SINGAPORE — The Philippines is nearing a breakthrough in negotiations to purchase fighter jets from Sweden after twenty years of efforts to refresh its fleet.
The 2 governments are actually ironing out the ultimate terms of defense cooperation based on a memorandum of understanding signed in June and ratified in September, the Philippines’ Defense Department explained in a Feb. 16 news release.
The arrangement is essential to Sweden’s participation within the Philippines’ multirole fighter jet program, the department said, and the governments are to ink a deal at a gathering next month.
Negotiations had stalled while the Philippine military finalized its latest defense acquisition program, dubbed Horizon 3 — the last phase of the federal government’s massive push to modernize its armed forces. In January, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved a 2 trillion peso (U.S. $35 billion) budget for the decade-long plan.
The Defense Department has not shared a particular list of assets and platforms it wants under this system, but Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told reporters last month the budget will deal with constructing assets and capabilities to handle threats to Philippine resources and vessels. Capabilities will deal with raising domain awareness; connectivity; maritime and aerial deterrence; command and control; communications; computer technology; and intelligence, surveillance, goal acquisition and reconnaissance.
The military previously told Defense News most of its assets and platforms are deployed to the country’s western and northern borders.
Following the approval of Horizon 3, the department said it had modified its requirements for the fighter jet and had not disclosed the full number it planned to amass, nor the value tag.
The Philippines retired its fleet of Northrop F-5 fighters in 2005, and in 2013 it spent 18.9 billion pesos for 12 FA-50 light attack aircraft from Korea Aerospace Industries as fighter jet negotiations continued.
While the federal government has not identified the ultimate selection for the fighter jet, the Swedish firm Saab’s JAS 39 Gripen was reportedly among the many top selection.
The country had its eyes set on Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Fighting Falcon within the Nineties, but economic troubles and an absence of prioritization stalled negotiations.
In 2021, the U.S. approved the sale of 10 F-16C Block 70/72 and two F-16D Block 70/72 aircraft in a $2.43 billion package. Nevertheless, the Philippines has only earmarked $1.1 billion for the acquisition.
Sweden as an alternative proposed the JAS 39 Gripen in 2022.
Saab has not participated in negotiations to date, in accordance with Andrew Wilkinson, the corporate’s Gripen campaign director. Chatting with Defense News through the Singapore Airshow this week, Wilkinson said Saab will join the discussions once the bilateral agreement is signed and after the Philippines reaches a choice on its preferred fighter jet.
“We’re on the very first phase, but at once there isn’t any official decision, no requests,” he added.
Previous negotiations were over the aircraft, but Saab officials said there may be an array of systems to supply a “holistic defense solution,” just like the GlobalEye airborne early warning and control plane that may provide long-range air, sea, and land surveillance in real time.
“We have now ground radars, airborne radars, other sorts of sensors, and you’ll be able to fuse all this information to supply one aviation awareness picture which you could distribute to the navy, to the military, even to the coast guard,” Anders Dahl, who leads Saab’s branch within the Philippines, told Defense News.
The corporate has a history within the region. In 2008, Saab signed a $309 million deal to provide aircraft and surveillance systems to the Royal Thai Armed Forces.
Leilani Chavez is an Asia correspondent for Defense News. Her reporting expertise is in East Asian politics, development projects, environmental issues and security.