Philippine Air Force May Consider ex-JGSDF UH-1H Hueys as Short Term Solution for CUH Project Delays.

With the Philippine Air Force (PAF) not proceeding with the acquisition of more Bell 412EPIs combat utility helicopters from Bell Helicopter Textron after the problems encountered with the Canadian government, other options are being considered for short to long term solutions.

Based on information MaxDefense received this past few days, as a short term solution, the PAF is actually considering the possibility of acquiring surplus Bell-Fuji UH-1H Huey combat utility helicopters from the Japanese government, as the type has been retired from the Japan Ground Self Defense Forces (JGSDF) for a few years now. It would be worth noting that the Philippines and Japan has agreed to transfer their stock of UH-1H parts to the Philippine Air Force in a separate agreement, and it would be expected to be easy to possibly approve a request to transfer surplus working airframes as well.

Take note that this is still a proposal and not an actual project.

A Bell-Fuji UH-1H Huey of the Japan Ground Self Defense Force. The JGSDF retired all its UH-1H and are currently stored in their bases.
Photo credited and taken from Airliners.net.

According to a source from the PAF, these surplus Japanese Hueys are in even better condition that those actively used by the Philippine Air Force. And even if the PAF decides to only bring a few into service, it would definitely be a big boost for the fleet as the PAF's Hueys and other utility helicopters are dwindling in numbers despite the addition of 13 Bell-Dornier UH-1D Delta Hueys and Super Delta Huey helicopters delivered by Rice Aviation Services Inc (RASI) a few years ago (2 Deltas Huey helicopters crashed in separate incidents since then). It was mentioned years ago that the PAF needs at least 100 readily available CUHs, which means a fleet of at least 150 CUHs for the entire fleet.

An example of a Bell-Fuji UH-1H Huey.
Credits to Rico Swytech and Air-Britain Photographic Images Collection.

It is also worth noting that these Bell-Fuji UH-1H Hueys are different from the Bell-Fuji UH-1J Hueys, The Bell-Fuji UH-1H are similar to the bread and butter Bell UH-1H Hueys used by the PAF, while the Bell Fuji UH-1J are similar to the PAF's own Super Hueys and Super Delta helicopters. The JGSDF has not yet retired their UH-1Js, which will only happen a few years from now once a replacement becomes available.

MaxDefense also received confirmation that at least 2 other options previously discussed in our earlier blog were requested to submit a formal offer to the Combat Utility Helicopter (CUH) Technical Working Group (TWG). One involve a brand-new offer from a larger helicopter company. Since we believe the formal offer is yet to be provided, MaxDefense will keep the information for now until it is clear and confirmed good for public consumption.

Until then, keep tab of this blog entry which we will also use should this plan become a reality.

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Canada's Hypocrisy Paved the Way for PAF's Bell 412EPI Order Cancellation. So What's Next for the CUH Acquisition Project?

The recent signing of a contract for the acquisition of 16 Bell 412EPI combat helicopters from Bell Helicopter Textron through the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) held last December 2017, was a short-lived celebration after being announced to the world during the Singapore Airshow, as the Philippine government is now preparing to cancel the contract. This is after the Canadian government, specifically its International Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, backed by Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, said he would review and investigate the sale of the helicopters to the Philippine government, and block it if necessary. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's stand is also not in favour of the deal with the Philippines, and has mentioned that they must look into how Canadian equipment is being used by their buyers.

The PAF never hid its intention on how they will use the Bell 412. It is a Combat Utility Helicopter - a helicopter that can do utilitarian duties both in combat and peacetime conditions. It is not an attack helicopter. The Canadian government knows about this since the 1st contract to acquire 8 units was made in 2014.
Photo taken and credited to the Philippine Air Force.

This action by the Canadian government prompted the Philippine government to act. In his latest press release, Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana confirmed that they are already preparing the cancellation of the deal with CCC and Bell Helicopters, as to spare the Philippines from possible delays brought by the Canadian government's decision to investigate and possibly block the deal's implementation. According to Sec. Lorenzana, the letter of cancellation could be out by next week.

It was clear from the very beginning that the Philippine Air Force's primary intention in using the Bell 412EPI helicopters is for supporting combat operations, thus the "Combat Utility Helicopter" labelling of the acquisition project's name. It was never hidden from the Canadians, although the description made during the acquisition was that the helicopters would be used for Search and Rescue (SAR) and HADR operations. This is true although it is not the primary mission of the helicopters. Even the earlier order of 8 Bell 412EP during the term of Pres. Benigno Aquino III has the same project name and was acquired with the same intention. The only difference now is that the incumbent president is known for his human rights violations.

See, the Canadian ambassador was even there when the PAF accepted the last 4 Bell 412EP it ordered, when they were commissioned to service in late 2015.
Photo credits to Bell Helicopters.

But despite being coined as a Combat Utility Helicopter, the name  says it all - its a Utility Helicopter, which means it is planned to be used as a logistics workhorse and could be used in a combat environment, thus the name Combat Utility. The presence of the door guns are only meant to defend the helicopter during low level operations, but not as an offensive weapon. These Bell 412EPIs are also not designed to carry air-launched munitions like rockets and missiles, since the Philippine Air Force has other platforms designed for such requirement, like the Leonardo AW109E Power and the MD-520MG Defender armed helicopters.

Despite the Philippines having a president with human rights issues, is it really fair to use it as a reason to block the sale of helicopters for the Philippine Air Force? The PAF is among the least exposed armed service of the Philippine government due to its nature of work of providing air defense, air surveillance, logistics and air support to the government. And yet, they were unjustly deprived of a helicopter fleet that could improve their capability not only to ferry troops to combat and injured troops away from the battle, but also in conducting logistics support and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) during times of calamity.

A Royal Canadian Air Force Bell 412EP Combat Utility Helicopter (known as the CH-146 Griffon in RCAF service) in Roxas Airport while conducting Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda / Haiyan. The Philippine Air Force intends to use the Bell 412EPI in the same way as the RCAF. So what's wrong with that?
Photo taken from the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Canada itself uses the Bell 412EP (called CH-146 Griffon in Canadian Forces service) as Combat Utility Helicopters. And yet, Canada itself showed the HADR capabilities of their Griffons when they brought a few to the Visayas region in the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda / Haiyan in 2013. This demonstration by the Canadian helicopters gave the PAF the reason to choose the Bell 412 over other helicopter designs that were offered to them.

A Canadian Armed Forces Bell 412EP (called the CH-146 Griffon in CAF service) side-by-side with a Philippine Air Force Bell UH-1H Huey during the HADR operations for Typhoon Yolanda victims in the Visayas region in 2013. The Canadians brought the Bell 412EP to showcase its capabilities, which gave the PAF a reason to sign a contract to buy 8 units from CCC in 2014, and delivered by 2015.
Credits to owner of photo.

Canada Wasted the Philippine Government's Time:

The Canadian Commercial Corporation is a crown corporation, a government-owned entity that actually reports to the Ministry of International Trade, which is headed by the same Minister Champagne that is trying to block the sale of the helicopters to the Philippines.

What in the hell was Min. Champagne doing since early 2017 when the CCC, which reports to his ministry, was already processing the deal with the Philippine government? If he knew what was happening, Minister Champagne should have asked CCC to halt the process while they investigate about the matter.

Why did Minister Champagne allowed both the Philippine government and his officials from the CCC to waste their time and effort to close to deal if he is against it in the first place? This is gross disrespect of the Philippine government, which, despite being labelled as a human rights violator, still deserves respect from foreign officials. They could have just kindly said no to the Philippines!!

Now the CUH Acquisition Program will definitely experience unnecessary delays as the Technical Working Group and PAF planners will again need to re-study what other helicopter can be bought as an alternative to the Bell 412EPI.

See? The PAF's Bell 412EPs were actually baptised as Catholics! 

Despite MaxDefense's disagreements with the policies of Pres. Duterte and Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana, especially those surrounding the issues of the Philippine Navy's Frigate Acquisition Project, MaxDefense agrees and support the president's decision for the cancellation of the contract between DND, CCC and Bell Helicopter Textron.

In this particular deal, the Canadian government acted like an ass, obviously showing double-standard, hypocrisy, and lack of respect to the Philippine government. Just search about the sale of Canadian-built Light Armored Vehicles to Saudi Arabia to find out what MaxDefense meant.

Canadian-built Light Armored Vehicles being used by Saudi security forces in crackdown of militants. The PAF isn't expected to use the Bell 412EPI in the same manner.

Other Options to the Bell 412EPI:

The Bell 412EPI was actually the best balance between unit price, maintenance and operating cost, size, quality, continuity, and performance that PAF's limited money can buy. 

It is a direct decendant of the venerable Bell UH-1Huey which is the centerpiece of PAF's helicopter operations. The PAF's doctrines, logistics, training, knowledge, and all other skillsets were nurtured by decades of operating and mastering the Bell UH-1 helicopter. We're talking about decades of experience with the platform. What's great with the Bell 412 is its exactly what the Bell UH-1 of the future should be!! Simple, cheap, nimble, capable and with good quality.

During the CUH acuqisition's pre-contract stage, there were several offers made by other helicopter manufacturers to the PAF. MaxDefense can confirm that these companies include Leonardo with their AW139M and W-3A Sokol helicopters, Airbus Helicopters with their AS565 Panther, and Korea Aerospace Industries with their KUH-1 Surion helicopter.

As discussed in previous posts on our Facebook community page, the preference for Bell 412EPI has several factors. Aside from commonality with existing Bell 412EPs in PAF fleet which makes it easier for logistics, training and transition, and familiarisation for the entire team, the 412EPI also has the right size, being larger than the Panther, but smaller than the Surion. The size difference affects the carrying capacity, range and endurance of the Bell 412EPI versus the smaller AS565 Panther. And while the Surion is larger, the Korean helicopter is also more expensive. The PAF's doctrines on CUH operations was made around the Huey helicopter, which is the ancestor of the Bell 412EPI and shares a lot of common attributes with its older stablemate.

The Surion, being a new helicopter, is still experiencing troubles even back in Korea. Meanwhile, the Sokol, despite being in service with the PAF, has issues regarding its small sliding door openings which are said to have made it difficult for troops to alight and embark, and is also a problem when conducting HADR operations.

Compared to the Bell 412EPI which is actually a militarised civilian helicopter, the KUH-1 Surion is a military helicopter by design, based on the Airbus' Super Puma helicopter. Thus its larger size, which may not fit the requirements and budget of the PAF, unless changes are made.

The defense secretary also mentioned of Turkey, Russia and China as alternative sources. The only readily available helicopter Turkey can offer is the TAI-Sikorsky T-70 Black Hawk, which is Turkish version of the Sikorsky S-70i International Black Hawk. Russia may have made offers with their Mil Mi-17 Hip medium helicopter and Mil Mi-35 Hind, but both helicopters are too large for CUH requirements. Kamov's Ka-60 Kasatka could be closer in size to the Bell 412EP so that is something that we could be keeping our eyes on. China? Moving on...

The PAF also has preference to skid landing gear due to its simplicity and ability to allow the helicopter to land on uneven surfaces. The PAF is not in favor of having retractable landing gear due to its lack of sturdiness and the need for unnecessary costs in maintenance and parts requirement.

The closest helicopter in terms of size and attributes is actually the Bell UH-1Y Venom, made in the US factories of Bell Helicopter Textron. But alas, its price is almost thrice of the Bell 412EPI due to better protection, larger engines, advanced electronics, and other features not found on the Bell 412EPI.

The PAF also received offers for lease-to-own solutions using refurbished helicopters, specifically the Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk and the larger Airbus Helicopters H225M Super Puma. Both can be leased under a 3-year contract, wherein the proponent will supply a batch of 10 helicopters per contract, while also providing the aircrew and ground crew instructors and engineers, and do the maintenance of the helicopters and make them in tip-top shape. The PAF would only pay the lease and the fuel costs every month. At the end of the 3-year contract, the PAF has the option to pay for the helicopters and take-over ownership. Despite being a short to medium term solution, this allows the PAF to have a CUH ready at the earliest possible, as the helicopters can start arriving 3 months after export license has been released by the proponent's home country government.

This is just a proof that such offer exists, despite not being reported by anyone else except MaxDefense Philippines. We intentionally cropped the entire page we consider the contents confidential.

If PAF Really Wants the Bell 412...

MaxDefense believes that there are 4 options for the PAF to able to acquire Bell 412EPIs. 

First is to wait for a new less-overreacting government to be elected in Canada, and try to negotiate again.

Second is to wait until Pres. Duterte is replaced by a new more HR-conscious government either in a legally conducted elections in 2022, or through extra-Constitutional means at an earlier date. 

Third option would be to lease Bell 412EPIs from a 3rd party company. The same way that the Philippine government leased 4 Bell 412EPs during Pres. Ramos' time for use in the APEC Philippines 1996. And have the option to own them after a certain number of years.

And fourth, start negotiating with the Japanese government to acquire the Subaru-Bell UH-X, which is Japan's chosen Combat Utility Helicopter to replace their ageing Huey helicopters. The Subaru-Bell UH-X is essentially a Japanese version of the Bell 412EPI, with specific upgrades made by the Japanese military to fit their needs. It is expected that the UH-X will be made in Subaru's facility in Japan using license-manufactured parts also made in Japan. 

MaxDefense believes that the Japanese would be more than willing to sell the UH-X to the Philippines once production starts.

Subaru teams up with Bell to manufacture the Bell 412EPI as Japan's UH-X helicopter to replace ageing Fuji-Bell UH-1H Huey helicopters.
Photo taken from Wikimedia Commons.

But in the meantime, the PAF should move fast in finding a solution to this problem. Whatever is their second choice as Combat Utility Helicopter should be given a look as early as now. 

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Acquisition of FA-50 SAA/LIFT and Bell 412 CUH for PAF, 3 Oil Tankers for the PN

Finally, the impending contract signing for the purchase of 12 FA-50 Fighting Eagles from Korea Aerospace Industry (KAI) to fulfill the Surface Attack Aircraft/Lead-in Fighter Trainer (SAA/LIFT) requirement is becoming a reality. Contract signing is scheduled tomorrow, March 28, 2014, 3:00pm at Tejeros Hall, AFP Commissioned Officer's Club, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. 

The KAI FA-50 was selected as the PAF's new SAA/LIFT aircraft.

Aside from the SAA/LIFT acquisition, also for signing tomorrow will be for the purchase of 8 Bell 412 helicopters for the combat utility helicopter (CUH) and VIP transport requirements from the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC). Both projects were procured via government-to-government (G2G) deals.

The initial 8 new Bell 412 helicopters are also coming in for the PAF, reportedly as combat utility helicopters to take the place of the W-3A Sokol and eventually replace the UH-1H Huey.

Representing the Philippine government is AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Emmanuel Bautista. Aside from the representatives of CCC and KAI, the Ambassadors of South Korea and Canada will witness the historic contract signing together with the Korean Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) president and other government and defense officials.

The FA-50 was chosen as the PAF's "stepping stone" and interim fighter while awaiting for the government to acquire multi-role fighters for them. Candidate FA-50 pilots and ground crew will be trained in South Korea as part of the deal, which in turn will become FA-50 instructors themselves for future cadre pilots. While churning in pilots ready for further training to handle MRFs, the FA-50 will also be used as an interim fighter for air policing and patrol duties over the Philippine Air Defense Identification Zone (PADIZ) and EEZ.

The FA-50 will bring-in a  new generation of fighter-ready pilots for the PAF.
Photo taken from Korean Aero website.

Meanwhile, the Bell 412 was originally the PAF's choice for the CUH requirement until the W-3A was chosen by the DND after winning the tender for the CUH acquisition project after a number of attempts. With the W-3A Sokol decided to better serve the PAF as a Search and Rescue (SAR) asset, the PAF went for another attempt to acquire new CUH, this time through government-to-government dealings with CCC for the Bell 412.

PAF's Bell 412 CUH might have close resemblance to Canada's CH-146 Griffon, which saw service with Canadian armed forces assisting in relief efforts after Typhoon Yolanda.

Aside from these air assets, the Philippine Navy is set to receive 3 oil tankers as a donation from the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC). A memorandum of agreement (MOA) was signed yesterday, March 26, 2014 to formalize the donation. These ships were previously assets of the now defunct PNOC Shipping and Transport Corporation (PSTC), a wholly owned subsidiary of PNOC. Although no news yet on which ships will be acquired, PSTC oil tanker assets are mostly below 3,000 gross metric tons in displacement. Although small, these ships are assets that would boost the PN's capabilities in terms of resupply and underway replenishment.

The PNOC Emilio Jacinto (top) and PNOC Lapu-Lapu (below) are just among the oil tanker assets of the PSTC. No confirmation yet on which oil tankers are to be turned-over to the PN.
Photos taken from Feehily04's Flicker page (top) and MarineTraffic website (below)

More details will be discussed in succeeding MaxDefense blog entries in the coming days. In the meantime, let us celebrate the upcoming contract signing marking the official purchase of the 2 aircraft platforms for the PAF.

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Updates
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March 28, 2013:
Finally, contract signed for 12 KAI FA-50 lead-in fighter trainers, and 8 Bell Textron 412 combat utility and VIP helicopters.

Photo from KAI's Facebook page.

KAI has officially counted the PAF's FA-50 orders. Illustration above shows expected T-50 series possible sales projected by KAI.
Photo taken from KAI's Facebook page.

Photo taken from AFP.

==========
June 27, 2015:
Headway for both the Oil Tanker for the Philippine Navy, and the FA-50 and Bell 412EP acquisitions for the Philippine Air Force.

The Philippine Navy commissioned the first of the 3 tankers it received from the Philippine National Oil Company' Shipping and Transport Corp., last May 23, 2015. The ship, formerly the MT PNOC Lapu-Lapu, is now known as the BRP Lake Caliraya (AF-81) of the Philippine Navy. The two other ships acquired by the PN are still scheduled to complete their refurbishing and repair works, before they can be commissioned and join the PN. It is expected that at least one of the ships will be commissioned within 2015.

The BRP Lake Caliraya during its day of commissioning with the PN last May 23, 2015.
Photo taken from the Philippine Navy website.

For the Philippine Air Force, KAI announced through its official Facebook page that they have successfully completed the first flight of the first FA-50PH bound for the PAF. A total of 12 were ordered, and the PAF expects the first 2 mission-ready FA-50PH to be delivered by either December 2015 or January 2016.

Also, the first 2 Bell 412EP for the PAF were delivered on the last week of May 2015, and another batch of 2 units were delivered on the last week of June 2015. All 4 were assembled locally in Manila. The first 2 sports the colors of the Presidential Airlift Wing, while the second 2 were in olive drab similar to the UH-1 helicopters of the 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing. 

One of the first 2 Bell 412EP delivered last May 2015, sporting the colors of the Presidential Airlift Wing in anticipation of VIP transport requirements for the APEC Summit 2015 in November.
Photo from Shuuichi Hikoushi of the Philippine Planespotters Group.

According to MaxDefense sources and contributors, the PAW units are being tested in Clark Air Base, while the 205th THW birds have just completed assembly and are scheduled to ground and flight testing very soon. All 12 units are expected to be delivered by next year, although the pace of Bell in its delivery suggests that they could complete delivery of all 8 units before the year ends.

One of the second batch Bell 412EP delivered on June 2015, taken at the NAIA grounds on June 27 by a MaxDefense reader who wants to remain anonymous. Based on its color scheme, it appears to be one of the combat utilty helicopter variants bound to fly with the PAF's 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing.

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Building-up the AFP's Equipment Needs for Disaster Response and Military Operations

It took a massive storm and devastation in the Visayas region to expose the government's inability to respond and provide government services and delivering massive volumes of personnel, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) goods, light and heavy equipment and temporary facilities to a wide coverage area due to several reasons. One of them is the Armed Forces of the Philippines' (AFP) lack of these necessary tools and equipment, which is an issue that has not been given much attention for several decades now.

The scale of devastation brought by Super Typhoon Haiyan (local name Yolanda) was unprecedented in Philippine history, and is nowhere near the dozens of storms the country experiences in a year. Normally the Philippine government has contingencies and preparations for disasters, and this includes bringing in the capabilities of the AFP with its men, materiel, experience and capability in rapid deployment and handling rescue and relief operations. But as the sheer coverage of the disaster was known, so is the inability of the AFP to reach out on these areas all at the same time.

The typhoon showed how military forces can be used in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. Shown above are USMC MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft bringing in relief supplies from Cebu to Tacloban then returning to Cebu with evacuees.
Photo taken from Lt. Col. Francis Neri's Facebook page.

It exposed the AFP's capabilities, or the lack of it, to the general public, and brought it closer to the attention of our citizens and lawmakers alike. People became aware on the military's lack of assets to transport large amounts of aid to a large area of responsibility like almost the entire Visayas region.


What does the AFP have?
Currently the Philippine Air Force (PAF) only has 3 C-130B/H Hercules heavy tactical transport planes, 3 units of the smaller Fokker F-27 Friendship tactical transports and N-22B Nomad light utility aircraft, and a few dozen UH-1H Huey and W-3A Sokol utility helicopters in its inventory, and not all of these assets can be used for a single air operation due to requests for air assets for other purposes. The Philippine Navy has the same dilemma, with only a handful of naval transports in the form of the 2 Bacolod City-class logistics support vessels (LSVs), a few World War 2-era landing ship tanks (LSTs), and a couple of large landing craft utilities (LCUs), and a few BN-2 Islander and BO-105 utility aircraft at its disposal. In this type of situation, these assets are not enough.

PAF's lack of C-130s was exposed during the relief operations after Typhoon Haiyan hit the Visayas, The 3 units were working hard for 2 weeks now, and was lucky to be reinforced by more C-130s and C-17s from several foreign air forces.
Photo taken from Lt. Col. Francis Neri's Facebook page.

Not only is the military lacking in air and naval transport capabilities, it also lack the ground assets and support facilities that are both needed for normal military operations as well as humanitarian and disaster relief missions. The Philippine Army and Marine Corps, like the rest of the Armed Forces, does not have enough trucks and utility vehicles, engineering and construction equipment, and amphibious vehicles It also does not have or only have minimal temporary facilities like power generation, water treatment equipment and tanking, mobile hospitals, temporary airfield facilities, and communications equipment. It is surprising that there are still calls by many people to bring in relief aid to communities accessible by land transport until more than a week after the storm hit, but was not aided due to lack of these assets.

The AFP recently received several ex-US Army surplus trucks, like those above still in desert paint scheme after being used in Middle East campaigns. The AFP can continue getting more of these, or even new trucks, classified as civil defense equipment that can also be used for military operations.
Photo taken from IPMS Philippines website.

Thankfully, all these shortages were filled-in by the international community's contributions to the relief effort, as seen on the capabilities they brought in to assist the AFP and the Filipino people as a whole (a special MaxDefense blog article was made specifically to showcase the international help provided, see HERE). But this international aid is a temporary solution and will only be available until the Philippine government musters enough capability to stand alone to provide its people the necessities and return to normalcy. The capability brought upon by the international community can be a template for the Philippine government, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), other related government agencies, and by the AFP as it build up its own capability for future disasters. The Philippines cannot always just rely on foreign aid every time a similar unfortunate event happens; it must be prepared to face similar threats in the future, and it must also be prepared to answer the call to aid of other countries in need just as they answered our call for help.


Lawmaker's Questionable Solutions?
There are already earlier calls by a certain congressman who used to be the AFP's Chief of Staff to purchase more helicopters and transport planes in expense of purchasing fighter jets and territorial defense assets like the KAI FA-50 Fighting Eagle, and recent calls by another neophyte senator calling for the same route of purchasing more transports for the AFP by cancelling the FA-50 and AW109 acquisitions.

MaxDefense believes that both lawmaker's intentions of increasing the capability of the AFP to respond to civil defense duties is correct and commendable, but the plan to cancel the procurement of fighter jets and other territorial defense assets to divert the funds is absolutely wrong and irresponsible. These lawmakers did not take into consideration the importance of having a minimum deterrent that will give the Philippine government some semblance of capability to enforce its territorial and foreign affairs policies. The fighter jets are not just for shooting down enemy aircraft, but are also meant for air policing duties and enforce our territorial jurisdiction from foreign aircraft. It's not about the numbers, but the willingness of the Philippines to be responsible of its territorial integrity that matters.

Purchasing the FA-50 should be left untouched by those pushing for more dual-use military equipment that can be used in military and disaster relief operations. Both are equally important and must be funded by the national government altogether.
Photo taken from koreaaero.com.

The Compromise:
The best compromise to avoid undermining every AFP capability from another is to increase funding of the armed forces, as well as strengthening the mandate and capability of the NDRRMC (which is also under the Department of National Defense). This can be done through separation of the systems being procured by the AFP: defensive weapons systems like fighter aircraft and frigates can be financed through the AFP Modernization Program, and dual-use equipment like transport planes, trucks and utility helicopters can be classified as HADR equipment and financed by a separate funding scheme, reinforced by the AFP Modernization Program budget. It is expected that public opinion will be calling for the improvement of disaster relief capability of the government, and although lawmakers are not very keen on military capability improvement but will have no choice but to definitely support improvements in the military's ability to respond to HADR operations.


Recommended HADR Purchases for the AFP: The following are MaxDefense's recommendations on what the government and AFP must improve to cope up with similar disasters in the future. Instead of relying on the AFP Modernization Program budget, the DND and AFP must push for another funding scheme that will solely focus of acquiring capabilities that can be used for both military and civil defense/disaster response purposes. Due to the special nature of disaster response, the DND and AFP can make use of this loophole to request for further funding using alternative sources to improve disaster response capability while also improving the military's overall transport and mobility capability. This can be divided into several sub-programs:

Philippine Air Force:

• The PAF can request for expanding the aerial transport capability improvement, which includes increasing the budget for its current procurement on the following projects: Combat Utility Helicopters (CUH), Light & Medium Fixed Wing Transport Aircraft, Search and Rescue Seaplane, and used UH-1H Helicopters. The PAF currently has a standing requirement for at least 100 CUH available at any time, and will require more or less 130 units of CUH in their inventory. There are plans to increase the number of air assets in the next round of AFP Modernization Program budgeting for 2017 and beyond, these programs can be accelerated by increased funding. The PAF can also make use of procuring more interim UH-1H helicopters from US military stocks which can be made available faster than new helicopters. The PAF could opt to go for more than 21 units.
• The PAF could also include the request for the following: Procurement of additional new or used (or both) C-130 Hercules transport planes and procurement of Medium Lift Utility Helicopters which can be used to enhance the transport capability of the PAF; Emergency Airport Facilities (mobile air traffic controllers and radar systems, temporary lighting and signalling equipment, and mobile air monitoring radar systems) which can be deployed to immediately re-activate damaged or disabled airports and air bases; Cargo handling ground equipment like rough terrain and heavy forklifts; and even Firefighting Buckets and slinging equipment for helicopters. 

Additional C-130 aircraft, which are used not only for military transport but also for bringing in supplies and relief goods, and evacuation of victims and even trapped OFWs abroad. The operations after the typhoon are testaments to the importance of C-130s and other transport aircraft even in peacetime operations.
Photo taken from Lt. Col. Francis Neri's Facebook page.

• Modernization of current assets can also be included, which may include installation of rescue winches on the W-3A Sokol helicopters (which are already transferred to the 505th SAR Group) and remaining S-76 helicopters; upgrading of several CUH to be able to carry firefighting water buckets;

One of the PAF's W-3A Sokol helicopter delivering food aid to affected citizens. The PAF require at least 100 combat utility helicopters operational at any point in time. The current numbers are far from that requirement.
Photo taken from Lt. Col. Francis Neri's Facebook page. 

Philippine Navy:

• The PN can opt to request for a separate funding to accelerate the purchase of more landing platform docks (LPD) or strategic sealift vessels (SSV) in addition to the 2 units already on the pipeline. Originally the PN plans to have at least 4 SSVs in its future inventory and accelerating this program can hasten the availability of these ships as early as possible. It can also do the same for the LCU acquisition project, which also requires more that a dozen more in the next Modernization Program phases.
• To support the SSV/LPDs, the PN must also request for medium lift helicopters to be procured at the same time as the ships they are intended to be used with. 

Additional assets that can bring in supplies and disaster relief aid like amphibious vessels (photo shows PN's LSV) can be funded by a separate program that focuses on disaster preparedness.
Photo taken from US Navy.

Philippine Army and Philippine Marine Corps:

• The need for more mobility assets like cargo and utility trucks to bring in troops, people, goods and for other purposes can be requested through this funding. These can either be used assets from the US military, or new trucks similar to the ones bought from Korea recently;
• Amphibian transport vehicles, similar to the GKN Aquatrack that  the PMC and NDRRMC currently operates. These vehicles can be used during floods and has a large capacity for carrying people or goods; 

The GKN Aquatrack being used by the PMC is an example of equipment that can be used for HDMR operations, as shown above. The PMC is operating 2 units of behalf of the NDRRMC.

• Rescue equipment like search robots, personal protection equipment for rescuers, additional K9 units, first aid kits, heat signature scanners, and other related equipment that are also not available or not enough numbers within the Philippine ground forces;

Search and Rescue robots similar to the one above, can be used to look for victims underneath rubble and debris, and can reach areas that are inaccessible to humans. They can also be fitted with camera to access dangerous places.
Photo taken from Robocup 2009 website.

• Requirements for field hospitals, power generators, water filtration systems, field kitchens, satellite and high frequency communications, tents and field shelters, portable water and oil storage facilities, first aid kits, meals ready to eat (MRE), and water supplies.These items are actually needed by our ground forces during long deployments outside major camps, and are also not even available on minor army and marine camps. It would be best to acquire such capability and to allocate enough for HADR operations;

The lack of field hospitals in operation areas are always brought out whenever there are major military operations involving the AFP, resulting to unnecessary deaths. It can be improved if these are provided to the AFP via funding for civil defense and dual-use equipment as they can also be used for peacetime operations like disaster relief.
Photo taken from Wikipedia.

• Engineering and construction equipment like payloaders, backhoe, loaders, dump trucks, and also mechanical handtools like chainsaws. These can be used in clearing and rebuilding, and even during normal civic-military operations which the Philippine military already specializes even in non-crisis times. It would be best to expand and improve in this matter;
• Combat engineering equipment like pontoon bridges can also be classified, and also materials for erecting temporary bridges to replace destroyed ones.

Water filtration equipment similar to those used by the Canadian Forces in Iloilo, are actually needed by military ground units even for military operations outside major camps.
Photo taken from Combatcamera / Canadian Forces website.

Engineering equipment like backhoes and loaders are also necessary for disaster relief and reconstruction operations, and are also needed by the army's engineering and construction battalions for their usual missions.
Photo taken from Combatcamera / Canadian Forces website.

Government Response:
Although its too late for the government to react for this specific calamity, it is not too late for the government to prepare for the future. There is already a call from Senator Ralph Recto to include the funding of reactivation of at least 3 mothballed C-130s of the PAF with the 2014 National Budget, and even considering the purchase of new C-130 aircraft using multi-year funding schemes. He also supported the purchase of more naval vessels including strategic sealift vessels and logistics support vessels. 

The DND has also recently announced the purchase of 2 more used C-130 aircraft from an "unspecified source" with a budget of Php 1.6 billion, and has plans to start a acquisition program for a new Combat Utility Helicopter to replace the W-3A Sokols. And there is mounting support from the public as well as local government units for the national government to increase funding for the purchase of more military equipment that can be used for HADR operations. There are even calls by some lawmakers to create a separate Cabinet Office for Emergency Response.

These C-130s in Mactan, Cebu, previously discussed in another MaxDefense blog, can be the proposed candidates for refurbishing as brought out by Senator Ralph Recto.
Photo taken from Mr. Jake Nelson @ Pinoy Daily Journal.

But these plans are not enough. It must be pursued immediately without being caught up with the usual red tape and politics affecting military and civilian expenditures, as these are emergency items that are needed as soon as possible without waiting for a new crisis to arrive. The Philippine government has the capacity to fund for these requirements if it wants to, and will only need political will of the national government and cooperation from the different sectors of government. Money can't be a reason anymore for the government, as disasters won't wait for a chance for the Philippines to be wealthy enough before it strikes again. Not only will it improve the AFP's capability to respond to HADR, it will also improve the AFP's capability to respond to the internal security and territorial defense posture of the country. 


Opportunity to Return the Favor:
It must also be taken into consideration that the Philippines now owes the world for the aid and assistance they gave to the country in this time of need, even if they do not ask anything in return. The best way for the Philippines to return the favor is for it to be better prepared in the future to minimize the need for another massive foreign assistance. At the same time, the country must be prepared to assist other nations that will encounter similar crisis in the future. 

The PAF's C-130s working hand-in-hand with C-130s of other nations. It would be best if the PAF could return the favor in the future by participating in delivering aid and support to other countries should the need arise.
Photo taken from Lt. Col. Francis Neri's Facebook page.

Having a well prepared and well equipped military and disaster response teams that has the ability to be deployed in times of calamity anywhere in the world would bolster the Philippines' relations with the international community, improve its foreign policy standing, and can be a source of pride to the Filipino people. Just look at Indonesia: In 1963 the Philippines provided them with aid and medical assistance delivered by several C-47 transports of the PAF when Mount Gunung Agung erupted. Now they have returned the favor by sending several tons of relief aid brought in by several TNI-AU (Indonesian Air Force) C-130s, a shipload of Red Cross aid, equipment and personnel, and an LPD from the TNI (Indonesian National Armed Forces) is on the way to bring in more aid and more medical teams with their respective equipment (further discussed HERE) This is a source of pride for Indonesians to be able to help a friend in need even if they are also facing disasters in their own country and is also coping with financial issues. Can the Philippines do the same in the future? Yes, it can.

Indonesia is not a wealthy country as compared to its Western counterparts, and is almost in the same political, economical and military dilemma as the Philippines. But it has the willingness to help a friend in need, whatever it's situation it is. We are indebted to the international community, and must be ready to stand up to assist others in need in the future as well.
Photo taken from Liputan6.com website.

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