Air Force to get more aircraft this year

The service also accepted two AgustaWestland AW-109E armed helicopters during a ceremony at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City, south of Manila.

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) will formally receive today eight combat helicopters and two attack helicopters.

On Friday, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin confirmed the AFP would proceed with the opening of the Subic naval base with or without the presence of United States forces.

“The helicopters will play different roles”.

The remaining five, meanwhile, will be “deployed to the 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing”, notes the Inquirer report.

The eight aircraft were procured by the Philippines through government-to-government contracting support from the Canadian Commercial Corporation.

The Bell 412 and its variants offer the most rugged medium twin-engine helicopter available, with the best readiness rate of any helicopter in its class. The Bell 412EP easily fulfills many mission critical helicopter operations worldwide, offering reliable performance in some of the most extreme climates. The cabin can accommodate 13 passengers and two crew members.

According to a press statement from Bell Helicopter, the eight Bell-412 choppers were delivered and received on Monday, three months ahead of schedule, and in time for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in November, where three of them will be deployed. The contract was signed in March a year ago. The company started staged deliveries of the eight aircraft in June. The air assets will be assigned to the 15th Strike Wing in Cavite and will be used for internal security operations and airborne surveillance.