Philippine Airforce at 75 needs to become stronger

Dr. Chester Cabalza is the founding president of the Manila-based think tank, International Development and Security Cooperation (IDSC).

President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. attended the 75th anniversary of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) on his first day of duty as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces last 1 July 2022. In his speech, he vowed for the acceleration of a more modern aerial and surveillance capability of the Air Force, mandated to defend the Southeast Asian archipelagic nation’s airspace 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.

While the Philippines slowly climbed to its 51st position from 142 countries in 2022 Global Firepower Index of modern military ranking to generate each nation’s potential war-making capability across land, sea, and air fought by conventional means―the aerial warfare service of the Philippine military has yet to activate the vision of a stronger, bigger, and effective air force capable of defending and maintaining the Asian middle power’s sovereignty. ?

Now that Manila gains fruition from its overhauled three-horizon Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Modernization Program initiated by former President Benigno Aquino III and continued by draconian leader Rodrigo Duterte, transitioning to the final leg of the road map from 2023-2028, to achieve a minimum defense posture at the end of Marcos Jr.’s tenure.?In a vision to invest more on the state-of-the-art aerial defense technology in advancing the top gun’s Air Force Base Operations to meet the modernization aerodrome requirements for the Philippines’ air assets aimed at fortifying its massive blue walls in the sky and due to the impending threat in the South China Sea.

Seventy-five years ago, the Philippine Air Force was created to train and conduct prompt air operations with a strategy designed to sustain responsiveness in performing a PAF Flight Plan 2040 - a transformational plan aimed at aligning all activities within the ambit of good governance. The robust procurement of platform in its flight plan comes from the modernization process, essential to base support system’s capability.

The nexus of base operations to readiness should be orchestrated to the vision of a more capable and credible air power, programmed with robust aircraft procurement and world-class aviation technology and bases. Aerodrome safety is a vital link in aviation safety of pilots in a resilient and trusted Air Force. By providing adequate and suitable facilities, it maintains safe operational environment for war fighting aircrafts that can also be used for human and disaster response endeavors. It entails a lot of advanced and technological innovations to achieve efficient base operations; oftentimes strained by increasing number of flights, while sustaining performance and safety. At present, the current aerodrome requirements of base operations are insufficiently equipped and barely surviving.???

Perhaps the significant contribution of the Air Force in nation-building would be to set a precedence to the navy and army due to its aggressive acquisition using public investments for multirole fighter air defense capabilities. But PAF needs stringent selection process for the particular fighter model as a number of allied countries are offering aerial warfare products. The United States plans to supply Lockheed Martin’s latest F-16 MRF―it has a top speed of Mach 2.0 that is capable of carrying assorted bombs, missiles, and sensors. Sweden openly sells its Saab JAS 39 ‘Gripen’ MRF aircraft, almost with same capability compared to the American product but armed with surveillance equipment. While the new aircraft acquisition would augment the existing fleet of 12 Korean-made Mach 1.5 capable FA-50PH jet aircraft. But PAF’s condition in buying requires that the next fighter jets and helicopters must be least “fourth generation or higher”.

The centrality of the upgrade and technological progress of the PAF, focused on its defense equipment and military materiel, must constantly align to its clever strategies to halt the past human-induced mistakes it previously implemented. The C-130 “Hercules” cargo plane that crashed in Sulu on 4 July 2021 brought military fatality to a team composed of pilots, medical and technical staff, a total of forty-seven soldiers and three civilians died in that accident. As a confluence of event, the same fate happened to the six servicemen in Tarlac on 24 June last year when an Air Force S-70i Black Hawk helicopter crashed.??

The state of aerial and aviation cybersecurity should also be strengthened as Filipinos enjoy the popularity and vibrancy of airline transport. The Philippine Air Force can help the government in managing the majority of airports in addressing cyber-attacks. The Armed Forces through the Air Force should improve its system against any cybersecurity glitches and terrorism on the air space.???It should encourage the culture of immediate reporting of a possible attack. Data and information sharing to other agencies and private sectors will address or replicate other agencies’ best practices. Once an attack happens, various airports and terminals can now strengthen its systems against the attack. If reported, the authorities could develop lessons and procedures for restoring systems or deterring attacks.

The Philippines’ airspace attests to the changing landscape of regional and global security. While the Philippine Air Force has a pivotal role in the territorial defense operations or external defense, the complexity of air power can pave a way to the precarious demand of addressing the Philippines’ various aerial and aviation challenges. The push for the military’s modernization and measure to improve its personnel management should continue. Filipino pilots in the PAF should adopt an appropriate force to accomplish its mandate within a certain time frame and cost. It should rethink its strategic roles and responsibilities, particularly on Manila’s overall national security apparatus.