The following is a list of active military aircraft of the Philippines .
Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fixed-Wing Aircraft | |||||
Short 330 | United Kingdom | Utility aircraft | 1 | ||
Cessna 206 | United States | utility | 1 | [1] | |
Cessna 172 | United States | utility | 172M | 2 | (PA-071 & PA-072) [1] |
Cessna 150 | United States | utility | 150 | 1 | (PA-911) [2] |
Rotary-Wing Aircraft | |||||
MBB Bo 105 | Germany | Utility helicopter | Bo-105 | 4 | t/n 203 donated by Manny V. Pangilinan, to be used to prepare for larger helicopters. t/n 224 donated by Dornier Technologies in October 2022. t/n 222 and 223 are also donated by still unidentified groups. |
Robinson R44 | United States | trainer | R44 Raven II | 2 | Serves as a trainer aircraft for the future acquisition of helicopters in the Army. [3] |
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle | |||||
Hermes 450 | Israel | tactical UAV | (+4) [4] | Tier III UAV. Only 1 system made up of 4 UAVs and a ground control station. | |
Skylark | Israel | hand-launched UAV catapult-launched UAV | Skylark I-LEX [5] Skylark 3 | - | Tier I UAV. Acquired under USD180 million deal. [6] Tier II UAV. Acquired under USD180 million deal. [6] |
Thor | Israel | VTOL UAV | (+1066) | Tier I UAV. 533 systems made up of 2 UAV each. Acquired under deal with Elbit [7] under a USD153 million deal. [8] | |
DJI Phantom | China | VTOL UAV | Phantom 3 Professional Phantom 4 | unknown | Commercial drones bought off-the-shelf by Philippine Army units. [9] |
Raptor Knight Falcon | Philippines | miniature UAV | 2(+1) [10] | The first drone, it is smaller and has less endurance than the Knight Falcon. [11] The second drone. A third unnamed drone is in the works. [10] [11] |
Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Maritime patrol | ||||||
Beechcraft King Air | United States | utility / patrol | TC-90 | 5 [12] | ex-JMSDF | |
Britten-Norman BN-2 | United Kingdom | patrol / utility | BN-2A | 5 [12] | ||
Helicopters | ||||||
Leonardo AW159 | United Kingdom | utility / ASW | 2 [12] | |||
AgustaWestland AW109 | Italy | utility / SAR | 5 [12] | |||
Trainer Aircraft | ||||||
Cessna 172 | United States | trainer / light utility | 4 [13] | |||
Robinson R44 | United States | rotorcaft trainer | 3 on order [13] |
Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fixed-wing Aircraft | ||||||
BN-2 Islander | United Kingdom | SAR | BN-2A | 2 | ||
Cessna 208 Caravan | United States | SAR | 208EX | 1 [14] | 1 on order. [14] | |
Helicopters | ||||||
MBB Bo 105 | Germany | SAR | Bo 105C | 1 | 1 of 2 grounded. [15] | |
Airbus H145 | Germany | SAR | H145 | 2 [16] [17] | 5 more units planned to be acquired to complete the Maritime Disaster Response Helicopter Acquisition Project of the PH Coast Guard which requires 7 multirole helicopters. [18] |
The IAI Heron (Machatz-1) is a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by the Malat (UAV) division of Israel Aerospace Industries. It is capable of Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) operations of up to 52 hours' duration at up to 10.5 km (35,000 ft). It has demonstrated 52 hours of continuous flight, but the effective operational maximal flight duration is less, according to payload and flight profile. An advanced version, the Heron TP, is also known as the IAI Eitan.
Elbit Systems Ltd. is an Israel-based international defense electronics company engaged in a wide range of programs throughout the world. The company, which includes Elbit Systems and its subsidiaries, operates in the areas of aerospace, land and naval systems, command, control, communications, computers, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR), unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), advanced electro-optics, electro-optic space systems, electronic warfare suites, signal intelligence (SIGINT) systems, data links and communications systems and radios. The company also focuses on the upgrading of existing military platforms, developing new technologies for defense, homeland security and commercial aviation applications and providing a range of support services, including training and simulation systems. In 2016, Elbit Systems had approximately 13,895 employees, the majority of whom are engaged in engineering, mechanics, research and development, and other computing and technical areas. Elbit Systems' shares are traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and NASDAQ.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is recognized as the third armed uniformed service of the country attached to the Philippines' Department of Transportation, tasked primarily with enforcing laws within Philippine waters, conducting maritime security operations, safeguarding life and property at sea, and protecting marine environment and resources; similar to coast guard units around the world. In case of a declaration of war, the Coast Guard shall also serve as an attached service of the Department of National Defense.
The Boeing Insitu ScanEagle is a small, long-endurance, low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) built by Insitu, a subsidiary of Boeing, and is used for reconnaissance. The ScanEagle was designed by Insitu based on the Insitu SeaScan, a commercial UAV that was intended for fish-spotting. The ScanEagle continues to receive improvements through upgrades and changes.
The Thales Watchkeeper WK450 is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for all weather, intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) use by the British Army. It is provided under an £800 million contract with UAS Tactical Systems (U-TacS), a joint venture of Elbit and Thales UK, and is based on Elbit's Hermes 450.
The Philippine Army (PA) is the main, oldest and largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), responsible for ground warfare and as of 2021 had an estimated strength of 101,000 soldiers backed by 100,000 ready reserves. The service branch was established on December 21, 1935, as the Philippine Commonwealth Army. The Philippine Army has engaged in many conflicts including the ongoing Communist rebellion in the Philippines, the Moro conflict and, alongside other national military forces, in conflicts of international scope.
The Elbit Hermes 450 is an Israeli medium-sized multi-payload unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed for tactical long endurance missions. It has an endurance of over 20 hours, with a primary mission of reconnaissance, surveillance and communications relay. Payload options include electro-optical/infrared sensors, communications and electronic intelligence, synthetic-aperture radar/ground-moving target indication, electronic warfare, and hyperspectral sensors.
ParcAberporth is a technology park created on what was Royal Air Force (RAF) station Aberporth, near the village of that name in the county of Ceredigion, Wales. The station was one of two local sites that had been used as a site for a missile range that stretched out for some miles into the nearby Cardigan Bay. This Danger Area still exists and is known as Danger Area D201. Parc Aberporth is the UK's purpose-built testing site for unmanned aircraft. The Parc Aberporth centre was specially developed to test and trial unmanned aircraft, for both military and civilian use.
The Elbit Systems Skylark I and Skylark II are miniature UAVs developed by Elbit Systems. Initial models of the Skylark entered service in 2008.
The Elbit Systems Hermes 900 Kochav ("Star") is an Israeli medium-size, multi-payload, medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed for tactical missions. It is a successor to the Hermes 450 series of drones, one of the most widely used military drones in the world.
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Initially formed as part of the Philippine Army, the PAF is responsible for both defending the Philippine airspace, and conducting aerial operations throughout the Philippines, such as close air support operations, combat air patrols, aerial reconnaissance missions, airlift operations, helicopter tactical operations and aerial humanitarian operations. The PAF is headquartered at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay, and is headed by the Chief of the Air Force, who also serves as the branch's highest-ranking military officer.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Modernization Act, officially designated as Republic Act No. 7898, was a Philippine law that was enacted on February 23, 1995, by President Fidel V. Ramos. It was aimed to modernize all branches of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) such as the Philippine Air Force, Philippine Navy, and the Philippine Army. The law was intended to last for 15 years with an initial budget of 50 billion pesos for the first five years, but the funding was stopped due to the 1997 Asian financial crisis. After the financial crisis, the funding for the AFP modernization was halted and later neglected by successive administrations until the law expired in 2010.
Gilbert Italia Gapay is a retired Philippine Army general who served as the 54th Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Prior to his appointment, he served as the 61st Chief of the Army and the commander of the Armor "Pambato" Division.
The Watchkeeper X is a high-performance, tactical, unmanned aircraft system developed by Thales and Elbit. It is the export variant of the Thales Watchkeeper WK450, derived from the Hermes 450. The drone was first unveiled in 2015 at the DSEI 2015 exhibition in London. Initially, the drone was offered to Poland.