backseatjock
17th May 2012, 13:56
According Agence France-Presse today, Philippines President Benigno Aquino has said his country is looking at arming itself for the first time with dedicated fighter jets made outside of the United States, amid a territorial dispute with China.
The Philippines last month requested aircraft, patrol boats and radar systems from its U.S. military ally to help it achieve what the government said would be a “minimum credible defense.”
Aquino said that his government had asked to buy second-hand F-16s from the U.S., but the jets’ maintenance costs could end up being too high because of their age.
“We might end up spending $400 million or $800 million per squadron, and we were thinking of getting two squadrons,” he said in an interview with Manila’s Bombo Radio.
“We do have an alternative, and — this is a surprise — it seems we have the capacity to buy brand-new, but not from America,” Aquino said, without mentioning the aircraft model. “These are manufactured by another progressive country that I won’t name at this point.”
Being filed by AFP, the automatic assumption is that Dassault it positioning Rafale but from my early days in the industry I know Saab spent a lot of time promoting Gripen in that part of the world.
Might that early investment in positioning a very capable lightweight current -generation fighter, be about to pay off for Saab or is this just a negotiating stance being adopted by the Philippines?
The Philippines last month requested aircraft, patrol boats and radar systems from its U.S. military ally to help it achieve what the government said would be a “minimum credible defense.”
Aquino said that his government had asked to buy second-hand F-16s from the U.S., but the jets’ maintenance costs could end up being too high because of their age.
“We might end up spending $400 million or $800 million per squadron, and we were thinking of getting two squadrons,” he said in an interview with Manila’s Bombo Radio.
“We do have an alternative, and — this is a surprise — it seems we have the capacity to buy brand-new, but not from America,” Aquino said, without mentioning the aircraft model. “These are manufactured by another progressive country that I won’t name at this point.”
Being filed by AFP, the automatic assumption is that Dassault it positioning Rafale but from my early days in the industry I know Saab spent a lot of time promoting Gripen in that part of the world.
Might that early investment in positioning a very capable lightweight current -generation fighter, be about to pay off for Saab or is this just a negotiating stance being adopted by the Philippines?