PHL to join US-led air force exercises in Guam... sans aircraft

The Philippine Air Force will participate in a major multilateral exercise with the US and its allies at the Andersen Air Base in Guam.

However, no PAF aircraft will be involved in the exercise, dubbed Cope North and which will be drawing thousands of troops and hundreds of air assets from the US, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

It will be the second time the PAF will send soldiers to the air force exercises in as many years.

“Four aero-medical planners will part in the [humanitarian assistance and disaster relief] portion of Cope North 2016 at Andersen Air Base Base in Guam from 10 to 17 February 2016,” PAF spokesman Colonel Enrico Canaya said.

“There will be no aircraft.... Basically, we sending observers for the meantime,” said Canaya.

Canaya said the PAF also sent observers for the HADR phase of the exercise in 2015. Most of them, he said, were medical staff.

“We cannot tell when but its progressive," Canaya said when asked when the PAF will also send aircraft to the exercises.

"From these observers, we are hoping we can elevate our participation, until we’ll have active participation, including on the operational side," he added.

The exercises come in the wake of China's reclamation activities in islands that belong to the Philippines in the South China Sea.

The US last year made its presence felt and asserted freedom of navigation with patrols in the disputed waters.

China is claiming almost the entire South China Sea.

Until November last year when a couple of FA-50s from South Korea arrived in the country, the Philippines didn't have any fighter jet after the decommissioning of its F-5 airplanes in 1995.

The two FA-50s are part of the 12 fighter jets being acquired from the Korea Aerospace Industries for P18.9 billion. -NB, GMA News