AFP Modernization News Roundup, February 20, 2022

********************

February 21, 2022: PT Dirgantara Indonesia offering their CN235 Aircraft to the Philippine Air Force (PAF); The United States (US) donated a Pier and Maintenance Facility to the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) for use with six Riverine Crafts arriving later, and Weapons Systems are now being installed on the latest Multi-Purpose Attack Craft Mark Three (MPAC Mk 3) Vessels of the Philippine Navy (PN)

AFP Modernization News Roundup, February 12, 2022

******************

February 13, 2022: China turned over its first Batch of Equipment Donation worth Cny 76 million or Php 608 million to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) while the United States (US) turned over to the Philippine Navy (PN) four Cessna 172 Skylark Trainer Aircraft worth Usd 2.2 million or Php 112 million. The US will also be donating three Robinson R44 Helicopters to the Philippines later this Year

AFP Modernization News Roundup, February 9, 2022

******************

February 10, 2022: A Cessna 208 Caravan Aircraft for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) will be provided to the Philippines from the United States (US), and another bidding is coming up this Month of February 2022 for the two new Landing Docks (LD) of the Philippine Navy (PN)

Check out my Links: https://linktr.ee/rhk111

Don’t forget to click on the Ads or to donate to help support this Website. 

AFP Modernization News Roundup, January 31, 2022

*******************

February 1, 2022: The Contract for the BrahMos Missiles of the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) has been signed. These will reportedly have two Missiles per Launcher, or six Missiles at the ready per Battery, and Turkey is offering their STM500 Mini Submarine to the Philippine Navy (PN)

Check out my Links: https://linktr.ee/rhk111

Don’t forget to click on the Ads or to donate to help support this Website. 

AFP Modernization News Roundup, January 27, 2022

*****************

January 28, 2022: The Philippine Army (PA) plans to also get the BrahMos Missiles while signing of the Contract for the BrahMos of the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) could be done on January 28, 2022. A Pohang class Corvette will be donated by South Korea within this Year of 2022, and China has donated Cny 130 million or Php 1 billion worth of Equipment to the Philippine Military

AFP Modernization News Roundup, January 19, 2022

*****************

January 20, 2022: The Notice of Award for 32 more S-70i Black Hawk Helicopters was already released last December 28, 2021 while the delivery of the PJ-10 BrahMos Missiles could start by next Year in 2023

AFP Modernization News Roundup, January 12, 2022

*********************

January 13, 2022: No delivery confirmation yet for the T129B ATAK Helicopters, Cardom Mortar Carriers and Tank Gunnery Simulator delivered

AFP Modernization News Roundup, January 9, 2022

*******************

January 10, 2022: Updates on the acquisition of more Black Hawk Helicopters, and on the deliveries of the Sabrah ASCOD Light Tank, T129B ATAK Helicopter and Soltam ATMOS Self-Propelled Howitzers (SPH)

Contracts for the Black Hawk Helicopters, OPVs and Shore-based Missiles could be signed soon

*****************

February 2, 2022: The entire Month of January 2022 has passed, but no announcements yet by the Department of National Defense (DND) that the Contracts for more S-70i Black Hawk Helicopters and the acquisition of the Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) had been signed. They had earlier planned to have the Contracts for both to be signed within that Month

T129 ATAK Helicopter Pictures and AFP Modernization Updates, December 7, 2021

Check out my Links: https://linktr.ee/rhk111

Don’t forget to click on the Ads or to donate to help support this Website. 

AFP Modernization Update from Sec. Lorenzana’s Dec. 16, 2020 Speech

Sec. Lorenzana during his Speech onboard the BRP Tarlac last December 16,2020

Among the things mentioned by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana in his Speech during the 2020 Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Fleet Review and Wing Flyby last December 16, 2020 were some updates about the AFP Modernization. I am summarizing them below:

* The AFP Modernization Fund for 2021 is Php 27 billion

AFP Modernization Update – Dec. 10, 2020

Some updates about the Modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) from Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana in his Interview with PTV last December 10, 2020, and unfortunately they are not good. 

* First off, he said that the Budget for the Modernization of the AFP for 2021 was only Php 31 billion, lower than what was previously reported because of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) Pandemic. You can watch him say this starting from the 4:24 mark of his Interview

DND plans to spend Php 58 billion for the AFP Modernization in 2021

The Department of National Defense (DND) is planning to spend Php 58 billion in 2021 for the Modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Other details of the Budget allocation for the AFP Modernization in 2021 are as follows: 

* The Php 8 billion reallocated this Year (2020) from the AFP Modernization Budget to fight the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) Pandemic has been returned

* The annual Php 25 billion allocation for the AFP Modernization Budget will be there in 2021

Php 9.4 billion allocated for the AFP Modernization in 2019 went unspent, was reallocated to fight Covid-19

During a recent Budget Hearing, it was revealed that of the Php 25 billion that was released in 2019 for the Modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), only Php 16 billion was spent or used in time in 2019. 

Php 9.4 billion went unspent or unused, and as a result it was reallocated to help fight the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) Pandemic. 

I was able to watch a Video of the Hearing, and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana’s answer to this was that they intended to use that Php 9.4 billion this Year (2020), but the restrictions brought about by the Covid-19 Pandemic kept them from doing so. 

AFP Modernization Status Update – Oct. 12, 2020

The BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150) Frigate of the Philippine Navy, one of the Products of the ongoing AFP Modernization. Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Just breaking down the Inquirer’s Article on the Status of the Modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) based on Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana’s Testimony before the Senate during a Budget Hearing: 

* The AFP Modernization Horizon 1 Program from 2013 to 2017 had a total of 53 Approved Projects worth Php 97 billion. 

The Commission on Audit criticizes the AFP for delays in its Modernization Projects due to Technical Shortcomings

The Commission on Audit (COA) criticized the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for the poor implementation of its Modernization Projects due to, and I quote, “failure to conduct detailed Engineering investigations, Surveys and Designs prior to bidding and Award of Contract”.

COA noted down the following issues on the AFP’s Modernization Projects:

* 28 Projects costing Php 5.7 billion not completed within the specific Contract time. 
-  Some of these Projects were completed only in the last Quarter of 2019 even if their Contract Delivery Dates were supposed to be in 2018.
- 11 of these 28 Projects were still ongoing as of December 31, 2019 even if their Contract Delivery Dates were supposed to be in 2018 and early 2019.

RE: Php 9.4 billion worth of Defense Modernization Projects moved for possible later Funding

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said that Php 9.4 billion of Funds for the Modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) was reallocated for use to fight against the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) Pandemic.

Funds for these Projects may be provided in the next couple of Years. Among the Projects that were defunded include:

* Php 3.5 billion for the C4ISTAR Project of the Philippine Army (PA);

AFP Modernization Notes – July 20, 2020

A somewhat confusing article from One News of the effect of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) on the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), but let me try to summarize some of the important points:

* The article talked about the delay in the signing of the Contract for PJ-10 BrahMos Missiles of the Philippine Army (PA) in May 2020, but sources in India reported a week or so ago that the Contract is expected to be signed within this 3rd Quarter of 2020.

AFP Modernization Bits and Pieces – May 12, 2020

A good amount of bits and pieces about the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) from this article of One News:

* The Australian company Austal Ltd. and American company Cerberus Capital Management are reportedly in the final stages of negotiations with the Philippine government and several Banks to take over the operations of the South Korean company Hanjin in Subic as per the Philippine Navy (PN) Chief Vice Admiral Giovanni Bacordo.

* Austal has now reportedly won the Contract for the Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) of the PN, but no indication in the article if the Contract has already been signed.

* Operations of the Subic Shipyard could take more than a year to start since it has to be repurposed from producing Civilian Supertankers to Warships.

* The United States Navy (USN) could move back to its Ship Repair Facility in Subic if the deal pushes thru.

* The PN could also set up a 100 hectare Base in Subic for Ship Repair.

* The United States (US) reportedly fiercely lobbied with the Philippine Government against a Chinese Company taking over Subic.

* Philippine Officials assured Austal and Cerberus that the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) will not affect their takeover of Hanjin’s Subic operations.

* Anonymous sources from the Department of National Defense (DND) said that the Philippine Air Force (PAF) did consider the Hind and Havoc Attack Helicopters from Russia, but chose the T129 ATAK instead due to what they said was “high cost and interoperability”.

* The Americans have reportedly lowered the prices of their AH-1Z Viper and AH-64E Apache Attack Helicopters, and offered secondhand refurbished units along with the package.

* Secondhand and older versions of the AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopters were reportedly offered to the Philippine Army (PA).

* An anonymous Colonel of the PA said that the PAF should decide by July 2020 to continue with the T129 ATAK Helicopter purchase because if not, the Php 13.8 billion budget for the Project will be reverted back to the Philippine Government’s Treasury by December 2020.

****************

Well if this pushes thru, then the Filipino Puppies of the Americans will be happy about if their Masters will be back at Subic. More opportunity for them to be petted and to play catch with.

Also an opportunity for the Americans to possibly put up more Spy Equipment here in the Philippines. Remember a couple of months ago when I posted an article about how the Americans were actively using the Bases in Subic and Clark to install Intelligence Monitoring Equipment to monitor the Philippines.

Notice also how the Americans reportedly interfered again with our affairs by fiercely lobbying against a Chinese company taking over Subic, but only because it is to their advantage. Remember that they told us last year (2019) as reported in newspaper articles that the Mutual Defense Treay (MDT) does not include our claimed Territories in the South China Sea (SCS).

The Americans are as usual offering us the usual secondhand, refurbished equipment if we cannot afford their very expensive Military Equipment. The US armed forces are used to having these very expensive Military Equipment since they are the biggest spenders in the entire world on Defense.

Their Defense Budget is so large that it is equivalent to more than half a dozen Countries that are next in line in terms of Defense Budget Ranking.

SOURCE: US Navy eyes return to Subic Bay in a Commercial Deal

Check out my Links: https://linktr.ee/rhk111

AFP Modernization Bits and Pieces - April 28, 2020

Just some developments about the Modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP):

* The Flag Officer in Command (FOIC) of the Philippine Navy (PN) Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo said that the delivery of the BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150) Frigate has been delayed from this month to a later date.

* An anonymous source says that the delivery of the BRP Jose Rizal could be moved to next month (May 2020).

* Contract signing of the BrahMos missiles from India for the Philippine Army (PA) originally scheduled for this month (April 2020) has been cancelled, no new date has been set yet.

* The PA has signed the Contract for Self-Propelled Howitzers (SPH) with an Israeli company

SOURCE: COVID-19 Pandemic affects even Phl Military’s Modernization

Check out my Links: https://linktr.ee/rhk111