinsurgency operation in Mindanao in the country’s south.

The military grounded the FA-50s immediately after the crash but lifted the order after an internal investigation found no mechanical mishap occurred during the operation.

Manila has actively purchased frigates, corvettes, aircraft, and weapons from South Korean defense firms to modernize its armed forces. The Philippines was South Korea’s second-largest global customer until 2021.

KAI expects the orders to open more interest in the aircraft among governments in Europe, the Middle East and South America.

The Philippine Air Force currently operates the FA-50 and A-29 Super Tucano turboprop light attack aircraft. The defense department has yet to decide on the country’s multirole fighter jet program, which is estimated to be the most expensive acquisition under the final phase of the Horizons military modernization project.

Leilani Chavez is an Asia correspondent for Defense News. Her reporting expertise is in East Asian politics, development projects, environmental issues and security.

菲律宾马尼拉——韩国航空航天工业公司周三发表声明称，菲律宾国防部已与该公司签署了一份价值7亿美元的订单，订购12架FA-50轻型战斗机。

出口合同包括12架FA-50战斗机，预计将于2030年左右交付。升级后的战机具备空中加油能力，并将安装有源相控阵雷达。

该交易还包括数量不详的空对地武器和空对空武器。

KAI 此前曾于 2014 年向韩国空军出口 12 架 FA-50 战斗机，该订单于 2017 年完成。今年 3 月初，一架 FA-50 战斗机在韩国南部棉兰老岛的一次反叛乱行动中坠毁。

坠机事件发生后，军方立即停飞了 FA-50 战斗机，但内部调查发现行动中没有发生机械事故后，便取消了停飞令。

马尼拉积极从韩国国防企业采购护卫舰、轻型护卫舰、飞机和武器，以实现军队现代化。直到2021年，菲律宾一直是韩国在全球的第二大客户。

KAI 预计这些订单将引起欧洲、中东和南美洲各国政府对该型飞机的更多兴趣。

菲律宾空军目前装备有FA-50和A-29“超级巨嘴鸟”涡轮螺旋桨轻型攻击机。国防部尚未就该国的多用途战斗机项目做出决定，该项目预计将是“地平线”军事现代化项目最后阶段中最昂贵的采购项目。

莱拉尼·查韦斯是《防务新闻》的亚洲记者。她的报道专长是东亚政治、发展项目、环境问题和安全。