MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Air Force (PAF) is scheduled to receive the first of two long-range patrol aircraft (LRPA) next year from Israel’s Elbit Systems Ltd., expanding its capabilities to patrol the archipelago.
The initial delivery of the aircraft is expected by mid-2025, based on the timeline of the signed contract, Israel Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss told the Inquirer in a recent interview.
His statement confirmed Elbit Systems’ announcement in July 2023 that it won a $114-million contract to supply two units of LRPA “equipped with an advanced and comprehensive mission suite” to an Asia-Pacific country.
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The two LRPAs will be based on the new ATR 72-600 and the suite includes a mission management system, electro-optics, radar, SIGINT (signals intelligence) and communication, among others, Elbit Systems said at the time. The contract will be carried out over five years.
The National Security Agency of the United States defines SIGINT as intelligence or information derived from electronic signals and systems used by foreign targets.
Mission suite in aviation technology, meanwhile, refers to a network of components used to complete aerial surveillance with real-time distribution of information to the ground.
The PAF’s acquisition of LRPAs was among the top priorities in the early stages of the military’s modernization program dating back to 2013, but it faced delays in the bidding processes.
Navy patrol boats
Israel, a major weapons exporter, has supplied several defense equipment to the Philippine military.
The ongoing armed conflict between Israel and Hamas has not hindered them from meeting their contractual obligations to export arms to their clients, according to Fluss.
For instance, their shipbuilding and ship repair firm, Israel Shipyards Ltd., is set to deliver the fourth batch of fast patrol boats to the Philippine Navy by the end of this month or early September, he said.
The upcoming seventh and eighth units out of nine Shaldag Mk. V fast attack interdiction craft is part of a P10-billion contract, which includes weapon systems, missiles, training, and transfer of technology.
The ninth unit is expected to be delivered early next year, Fluss said.
One of the Shaldag units, locally known as the Acero class, will be assembled in the country as part of the transfer of technology agreement between the Philippines and Israel.
The Israeli-built BRP Lolinato To-ong (PG-902) and BRP Gener Tinangag (PG-903) gunboats have recently conducted sovereignty patrols around Pag-asa (Thitu) Island in the West Philippine Sea, the first publicly known external defense operations for this type of vessel.
The Philippines’ ongoing military modernization program is partly driven by territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea, part of the South China Sea, which China claims nearly entirely.
Technological advantage
Fluss said he has been visiting military camps recently and was happy to find out that Israeli-built defense equipment is doing its job in the field, based on his conversations with officers and personnel on the ground.
“I want to see with my own eyes to understand and to speak to the operators, to the end user, and to the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) to understand them,” he said.
Israel, he added, is keen to continue “to develop and enhance their relations across the board” with the Philippines, including defense.
“Israel has so much to offer, especially now, because [of] the experience that we have in Israel, no other country has such an experience with this kind of warfare when you’re using missiles, drones … I don’t think any other army in the world has today the experience, and the knowledge and the technologies that Israel has,” he noted.