Philippine Air Force’s 960th Air and Missile Defense Group trains on the Patriot missile defense system aith the US Army’s 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade last April 19 at NETDC in San Antonio, Zambales 📸PAF
MANILA, Philippines — Filipino troops trained on air defense and missile systems from American and Australian counterparts as part of the 18-day Balikatan joint exercises, which ends on Friday.
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) and Philippine Marine Corps learned about the Patriot missile defense system and Avenger air defense system—both state-of-the-art weapon systems currently used by Ukraine to defend itself from Russia—in separate lectures held last week in San Antonio, Zambales.
Both weapon systems will be launched in the country for the first time at a live-fire demonstration in the same venue on Tuesday.
The PAF’s 960th Air and Missile Defense Group learned from the US Army’s 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade about the Patriot’s operations and capabilities on April 19, according to a PAF statement.
The Philippine Marine Corps’ Shore-Based Air Defense System Battalion from the Coastal Defense Regiment also participated in a lecture from the 204th Air Defense Artillery Regiment and Mississippi National Guard, which spoke about the capabilities and use of the Avenger air defense system and Sentinel aerial surveillance radar on April 19, the 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade said in a Facebook post.
“Both of our sides definitely learned a lot and it was a great way to help us understand our allies even better,” it said.
Soldiers from the Royal Australian Artillery also gave a presentation on their practices on air defense. Australia, the only other country, other than the United States, which has a visiting forces agreement with the Philippines, is also taking part in the Balikatan with over a hundred troops.
This year’s Balikatan, which runs from April 11 to April 28, is the largest exercise to date by the two allies with more than 17,500 Filipino, American, and Australian forces.
American troops also showcased some of its air assets in Subic Bay International Airport on Sunday for a static display.
Among the aircraft displayed to the media were a CV-22 Osprey, a tiltrotor aircraft capable of vertical takeoff, hover, and vertical landing qualities used for long-range infiltration, exfiltration and resupply missions; an MQ-9 Reaper, an armed, unmanned aerial vehicle that can loiter up to 50,000 feet for more than 27 hours; and transport planes AC-130J and MC-130J used in special missions.