PH to send 6 FA-50s, 125 personnel in Australia’s ‘Pitch Black’ drills

Philippine Air Force’s fighter jets: FA-50PH Nr 001 and 002 PAF FACEBOOK

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Air Force (PAF) will send six FA-50 fighter jets and 125 personnel in the upcoming multilateral war games in Australia.

PAF spokesperson Maria Consuelo Castillo also said that a C-130 transport aircraft will also be deployed in the biennial drills to transport the personnel and equipment.

To date, the PAF has 12 FA-50s, which means that the country will send about half of the said fighter jets to represent the country in the upcoming “Pitch Black” exercises hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force.

READ: PAF sending fighter plane for the first time to Australia war games

Big thing

“This is a big thing for the air force,” Castillo said in a regular press briefing.

“It uplifts the reputation of our country to be able to increase and enhance its participation in such international exercises,” she also said.

The Philippines and Australia have an existing status of visiting forces agreement, which is a comprehensive legal framework for the presence of one country’s armed forces in the other. Australia regularly conducts drills with the Philippines, and is a regular observer of Balikatan exercise, the biggest annual war games conducted in the country.

The PAF recently conducted its annual exercise with the US Air Force dubbed as “Cope Thunder.”