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| AFP Modernization Program | |
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| Topic Started: Aug 22 2004, 11:30 AM (217,145 Views) | |
| flipzi | Jun 21 2011, 09:46 PM Post #711 |
R-A-T-S
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The problem with our past presidents and lawmakers is that they ignored the poor state of our Armed Forces. China was able to creep into Mischief Reef because we have no vessel to patrol it. The Vietnamese soldiers were able to land their soldiers into the islands because we didn't have soldiers guarding it. The Abu Sayyaf, MILF, and CPP-NPA are able to confront the military because the military is weak. Some military would opt for more foot soldiers but ignore buying more war machines. Good thing, the news videos and accounts have proven that foot soldiers alone is not enough to fight off and defeat the attackers. If not for the Air Force planes and armored units of the AFP, the Summer 2000 campaign would have been a failure. Sadly, the succeeding military planners and lawmakers still failed to realized that. Now, the Attack Helicopter Acquisition program has been set aside. What if another war with the MILF or another massive confrontation with the NPA or ASG breaks out? Even the MX8 AEV/ASV project was shelved instead of being given the chance to develop further to fit the requirement. What if another island or shoal is effectively marked and fortified by the greedy Chinese because we failed to guard it? National Defense is about preparing for the war before any eventuality happens and not after it happens. |
 " Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them! - Art. II Sec 1, Philippine Constitution " " People don't care what we know until they know we care. " getflipzi@yahoo.com | |
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| spearhead | Jun 21 2011, 09:52 PM Post #712 |
DoctorNO, Your Neutral Observer.
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OLD REPORT but interesting to read: AFP modernization, what’s the score? July 16, 2010 12:01 pm (First of a 2-part article) MANILA, July 15 -– The Philippines was second to none in military might among countries in Southeast Asia, but that was long, long time ago. Today, by twist of fate, the Philippines found itself at the bottom, gasping for breath trying to save whatever it could on its remaining aging aircraft and warships in its arsenal. What a pitiful sight, considering that shortly after World War II, the Armed Forces of the Philippines was the envy of many neighboring nations as the AFP had on its inventory an array of modern weapons supplied by the United States – the F-86 Sabre jet-fighter bombers, a variety of aircraft, including C-123 transport planes, C-47s, for the Philippine Air Force, and several frigates, patrol ships, fast patrol crafts, landing ship tanks, armored vehicles, tanks, to name a few for the Philippine Navy. In the 1950s, the PAF had in its arsenal more than 80 F-86 fighter planes and a fleet of transport helicopters. The PAF was really a force to reckon with. By 1965, the Air Force received 25 brand-new supersonic F-5A/B fighter planes from America as part of the RP-US Military Assistance Program. The Philippines was one of the first recipients of the F-5s “Freedom Fighters” among the U.S. allies the world over. In addition, the PAF also got over 140 UH-1H “Huey” helicopters, further boosting its air power. Its foot soldiers were armed with the sophisticated weapons available at that time such as M1 Garand rifles, automatic Carbine rifles, Browning Automatic Rifles (BAR), Thompson sub-machine guns, bazookas, howitzers and many more. Name it, the AFP had it. Throughout the 1960s, the Philippines was on top in terms of air and naval power. The PAF had about 100 jet fighter-bombers as its first line of defense in guarding the country’s airspace while the Philippine Navy had close to 200 warships of various types. By 1970, the AFP started to draw up a modernization program in anticipation of its air and naval assets to be phased out in the years to come. However, before the modernization program could take off, the Mindanao secessionist war erupted in 1973. The AFP was at the forefront of the fighting. Many of its assets were destroyed. Replacements were in order. In 1979, the PAF got a squadron of F-8 Crusader fighter-bombers from the United States as part of the RP-US Military Assistance Program. The F-8s and the F-5s formed the first line of defense for the AFP. The F-8s were in service for only a decade as the Air Force decided to phase out the aircraft because the Crusaders consumed too much gas, according to Maj. Gen. Jose Toy E. Villarete, AFP Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans (J-5). Villarete, an F-5 fighter pilot with over 3,000 hours flying time, said that the F-8, which is carrier-based aircraft, was very expensive to maintain “because we have to dump all the aviation gas before we could land.” In the late 1980s, the PAF got 30 S-211 jet trainers from Italy. The delivery was a big boost to the Air Force’s training program of future pilots. Almost at the same time, the Air Force received 25 MG-500 attack helicopters it ordered from the United States. The PAF also purchased a fleet of Bell Transport helicopters. But over the years, due to wear and tear, the PAF’s air assets continued to deplete. On the other hand, the Philippine Navy is also in a sorry state. Most of its warships are of World War II vintage. Considering that the Philippines is an archipelagic country, the Navy badly needs ships to patrol the vast territorial waters the coastline of which is more than twice as long as that of the United States. Yet, it has no new vessels and is forced to maintain aging warships to secure the country’s territorial waters. In 1990, Defense reporters were invited by the Navy to ride one of its warships — the BRP Quezon. The vessel left the Navy’s headquarters at Roxas Boulevard and was bound for Sangley Point in Cavite City. But it took more than four hours to reach its destination, prompting a reporter to say that it was faster for a man to walk briskly to negotiate the distance in an hour than to take the dilapidated and slow-moving Navy ship. Twenty years had passed since then, but still the Philippine Navy has no new ships to replace its aging ones which were long destined to the scraps, while the Philippine Air Force has no fighter aircraft to speak of after its F-5 planes were retired in 2004. It may be recalled that in 1995, Congress enacted Republic Act No. 7898, otherwise known as the AFP Modernization Act. Congress has allocated P331 billion for a 15-year AFP Modernization Program. However, only P30 billion had been used to acquire new equipment for the military. The remaining P300 billion is still up in the air. (PNA Feature) scs/RBC/rsm http://balita.ph/2010/07/16/afp-modernizat...hats-the-score/ |
"Men of War must learn the art of numbers or he will not know how to array his troops." - Plato  
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| flipzi | Jun 21 2011, 10:55 PM Post #713 |
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R-A-T-S
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I still can remember that it was during the administration of President Corazon Aquino when the brand new S211 trainer jets, surplas MD250 attack helicopters, surplas OV10 Bronco observation aircrafts were delivered. The name Gen. Protacio as well resounds then. Hopefully, his son Noynoy, will outperform his mother in this aspect. |
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" Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them! - Art. II Sec 1, Philippine Constitution " " People don't care what we know until they know we care. " getflipzi@yahoo.com | |
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| spearhead | Jun 24 2011, 07:18 PM Post #714 |
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DoctorNO, Your Neutral Observer.
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So with all this tension goin on in spratly issue and the philippine's request for immediate upgrade of their military capabilities with the help of US, does this mean a new upcoming revision of AFP modernization program is on it's way? |
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"Men of War must learn the art of numbers or he will not know how to array his troops." - Plato
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| tendatu | Jun 25 2011, 12:59 AM Post #715 |
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haha. bad.. heheh! 
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| “Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of the men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory.” | |
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| tendatu | Jun 25 2011, 01:08 AM Post #716 |
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yah. and i am very excited to see what this modernization will come up to. |
| “Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of the men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory.” | |
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| AZKALS | Jun 25 2011, 08:15 AM Post #717 |
Posting Specialist
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Possible UAV for the AFP that could be launch on land or aboard a ship, introducing the CAMCOPTER S-100...
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RETIRED FROM THE 9-5 RAT RACE 
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| AZKALS | Jun 25 2011, 08:25 AM Post #718 |
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Posting Specialist
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Here is the link: http://www.schiebel.net/Products/Unmanned-...ntrodction.aspx |
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RETIRED FROM THE 9-5 RAT RACE
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| spearhead | Jun 25 2011, 08:25 AM Post #719 |
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DoctorNO, Your Neutral Observer.
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Nice one but who said it's possible, you? Or was it been suggested by the united states, where did you get the info? Are you just suggesting it or what? 
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"Men of War must learn the art of numbers or he will not know how to array his troops." - Plato
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| tendatu | Jun 25 2011, 06:51 PM Post #720 |
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i thinks he only suggested it. |
| “Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of the men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory.” | |
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