The Armed Forces of the Philippines will be purchasing more than P100 million worth of 20 mm ammunition for its two brand new supersonic FA-50 lead-in fighters from South Korea.
The Department of National Defense will be spending P106.138 million for the 93,600 rounds of 20 mm ammunition to make the newest jets of the Philippine Air Force combat ready.
Winning bidders are required to deliver the ammunition within 360 calendar days.
These will be used to arm the FA-50PH’s modified A50 gun system, which is usually employed in close-quarter fighting and strafing missions.
“Part of the procurement process is the armament system for our FA-50 fighters. This purchase is part of the arms acquisition package for our aircraft,” said Col. Restituto Padilla, AFP’s spokesperson.
At the same time, the military is also allocating P33.7 million pesos for the FA-50’s countermeasures project.
The Department of National Defese will be purchasing 17,280 RR-170 Chaffs along with 8,640 MJU-7 infrared flares with impulsive cartridges for the Elbit Elisra countermeasure dispenser system of the FA-50 fighter jets.
The two FA-50 lead-in fighters from the Korea Aerospace Industry were delivered to the country in November 2015, the remaining 10 aircraft will be delivered in batches until 2017.
-John Esconde
