Philippine Air Force Receives First Shipment of AGM-65G2 Maverick Missiles, Gains New Capability

Note: MaxDefense realized that this blog entry was not released last June 2017 despite being ready for release! Made some minor updates as well to cover some modernization updates this past month.


For this past 2 weeks alone, there were verification of new capabilities acquired by both the Philippine Air Force (PAF) and the Philippine Army (PA), which are being sought after for quite some time after delays hampered both projects. Both capabilities were not presented by either service branches nor the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) or the Department of National Defense (DND) to the media, and were just quietly put into service.

But fortunately, keen eyes by our community members, plus the continued support of our sources and contributors to MaxDefense Philippines, we are able to verify and confirm these capabilities.

For the Philippine Air Force, it now has a new air-to-ground missile capability in the form of Raytheon AGM-65 Maverick missiles, while the Philippine Army with their RPG-7 assault weapon.

One of the PAF's FA-50PH Fighting Eagle armed with an inert AGM-65G2 Maverick air-to-ground tactical missile, as seen during the PAF's Anniversary last July 4, 2017.
Photo taken by MaxDefense Philippines community member Efrain Noel Morota. Photo owned and credited to Mr. Morota.

Acquisition of the Raytheon AGM-65 Maverick:

The Philippine Air Force, through Pinoy Aviators' Facebook page, was proud of their recent accomplishment of Trans-Pacific flight of one their Lockheed C-130T Hercules, and posted the recent fete made by its pilots and aircrew for flying from the Philippines to Tucson, Arizona and back, something not done normally considering the PAF is a small regional air force known for antiquated aircraft in its fleet.

Photo of what appears to be munition containers being unloaded from a Philippine Air Force C-130T Hercules after flying in from Tucson, Arizona, home of Raytheon Missile Systems Co.
Photo taken from Pinoy Aviators' Facebook page.

While this is a good accomplishment for the PAF and the team involved, enthusiasts were actually more keen on knowing what the PAF did in Tucson, Arizona, considering that it was not a normal flight. Photos also emerged of what appears to be crates and containers being unloaded from the aircraft once it arrived in the Philippines. Crates that appear to be munition containers, something that normal people won't notice but defense followers and enthusiasts will.

As early as late June 2017, MaxDefense received a confirmation from one of its community members in the US that the PAF C-130 was in Tucson, Arizona to pick-up missiles, mentioning the exact type and variant as indicated in the crates. Unfortunately, the information got stuck deep in our Private Message inbox under hundreds of messages. But it's not too late, considering the information allowed us to confirm the delivery and the process.

On July 4, 2017, the Philippine Air Force showed off two of its FA-50PH Fighting Eagle light combat aircraft with AGM-65G Maverick inert rounds on its wing pylons, a sign that it now has such missiles in its inventory.

The Raytheon AGM-65G Maverick missile as installed on PAF's FA-50PH 17-007. The missile shown is an inert round. Also on the photo is a M117 750lb free-fall bomb and an AIM-9B Sidewinder missile on the wingtip.
Photo owned and credited to Efrain Noel Morota, a MaxDefense community member.

The Maverick missiles were acquired by the Philippine Air Force under the F/SAA/LIFT Munitions Lot 2 acquisition project, which was a direct contracting project with Raytheon Missile Systems Co. based in Tucson, Arizona. The contract is worth Php 3.316 billion to deliver the AGM-65G2 variant of the Maverick missile, including LAU-117 launch rails and inert rounds, plus a support package.

Based on the PAFs own presentations posted in their website years ago, as well as information made available to MaxDefense, the original budget for F/SAA/LIFT Munitions (Lots 1 and 2) is Php 4.333 billion. Lot 1 will be for air-to-air missiles (which will be discussed in future blog entries as this project is moving fast as well), while Lot 2 will be for air-to-ground missiles. Originally the budget for Lot 2 is only around Php 1.7 billion for 125* missiles as of 2013, but it was increased to Php 3.316 billion as per contract.

*Note: These quantity was released by the PAF in a Modernization Program update in their website in 2013, so we consider this as unclassified information.



Reasons for the Changes in Quantity and Budget Allocation:

MaxDefense believes that the increase in quantity is due to the perceived need for more precision guided munitions against ground targets in light of terrorist threats as well as naval threats in the West Philippine Sea. Aside from that, price increase is another issue, considering that the PAF incorrectly assumed the price each AGM-65G2. This is because, as confirmed by many MaxDefense sources, the PAF or even the AFP as a whole has this facepalm-worthy illness that even people within the AFP call "internet window shopping" wherein AFP planners tend to check contract prices of materiel without considering inflation, exchange rate, and price fluctuations. This is a very common cause of most planning and budgeting errors and in the AFP Modernization Program.

Another problem encountered was the strong exchange rate fluctuations in favour of the US dollar, in which the dollar-pesos conversion changed from US$1 = Php45 in 2013 to US$1 = Php50.5 to contract signing date in 2017. That was more 10% decrease in value for the Philippine pesos!

While MaxDefense is unable to disclose the exact number of missiles acquired due to obvious reasons, we can only say that there will be more than 125 rounds (reported quantity as of 2013). 

LAU-117 containers being loaded into a PAF C-130T Hercules aircraft.
Credits to owner of photo.

Based on information received by MaxDefense Philippines, the missiles picked-up by the PAF C-130T is actually the 1st tranche of AGM-65s delivered for the PAF, which will allow the PAF to train its pilot to fly the FA-50PH with the missiles on-board, which will significantly affect the flight characteristics of the aircraft. It also allows the PAF, both ground and air crews, to familiarize itself with the missiles.

It is worth noting that this delivery is also among the fastest ever made between contract signing and initial delivery. Based on documents obtained by MaxDefense, the contract signing between Raytheon and the Philippines happened only on middle of June 2017, but an initial delivery was made just within a week after! MaxDefense has not noted any similar case in any project before, the AFP is lucky already if it gets its products in a a few months, like the Emergency Procurement of.45 Caliber Hammer Fired Pistol for the AFP which took at least 3 months to deliver.

Normally it takes a lot of time for missiles to be manufactured, and the PAF is lucky for Raytheon to deliver the 1st tranche ahead of time. The next deliveries will be standard in terms of duration, and MaxDefense expects them to arrive in 2019 at worst, depending on Raytheon's ability to deliver ahead of schedule.

An AGM-65 Maverick missile attached to a LAU-177 single missile launch rail.
Credits to owner of photo.

The AGM-65G2 Maverick in brief:

The Raytheon AGM-65G2 Maverick is among the latest variants of the Maverick family of air-to-ground tactical missile used mainly by the US military and friendly nations. It was first introduced in the early 1970s with the US armed forces, and is very much combat proven and boasts an average kill accuracy of 93%.

It has an imaging infrared seeker, carrying a 300lb WDU-24/B penetrating blast fragmentation warhead, and is configured not just for anti-bunker/structure use, but can also be used for anti-tank operations. It can also be used by the Philippine Air Force against ships and naval targets, and other ground targets of interest. Raytheon also confirmed that it is accuracy of up to 1 meter.

While the effective range is classified, publicly available information refers that it can be effective up to 20 kilometers, although MaxDefense believes it could be more since this is usual protocol for manufacturers to not fully disclosed the actual capability of their missile products. MaxDefense noted this in a previous blog discussing the acquisition of Spike-ER missiles for the Philippine Navy.

While the only PAF aircraft capable of carrying the Maverick is the FA-50PH Fighting Eagle, any of the candidates of the PAF's future Multi-Role Fighter acquisition project from the Western world, including the Saab JAS-39 Gripen, Lockheed Martin F-16V Viper and Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, are also capable of firing the Maverick missile.


Looking Forward:

MaxDefense expects that once the Maverick missile shows its capabilities and become a successful munition for the Philippine Air Force, it is highly possible that more of the missiles will be acquired in the next Horizon phases of the PAF's Modernization Program. It is also highly possible that experience with the Maverick will allow the PAF to further into acquiring more capable air-to-ground missiles with higher range, larger warhead payload, and perform better despite costing more than the Maverick.

With this, the future's looking bright for the Philippine Air Force.

The PAF's multirole fighter of choice, the Saab JAS-39 Gripen, is seen here armed with two AGM-65 Maverick missiles, two AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles (which the PAF would be getting soon), and two RBS-15 anti-ship missiles.
Credits to owner of photo.

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Philippine Navy Receives First TCOM 28M Tethered Aerostat Radar System from US

After two years since it was allocated by the US government as a military air for the Philippines, it has finally arrived.

The Philippine Navy received its first Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS), which is among the military assistance promised by former Pres. Obama in 2015 under the US government's Southeast Asia Maritime Security Initiative.

The PN's first Tethered Aerostat Radar System. Due to obvious reasons, MaxDefense won't identify the location.
Photo exclusively shared to us by one of our MaxDefense Community member contributor who wish to remain anonymous.

The system uses the TCOM 28M Operational Class Aerostat System, which is a medium-sized aerostat made by American company TCOM L.P. which specializes in aerostat used for surveillance.

The system has a medium-range detection and monitoring capability that can detect maritime and air traffic operating below its domain. This is very much similar but a little simpler to the Tethered Aerostat Radar Systems used by the US Department of Homeland Security

An illustration on how surveillance aerostats work vis-a-vis an overall system. The surveillance aerostat provide information to the ground station, which can direct intercepting assets (air or sea) to the target.
Photo screen-grabbed from TCOM's Youtube video.

It is equipped with a downward looking radar that can detect sea surface, ground, amd low level aerial activities. Based on publicly available information, the aerostat's radar system can detect up to 90 miles at maximum operating height from its deployment area.

The TARS can be equipped with a variety of surveillance equipment including radar, EO/IR system, laser designator, and others.
Photo screen-grabbed from TCOM's Youtube video.

Problem with this is its dependent on weather to be deployed, as bad weather may affect its detection system, and may also damage or cut the tethering of the aerostat from the ground. But if this system works well, MaxDefense expects the PN to order more since one isn't enough considering the vast maritime donain of the country.

Thanks to one of our anonymous source for the photos.

MaxDefense discussed the Southeast Asia Maritime Security Initiative in its FB posts on April 2016. For more details you  may check this link:

"The Philippines at Forefront of New Pentagon Maritime Security Inititative"

In comparison, this is TARS of the US Homeland Security, mostly used for customs and border protection in the southern borders of the US mainland. They use the larger Lockheed Martin 420K Aerostat System, a different brand and model as those used by the Philippine Navy.
Photo taken from Wikimedia Commons.

All future updates and additional discussions on the Philippine Navy's Tethered Aerostat Radar System will be discussed in this blog entry.

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Philippine Army Receives Complete Shipment of ATGL-L RPGs, Immediately Puts into Service

For this past 2 weeks alone, there were several sightings in social media and news video reports confirming the presence of what appear to be RPG-7 launchers used by members of the Philippine Army. The rocket launchers are actually one of the expected acquisitions that has been ongoing for several years now, and were hoped to at least make some headway by now.

MaxDefense previously discussed the acquisition of RPG-7 in its older blog, with the link below:

"RPG-7(USA) FOR THE PHILIPPINE ARMY? NOT ANYMORE" - first posted January 15, 2014

After 2 weeks of silence, MaxDefense can at last confirm these capabilities now officially present with the Philippine Army. Not surprisingly, these RPGs are immediately put into use in the military operations in Marawi City in the hands of the Philippine Army's elite Scout Rangers. MaxDefense is still verifying if there are other units who already received the RPGs aside from the Rangers.

Arsenal's ATGL-L2, which MaxDefense believes is the variant the Philippine Army acquired.
Photo taken from Bulcomersks.com.

Acquisition of the RPG-7 for the Philippine Army:

The RPG-7 acquisition has been discussed previously by MaxDefense in  older blog entries, and has been in process for many years. Officially called the Rocket Launcher Light (RLL) acquisition project, it is funded under the original 1995 AFP Modernization Program covered by RA 7898, and has been in the planning process since the time of Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Originally with an Approved Budget of Contract (ABC) at Php 94.98 million, the project intended to acquire 355 RPG-7s and 4,813 rounds of assorted ammunition, and was supposed to be a US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) project. Eventually the approved contract amount was set at Php 81.73 million. The RPG launchers were supposed to be supplied by US arms manufacturer AirTronic USA with their RPG-7(USA) variant, until the said company failed to make sure it can supply the weapons as it faced bankruptcy issues in the US.

The Philippine Army was supposed to get the RPG-7(USA) variant from AirTronic USA but this was cancelled due to AirTronic's incapacity to deliver. This is now called the Precision Shoulder-Fire Rocket Launcher in AirTronic's product information sheets and website.
Credits to owner of photo.

Due to the delays in the project, price adjustments caught up with the project and the quantities were adjusted to 335 RPG-7 launchers and 3,272 rounds of ammunition for the same amount of Php 81.73 million.

Changes were made on the supplier in 2016, with JUSMAG sourcing it now to a US-accredited supplier from Bulgaria, which was also the approved supplier for the ammunition even when JUSMAG was still eyeing the launcher supply from AirTronic.

MaxDefense sources later identified this Bulgarian manufacturer as Arsenal JSCo, based in Kazanlak, Bulgaria. The company is represented in the Philippines by Intrade Asia Pacific, which is known to supply Sig Sauer, FN Herstal, and Oerlikon products to the AFP and PNP.

The ATGL-L family of rocket propelled grenade launcher from Bulgarian arms manufacturer Arsenal. Based on their own comparison table, only ATGL-L2 and ATGL-L5 are capable of firing thermobaric rounds, while only ATGL-L2, L4, and L5 can fire Fragmentation rounds.
Photo from forthungary.com.

Further adjustments were made again as further delays strained the project further, and the final number of RPG-7s bound for the Army under this deal was decreased to 250 units.

With Arsenal, they made upgrades on the standard RPG-7 and renamed them as the ATGL-L family of rocket propelled grenade launchers. MaxDefense believes that the variant the Philippine Army got was the ATGL-L2, which can fire HEAT, Fragmentation and Thermobaric rounds. All other variants of the ATGL-L family, except for the ATLG-L2 and L5, appear to not have this capability.

MaxDefense sources confirmed that the RPG rounds were delivered to AFP as early as last year, supplied by Arsenal JSCo, and were stored while waiting for the launchers to arrive. Delivered munitioms include High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) Anti Personnel Fragmentation, and Thermobaric rounds.


MaxDefense sources confirmed lately, and supported by latest updates from the AFP itself, that all 250 ATGL-L RPG launchers was suppose to arrive in the Philippines by July 2017.

But based on other information gathered by MaxDefense, it appears that there are a few units that were delivered by Arsenal through Intrade Asia Pacific for field trials, training and familiarization for operating units. Since only a few were made available, unit that received the launchers were from the Philippine Army Scout Rangers.

Based on feedbacks we receive from MaxDefense community members from the Army, the RPGs werr already used in combat as early as last year against Maute terrorists in Western Mindanao.

While a few arrived earlier, the bulk of the ordered RPG launchers arrived only recently, and some are now used in action in Marawi City against the Maute terrorist group. Footage and photos taken in Marawi City show members of the Scout Rangers using the ATGL-L in action.

As seen in this screengrab, a Philippine Army Scout Ranger is shown using an ATGL-L RPG against targets in Marawi City. This is not the first time it was shown publicly. On July 4, 2017, Scout Ranger Books' Facebook page showed a photo of a squad of resting Scout Rangers with what appears to be a very new RPG-7 launcher was posted.
Photos screen grabbed from GMA News 24 Oras.

MaxDefense has not yet receive any photos of the Philippine Army ATGL-L RPG but will be updating this blog entry once we receive one or more photos.


The RPG-7 and ATGL-L Family in Brief:

The RPG-7 (RPG stands for Rocket Propelled Grenade, or Ruchnoy Protivotankoviy Granatomyot in Russian), is a portable, reusable unguided shoulder launched anti-tank rocket propelled grenade launcher first introduced by the Soviet Union in 1961, and is among the first weapon used by the Armed Forces of the Philippines of Soviet origin. It is very simple to operate and maintain, and is very robust and rugged, with proven combat experience as a weapon by legitimate and illegitimate military organisations for decades now.

Arsenal's development of the RPG-7, the ATGL-L family, is said to be lighter than the standard RPG-7 due to the use of different material. It also allows the installation of a red dot sight, and other optics that may be acquired separately by the end user. It also has an option to install a bipod as shown on the photos above.

The weapon can be armed with different munitions, including single or tandem charge High Exposive Anti Tank (HEAT), Fragmentation anti-personnel, and Thermobaric rounds. So far MaxDefense can confirm the presence of HEAT and Fragmentation rounds, although it is widely known that since the Zamboanga City Siege a few years ago against rogue MNLF elements, the Philippine Army has been wanting to have a Thermobaric round capability, which is helpful in urban combat operations against structures and walls.

Shown here are examples of the different basic variants of ammunition used by the RPG-7 (from top to bottom): the single stage HEAT, tandem stage HEAT, Fragmentation, and Thermobaric
Photos taken from Wikipedia.

Rumors of Earlier Batch of RPGs:

MaxDefense received confirmation from one of its source that the Philippine Army actually already have a limited number of RPG-7s as early as 2012, from an unknown supplier, and were acquired with limited number of ammunition.

As MaxDefense normally takes at least 3 confirmations from reliable sources in the absense of photographic or video evidence, we take this report as a rumor for now.

MaxDefense will continue to search for more information regarding this claim, and see if there really are RPG-7s already with the Philippine Army for the last 5 years.




More RPGs and Munitions:

MaxDefense already received confirmation that among those the Philippine Army wishes to acquire in their Emergency Procurement for 2017 are thousands of RPG rounds in HEAT, Fragmentation, and Thermobaric variants. This initial requirements for Emergency Procurement were already approved for implementation by the Department of Budget Management and will be awarded to suppliers very soon.

Aside from munitions, the Philippine Army has another batch of RPG-7-type launchers that are to be acquired under the Horizon 1 phase of the Revised AFP Modernization Program covered under RA 10349. Originally this was supposed to be a follow-on order to the first batch, with the project supposed to be another US FMS. Originally it was supposed to include 744 RPG-7-type launchers and munitions with a total Approved Budget for Contract (ABC) of Php408 million.

But MaxDefense received a very lately information that while this is supposed to be another negotiated procurement under US FMS, the Philippine Army is awaiting for the result of discussions between the Department of National Defense (DND) and Russia's Ministry of Defense, as they are planning to make changes on the project should it would be easier to source it from Russia. This is already a delayed project so any further delay would be nothing new.




With these new capabilities, the Philippine Army has finally been able to hurdle projects that seemed to be forgotten due to delays on the RLL Phase 1 and 2 projects. MaxDefense expects further updates on these projects in the coming months, especially for the RLL Phase 2 since current events like the Marawi City crisis, the counter-terrorism drive of the Philippine government, and closer ties with Russia and China might affect the decision-making of its procurement.

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Armed Forces of the Philippines Receives First Shipment of Defense Aid from China

The Armed Forces of the Philippines finally received the first shipment of arms from the People's Republic of China, as promised by the Chinese government to Philippine Pres. Rodrigo Duterte during his engagements with them, and highlighted by his two visits he made to China in 2016 during his State Visit, and in 2017 during his attendance to the One Belt One Road Initiative meeting.

The Norinco CS/LR4 7.62x51mm Sniper Rifle. MaxDefense believes the AFP received 30 units from this shipment.
Photo taken and from Raffy Tima's Twitter page.

Pres. Duterte receives the Chinese donation of arms and ammo himself during ceremonies at Clark Air Base.
Photo taken from PTV4's FB page. Photo by Eunice Samonte.

Background:

With the blooming friendship between the China and the Philippines spearheaded by Pres. Duterte's foreign policies, the president was able to secure a US$14.4 million military assistance grant from the Chinese government, and also a possible credit line worth US$500 million to acquire Chinese-made arms and materiel.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines was requested to submit a wish list of items they are interested to procure from China, as well as what they would want to include in the military assistance grant. So far, reports these past few months were sketchy but the general consensus are for the acquisition of small arms and sniper rifles, corner shot weapons, fast boats, night vision systems, unmanned aerial systems, and bomb disposal equipment. Looking at this list, ot appears to be closer to materiel used in Internal Security Operations, considering that the main thrust of the Duterte administration is on fighting drug related crime and terrorism.

But on May 2017, Defense Sec  Delfin Lorenzana mentioned that the deliveries will include 4 fast boats, 200 sniper rifles, and several hundred Rocket Propelled Grenades with ammunition. No mention was made on all other items listed earlier.

So far no exact figures has been determined, except for the fast boat which was said to be four (4) units.


First Tranche of Arms:

The first shipment of donated arms to the AFP arrived at Clark Air Base in Pampanga on 28th June 2016, onboard four Ilyushin Il-76 transport planes of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). According to the introduction made by AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo Año, the distribution of the    v are, and I quote, "3,000 units of M4-type assault rifles with more than 5 million ammunition, and 90 units of sniper rifles with more than 800,000 ammunitions".

Crates of rifles and ammunition being prepared before the ceremony of acceptance.
Photo taken from Inquirer.net 

Based on photos and information released during the acceptance ceremonies yesterday, it appears that the rifles received are the Norinco CQ-A5 assault rifle, Norinco Type 85 semi automatic marksman rifles, and Norinco CS/LR4 bolt action sniper rifles, with associated ammunition.

The Norinco CQ-A. The AFP received the CQ-A5 variant.
Photo taken from the Small Arms Defense Journal.

The Norinco CQ-A is a Chinese copy of the C M4A1 5.56mm carbine of the US. While the AFP is very familiar with the M4, being a longtime user of the Colt M4 and M4A1 variants with special units, and having the Remington R4A3 as its new standard rifle for all Army and Marine units, the AFP is not very familiar with the CQ-A despite a lot of similarities with the M4. The AFP received the CQ-A5 variant.

The Norinco CS/LR4 rifle, also known as NSG-1.
Photo taken from Modernfirearms.net.

The CS/LR4 bolt action sniper rifle is a modern design from Norinco which chambered to 7.62mmx51 NATO. It is said to have a 1 minute of angle (1MOA) accuracy within 300 meters and has a maximum effective range of 800 meters. lt is equivalent to the Remington M24 Sniper Weapon System that snipers of the AFP are currently using.

The Norinco Type 85, a copy of the Soviet SVD Dragunov sniper rifle.

The Type 85 semi-automatic marksman / sniper rifle is a Chinese copy of the Soviet/Russian SVD-63 Dragunov 7.62x54mmR rifle but is said to be reverse-engineered to perform better than the original Soviet model.

Originally it is chambered on 7.62x54mmR round, but Norinco also produced a version chambered to 7.62x51mm NATO, similar to those used by the AFP. But based on the product info posted during the turnover ceremonies, it was described to be "7.62x54mm", as shown on the photo below. Thus these rifles are using ammunition that the AFP does not have in its inventory. It is highly possble then that most of the 800,000 7.62mm ammunition provided by China could be for the Type 85 marksman rifles.

The Type 85 rifles are labeled as chambered for 7.62x54mm, a round which is unavailable in AFP inventory.
Photo credited and taken from Eunice Samonte's FB page.

Sniper Rifle Quantities:

While the CSAFP already mentioned that there are 3,000 CQ-A rifles, we determine how CS/LR4 and Type 85 rifles are there, which was totalled as 90 units.

Each crate carries 5 sets of Type 85 rifles as shown on the photo below. this means that they could have arrived in 5s.

Each crate has 5 Type 85 marksman rifles and associated accessories inside.
Photo taken from PTV4's FB page, by Eunice Samonte.

Meanwhile, each CS/LR4 rifle is encased in a kit box as shown on the photo below.

The CS/LR4 sniper rifle comes in a hard carry-on box with all associated accessories inside.
Photo taken frm PTV4's FB page, photo by Eunice Samonte

This hard carry-on box kit is enclosed individually in a cardboard box, as shown on the photo below.

The Norinco CS/LR4 sniper rifle.
Photo taken from PTV4's FB page, photo by Eunice Samonte.

Based on one of the photos of below, it shows that there are at least 9 or 10 columns of brown cardboard boxes during the acceptance ceremonies:

10 columns of 3 boxes high is equivalent to 30 boxes. Thus China may have delivered 30 CS/LR4 sniper rifles.
Photo taken from PTV4's FB page, photo by Eunice Samonte.

If there are 30 CS/LR4 sniper rifles, then there are 60 other rifles out of 90, which could be the quantity of the Type 85 marksman rifles delivered to the AFP.

While there are only 90 rifles chambered in 7.62x51mm, China delivered more than 800,000 rounds! MaxDefense believes that these rounds are not just for these 90 rifles, but could also be to help the AFP in their requirements for more 7.62x51mm NATO rounds which is being used regularly by snipers and marksmen of the AFP. MaxDefense also believes that the AFP could be expecting more marksman and sniper rifles from China, as promised by the Chinese ambassador to the Philippines.


Who Decided on the Choices of Weapons?

It is rather surprising that China sent in 3,000 CQ-A5 rifles for the AFP when there is a consensus in the military that these copies of the M4 are inferior to those already in use by the AFP, specifically the M4, M4A1 and the R4A3. It is highly unlikely that the Philippine Army or any other service branch requested for these CQ-A5s as the lack of new assault rifles to replace the venerable M16 is already being addressed, and it is more logical to acquire more R4A3 rifles from Remington, or even M16/M4 byproducts from the Government Arsenal.

Samples of the rifles to be shown to Pres. Duterte just before the ceremonies.
Photo taken from Pia Ranada's Twitter page 

Meanwhile, it is a different case for marksman and sniper rifles. There currently is a strong need for new marksman rifles for the AFP as the current model used by regular infantry units, the old M14 rifle, are rapidly deteriorating and are already performing less than hoped for at most times. The delivery of 60 Type 85 Dragunovs are a welcome for our marksmen, but honestly it is insufficient in number. The same is true for the sniper rifle requirements of special operations and regular infantry units, they are in need of more sniper rifles, and 30 of the CS/LR4 is also insufficient despite being a welcome addition.

Thus, it is worth asking if the AFP was the one who specified the items for delivery or if it was a Chinese decision based on their point of view of the requirements?

MaxDefense believes that if the AFP was the one who made the choices, they could have asked for more of the Type 85s and CS/LR4 rifles rather than getting 3,000 CQ-A assault rifles.


Marketing Plan:

With the AFP actively in need of new rifles to replace the M16 and M14, and more sniper rifles to increase its capabilities, the arrival of these Norinco products allows their testing by the AFP in combat operations to see if they live up to expectations in terms of accuracy, dependability, consistency and build quality. There is a strong consensus in the Philippines that Chinese arms are inferior, something the China would be happy to disprove, if they can.

It also is a gamble for China to allow a pro-Western military likethe AFP to test their products in real world situations, as it they would be comparing it to the usual Western-sourced arms that they have been using for decades. But should these Chinese products perform well, it gives Chinese arms manufacturers like Norinco a chance to entice the AFP to buy more Chinese products in the future considering Norinco not only manufacture small arms but also armored vehicles and even missile systems.


Benefits for China:

Symbolisms are also high in this deal.

In a period when major powers are contributing in the fight against the growing ISIS threat, China has so far been less active with almost no troops on the ground nor any deployments to help fight the ISIS in the Middle East.

The idea that Chinese weapons are used to fight ISIS terrorists could be used as good publicity for the Chinese government. Imagine photos of their weapons in action and used by Philippine forces could bid China well in political standing and can be used as propaganda to the Chinese general public back home.

This show by China that they can try to match America's military assistance (who recently just provided weapons and equipment to the Philippine Marines Special Operations Group) which also allows China to put more pressure on the Philippine government (and to the pro-US armed forces as well) to reduce dependence on the US and keep the Philippines at bay while the territorial issues in the West Philippine Sea remains unsettled.

Will China be able to gain influence within the Philippine military just like what the US has? MaxDefense believes it will take time for such to happen. If the next presidential administration goes back to being closer to the US than China, then it might not even happen at all in the near future. But its still a big question if the Philippines' good  and growing relationship with China continues after Duterte. But definitely this is a start of it.

A People's Liberation Army Air Force Ilyushin Il-76 together with P-3 Orions from the US Navy and the Royal Australian Air Forcr in Clark Air Base. who would have thought that this could even happen.
Photo taken and credited to Raffy Tima.

Despite all these, a military assistance is still an assistance that is gratefully accepted by the country, in the same way any assistance fromany other country is accepted with gratitude.

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Unannounced and Upcoming Ship Retirements with the Philippine Navy - BRP Iloilo, BRP Heneral Emilio Aguinaldo and BRP Rajah Humabon

MaxDefense has consistently been discussing the impending retirement of older assets as they become less capable in safely and efficiently conducting their duties to secure and defend the Philippines' territorial waters, exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and interests in the East and West Philippine Seas. As a ship ages, the hull becomes more stressed and its technology becomes obsolete.There will come a time where repair and replacement becomes financially not viable, or sometimes even impossible due to excessive damage or stress.

Japanese sailors return the salute to the men and women of BRP Rajah Humabon (PS-11) during a recent Passing Exercise (PASSEX) with the JMSDF. It also is a way of saying "Thank You" and "Goodbye", something related to the upcoming retirement of the ship.
Photo taken from the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force's FB page.

As we speak, the Philippine Navy is not only having rapidly ageing, or too aged ships and equipment in its fleet and arsenal, but also reduced numbers due to retirement without replacement. MaxDefense last reported about the retirement of BRP Iloilo (PS-32), which MaxDefense sources confirmed to have happened in September 2016. The BRP Iloilo is a Miguel Malvar-class patrol vessel / Patrol Craft Escort (PCE) which was in service with the Philippine Navy from 1948 to 2016, and was indirectly replaced by the Del Pilar-class frigate BRP Andres Bonifacio (FF-17) which was commissioned on July 2016. But in reality the Andres Bonifacio is actually an asset which was supposed to increase the fleet numbers of the Philippine Navy to what it was in the 1980s when it has more than 6 "frigates" (consisting of destroyer escorts and high endurance cutters) at its disposal.

The BRP Iloilo (PS-32), which was seen here as of February 2017 without its weapon and sensors systems, and was said to awaiting disposal as its useful parts were "transplanted" to its active sisterships. The ships was confirmed by sources as decommissioned in September 2016.
Photo credited and owned by Cdr. Alfred  Kenneth Tingabngab, PN (ret.), who allowed us to be used @ MaxDefense Philippines, and first appeared in our Facebook page post last February 6, 2017.

But it appears that no major publicly available media outlet or website, not even MaxDefense Philippines, was able to report on the retirement of another asset of the Philippine Navy, specifically the Littoral Combat Force (LCF) which is in charge of inshore naval patrol and support.



Retirement of BRP Heneral Emilio Aguinaldo (PG-140)

With the shoulder-tap from one of our community member - contributor who shared a photo, MaxDefense Philippines checked with sources to confirm what appears to be another Philippine Navy ship that is stripped off its weapons and appears to be in very poor physical condition and awaiting disposal.

The BRP Hen. Emilio Aguinaldo (PG-140) seen here in better times in June 2011.
Photo owned and credited to Mr, James Gabriel Verallo, and was taken from his Flickr account.

It turns out, and confirmed by naval sources of MaxDefense, that the BRP Heneral Emilio Aguinaldo (PG-140), the lead ship and last ship remaining in service of the Heneral Emilio Aguinaldo-class inshore patrol vessel, has already been decommissioned from Philippine Navy service. While there is no confirmation yet on the actual date of decommissioning, it could have happened sometime in mid 2016 based on the information below.

BRP Hen. Emilio Aguinaldo was shown here as of June 7, 2017 in Cebu. It was already stripped off its weapon systems, and still useful parts that could be used by other ships in the fleet.
Photo owned and credited to ship spotter MBB8356 / Mark Baylon, whose photos were taken from his Flickr page.

Another check of photos from our contributor showed that the ship appears to still be with complete weapons and sensors systems, even up to the bridge glass curtains as of April 2015.

It appears that there were already pre-cursor information that we have received as early as April 2016 in our MaxDefense Philippines @ Facebook community page, wherein one of our community members who worked on the assessment of the ship's condition confirmed that the BRP Hen. Emilio Aguinaldo has a very poor hull condition, and was checked as having thousands of holes in its hull while dry-docked in Cebu. A photo of the PG-140's hull was shared by one of our MaxDefense community members but we believe it is best not to post it publicly. Prior to its dry-docking, the ship was said to have been stripped off its weapons and sensors, conducted build-up welding to keep her afloat, and was towed from Cavite to Cebu. This could have been a reason for its sudden retirement, as the ship is considered unsafe to use.

Considering that the photo above of the stripped PG-140 which was also taken in Cebu, the ship did not sail anymore since then and was just brought to its current resting place while awaiting for decision on how to dispose the hull.

BRP Hen. Emilio Aguinaldo is seen here with BRP Boni Serrano (PG-111) in Cebu as of April 2015. Back then she appears to still be in service put is limited in conducting patrols within calmer interior waters.
Photo owned and credited to Mr. John Carlos Cabanillas, whose photo was taken from his Flickr page.

Upcoming Retirement of BRP Rajah Humabon:

As early as last year, MaxDefense has already mentioned in some of its comment posts in the MaxDefense Philippines @ Facebook community page, that there were already unconfirmed information coming out that BRP Rajah Humabon (PS-11) the former flagship of the Philippine Navy, will be the next to retire.

As confirmed by several MaxDefense sources, this plan to retire the old rajah from service is finally coming into reality.

The Philippine Navy is scheduled to finally decommission the 74-year old destroyer escort by 4th quarter of 2017, most probably between September and November 2017.

The BRP Rajah Humabon is formerly the US Navy destroyer escort USS Atherton. In this photo, USS Atherton was seen in action during World War 2, dropping depth charges while hunting for the German submarine U-853, which she is credited of destroying. This makes the ship among the only active warship in the world credited of sinking an enemy submarine.
Photo taken from DESAUSA.org's website.

Signs were already coming out of her impending retirement, including the bypass of her scheduled dry-docking which should have been made either in 2015 or 2016. In comparison, as mentioned in our posts a few days ago at the MaxDefense Philippines @ Facebook page, the scheduled dry-docking of BRP Pangasinan (PS-31), BRP Magat Salamat (PS-20) and BRP Sultan Kudarat (PS-22) were signs that they would be staying in service longer. The Philippine Navy would not spend more money on ships that are retiring anytime, and the release of Invitation to Bid to dry-dock and repair them confirms their continued service.

Another sign happened last year, when the Philippine Navy started implementing a new hull numbering and classification system. The new classification downgraded the BRP Rajah Humabon from a frigate (PF-11) to a patrol vessel (PS-11), instead of retaining it as a frigate with the anticipated hull number FF-11.

Based on information received by MaxDefense, the BRP Rajah Humabon is currently operating only as a ceremonial ship used to welcome visiting foreign warships entering Manila Bay, represent the Philippine Navy in PASSEX, and is used as a training ship.

The BRP Rajah Humabon (PS-11) as seen here conducting Passing Exercises (PASSEX) with the JS Izumo, currently Japan's largest warship, just before it leaves the Philippines a few days ago. BRP Rajah Humabon was also the PN ship that escorted the Japanese flotilla when it arrived for a goodwill visit to the Philippines.
Photo taken from Japan Maritime Self Defense Force's FB page.

The ship was found to be beyond economic repair, as signs of ageing has already affected the integrity of the ship's hull and frame, as well as on the actual physical condition of the ship. This is not to mention the obsolescence of all its working subsystems including weapons, sensors, mechanical and electrical, electronics, and hydraulics.

Another reason to retire the ship is more of an emotional decision, to drive the Philippine Navy to strive harder in acquiring newer assets and modernize the fleet. It is a sign of renewal in the Philippine Navy's mindset of maintaining obsolete assets instead of replacing them with new ones.

The impending retirement is also in anticipation on the arrival of the Philippine Navy's upcoming new asset, the Pohang-class corvette formerly known as ROKS Chungju of the Republic of Korea Navy, which is also scheduled to arrive sometime between September and October 2017.

There is currently no information yet on what the Philippine Navy intends to do with the ship once it retires, despite calls by many enthusiasts and former crew members of the ship (while in service with the US Navy and Philippine Navy, and probably with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force where she served after World War 2) to convert her into a museum or display ship. Based on observations alone, it is highly unlikely to be converted to a museum, as it means the Philippine Navy will be pushed to allocate funding to it while they are already having problems obtaining funding for active serving warships to be at sea.

Below is a video taken and posted by David Grindley on Youtube, showing the BRP Rajah Humabon (PS-11) entering Subic Bay. This is probably among the last pristine video you may find of the ship as it goes for retirement in a few months time.

MaxDefense will definitely post any updates on the BRP Rajah Humabon's retirement, as well as any other related information to the plan, which will be made available in our Facebook community page.

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Embraer Advances in Philippine Air Force's Close Air Support Aircraft Acquisition Project (Horizon 1)

The acquisition of the Philippine Air Force's (PAF) next Close Air Support Aircraft has finally reached an important milestone after 4 years of failing to have it move beyond planning and pre-bid conferences.

On June 7, 2017, the Submission and Opening of Bid Envelopes (SOBE) finally went through with a bidder announced as the Sole Compliant Bidder, pending settlement of issues of another bidder.

The A-29 Super Tucano, Embraer's bid for the Philippine Air Force's Close Air Support Aircraft acquisition project under the Horizon 1 phase of the AFP Modernization Program.

Prior to SOBE:

MaxDefense previously mentioned in its Facebook community page post that there were at least three expected bidders who were present in the Pre-Bid Conference held last May 2017. The Pre-Bid Conference is a meeting wherein the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) and prospective bidders and their suppliers are given the chance to clarify items specified in the Bid Documents, mostly paper works, permits, and financial requirements, aside from the Technical Specifications of the product being eyed for supply.

Three prospective bidders were present then: 

Aero Vodochody of Czech Republic, who was offering their L-39NG, a new product but was derived from the proven L-39 Albatross advance jet trainer. Apparently the initial offer made by Aero Vodochody is for six (6) brand new armed L-39NG, and two refurbished L-39 Albatross trainers upgraded to L-39NG standard. 

Aero Vodochody offered the L-39NG, which is a new development of the original L-39 Albatross advance jet trainer. The L-39NG are either made brand new, or are upgraded L-39s. 

Embraer of Brazil, which offered their EMB-314 / A-29 Super Tucano. Previously MaxDefense mentioned in an earlier blog entry that the Super Tucano was the PAF's favorite, and is "unofficially" the basis for the CAS aircraft project's technical specifications;

The Super Tucano is the said to be the favorite among PAF pilots, and is the most proven among the products offered.
Photo taken from the Colombian Defense Forum @ webinfomil.com, 

Textron Aviation - Beechcraft of the US, which submitted their AT-6 Wolverine, an armed variant of the successful Beechcraft T-6 Texan II aircraft family used by numerous countries including the US military.

Textron Aviation offered the AT-6 Wolverine for the PAF's CAS aircraft acquisition project. They have been lobbying for the type for years now.

There were other avaiation companies that showed interest on the project, including Turkish Aerospace Industries, which according to MaxDefense sources, discussed with the PAF regarding their armed variant of the Hürkųs, and Korea Aerospace Industries who previously made known its intention to offer the KA-1 Woongbi light attack aircraft. Both companies did not submit a bid. KAI proba ly determined early on that their product do not meet the Technical Specifications, while TAI did not have enough time to prepare their bid for the project.

Bid Submission Period:

Of the three expected bidders, only two formally submitted a bid to the Bids and Awards Committee, and these are Embraer and Textron Aviation-Beechcraft.

Like most biddings for AFP Modernization Projects, bidders are required to submit two envelopes. The first is the Eligibility and Technical Component, while the second is the Financial Component. The former includes all documentation requirements related to the company and the product as well as their capabilities as a supplier. Meanwhile the latter envelope contains the financial aspects of the bid, including the amount they are bidding for the project.

The process in opening bids by the BAC is to first open the Eligibility and Technical Component envelope, and check its compliance to requirements, before opening the envelope for the Financial Component.

Both of Embraer's bid envelopes were opened without any issue. But when Textron's Eligibility and Technical Component envelope was opened, the BAC found out that there are problems with the eligibility documents. Due to this, Textron was immediately disqualified, and opening of their Financial Component envelope did not proceed. This made it impossible for BAC and everyone else to know how much Textron's bid was.

This means Embraer is considered the Single Lowest Calculated Compliant Bidder, effectively winning the bid. But rules also allow Textron three (3) working days to file a Motion for Reconsideration that will ask the BAC to reconsider allowing their bid documents to be approved and be given the chance to have their Financial Component envelope be opened to determine if they outbid Embraer and take the position as the Lowest Calculated Compliant Bidder.

Based on MaxDefense sources, Embraer's bid is almost US$2 million lower than the ABC, surprising considering that MaxDefense believes that the ABC itself is already on the low side compared to acquisitions deals made by other countries with Embraer for the Super Tucano aircraft.

The Super Tucano made an appearance in the Philippines early 2016, and was flight tested by 15th Strike Wing pilots assisted by Embraer test pilots. The test unit was seen here (above) in Danilo Atienza Air Base in Cavite.
Photo taken from Pinoy Aviators Facebook page.

What are the Chances of Textron to Bounce Back?

When BAC gave Textron time to contest the bid results, many observers including PAF officers believe that Textron's chances of gaining a foothold after their debacle is too low. For one, the documents missing are not difficult to attain and could be a sign of the Textron tender team's carelessness. MaxDefense believes heads will roll in Textron because of this.

After the SOBE itself, no further documents can be submitted since it is unfair for the other bidders. Only extraordinary reasons might be given a chance, and this does not happen often as seen in dozens of big ticket item SOBEs in the past 5 years concerning the AFP Modernization Program projects.

But as respect to Textron, MaxDefense did not publish Embraer's win last June 7,  just to make sure that Embraer's win would not contested by anyone. But it appears that Textron will not contest the results of the bidding, giving a reason for MaxDefense to post this blog entry.

It is also surprising to note that the BAC agreed that Textron Defense's AT-6 Wolverine was found compliant of the technical specifications provided by the Philippine Air Force, considering that previous discussions we had mentioned that there are several parameters wherein the AT-6 might be at a disadvantage considering the PAF closely used the Super Tucano as basis for its specifications.

MaxDefense believes that if Textron did not mess up their bid submission, there is a chance that they could have been declared the Lowest Compliant Bidder, 


What's Next?

With Embraer already considered the Sole Compliant Bidder, the Philippine Air Force will be conducting Post-Bid Qualification Inspections to confirm the submitted documents of Embraer, while also checking Embraer's aircraft manufacturing as well as the Super Tucano itself. This would probably be done in Embraer's facility in Brazil.

Once they get the conformance approval from the PQ inspection team, the PAF would make a recommendation for the DND to provide a Notice/Letter of Award to Embraer which fomally signifies the awarding of the project to Embraer, and with that a Contract will follow between the two parties.

Once a Letter of Credit and Notice to Proceed from the DND/PAF will be provided to Embraer, it is the signal that  the implementation of the contract has started, and this is where the count-off for the manufacturing and delivery milestones get its basis.

Based on the bid  requirements of the project, Embraer should be able to deliver all six aircraft by 2019. 

It means the PAF's OV-10 Broncos will have to shoulder on a few years more. These ageing assets are in need of immediate replacement, despite their spectacular performance providing close air support and surgical strike missions against Maute terrorists in Marawi City.

Despite their spectacular performance in conducting surgical strike and close air support to ground forces in Marawi City, the OV-10 Broncos are in need of immediate replacement as the platforms are ageing fast.
Photo taken from Associated Press.

Beyond Horizon 1:

While the total number of aircraft for this specific deal only covers six (6) aircraft, the plan is for to acquire more aircraft in the next Horizon phases of the Philippine Air Force's Modernization Program.

Depending on the version of the Horizon 2-3 wish list submitted by the Philippine Air Force, the common plan is to get a total of 24 Close Air Support Aircraft to replace both the OV-10 Bronco and the SF-260TP used by the 16th and 17th Attack Squadrons of the 15th Strike Wing.

This means 18 aircraft more are needed by the PAF, and based on the submitted Horizon 2 proposal by the AFP and DND to Malacanang early this year, all 18 aircraft will be for acquisition within Horizon 2.

In the end, its up to the blessings of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte to make sure this plan happens, considering that Close Air Support to ground troops has shown its importance during the ongoing Marawi City occupation by Maute and Abu Sayyaf terrorists. The president, based on his previous speeches, has given his approval to acquire more propeller-powered attack aircraft, which he believes are cheaper and easier to maintain and operate than jet aircraft.



But for now, MaxDefense looks forward for Embraer passing the Post Qualification Inspection, which is already being prepared as of this writing.

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