BALIKATAN 2018 IN ZAMBALES | In this May 09, 2018, photo, US and Philippine marines storm the beach to simulate a raid at the Naval Training Exercise Command, a former US naval base in San Antonio in Zambales. The town faces the South China Sea. (File photo by EDWIN BACASMAS / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Marine Corps and the US Marine Corps Forces Pacific have begun bilateral exercises that aim to enhance interoperability in tactical and heliborne operations.
The exercises — called Marine Aviation Support Activity (Masa 2022)— kicked off on June 6, with the arrival of four C-17 and C-130 aircraft of the US Air Force which brought personnel and equipment, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said in a statement.
The first leg of the exercise which will be held in Palawan from June 6 to 17, will include drills on combined joint forward arming and refueling demonstration, and a lecture on unmanned air systems operations.
The second leg, which will run from July 18 to July 22, will feature lectures on sensor operations, air surveillance, air defense, and High Mobility Artillery Rocket System infiltration.
The Masa 2022 will also include integrated and joint interoperability activities such as coastal defense forward arming and refueling, and subject matter exchanges for unmanned aviation systems and engineering with participants from the Naval Air Wing and the Philippine Air Force, the AFP said.
—FRANCES MANGOSING
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