More Than Half of the Philippine Air Force's Newest Warplanes are Not Operational
Of the Philippine Air Force’s 12 brand-new FA-50s built by South Korea, only five are operational. That was what Philippine Air Force Vice Commander Maj. Gen. Arthur Cordura said in a senate hearing on September 27.
“Out of the seven (nonoperational aircraft), two are undergoing scheduled maintenance and will be operational by the fourth quarter. The others are awaiting spares,” he said.
FA50s of the Philippine Air Force Escort President Marcos as his plane enters Philippine air space.
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According to Cordura, at least 10 FA-50s will be operational within the year. He added that the pandemic delayed the delivery of the spare parts. He also cited the Marawi siege as a factor that affected the readiness rate of the FA-50s. The jet fighters
Five of the operational jet fighters were used the previous week to escort the plane of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. as it entered Philippine air space from his trip to the United Nations in New York City.
Below is footage of the intercept by the Philippine Air Force.
