NEWTOWN, Conn. -- Defense Secretary of the Philippines, Delfin Lorenzana, stated to local media on May 24 that the Philippines will be receiving six Turkish-built T129B "ATAK" helicopters to meet the Philippine Air Force' (PAF) attack helicopter requirement. Citing a cost placed at roughly PHP13.8 billion ($287 million), Lorenzana noted the helicopters have already been ordered and are expected to be delivered in the third quarter of this year.

The comments follow an earlier announcement by the PAF on May 22 that the service will be sending pilots and maintenance crews from its 15 Strike Wing to Turkey to undertake T1209B training between late May and August.

These announcements both came in the wake of a statement by Serdar Demir, the director of marketing and communications for Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), the manufacturer of the T129B, who announced on May 18 that the U.S. State Department had finally given approval for the export license on the U.S.-produced LHTEC CTS800-4A engines powering the helicopter.

To meet its separate combat utility helicopter (CUH) requirement the PAF expressed interest in ordering eight to 10 T129Bs, which are a twin-engine, multi-role, all-weather Turkish derivative of the AgustaWestland-designed A129 Mangusta attack helicopter.

Defense Secretary Lorenzana confirmed the Philippines' interest in securing a contract for the T129s on December 7, 2018. But the deal hit a roadblock due to U.S. CAATSA (Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act), which unfolded as a result of Turkey's acquisition of the Russian S-400 Triumf air-defense missile system.

The T129B acquisition begins the process of strengthening the PAF's combat helicopter capability, currently filled by lighter-armed MG-520 and AW190Es used in the counter-terror and ground-support missions.

The Philippines has also expressed interest in filling the combat utility requirement via the U.S. government's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) channel.

On April 30, 2020, an official notice of clearance from the State Department was sent to Congress via the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) regarding potential sales. The two FMS requests placed by the Philippines cover a potential buy of six AH-64E Apaches at an estimated cost of $1.5 billion and six Bell Helicopters AH-1Z Vipers with an estimated price tag of $450 million. The differential in price is partially due to the more extensive list of weaponry and quantity of weapons.

The Philippines would ostensibly choose between the Apache and the Viper alternatives, but not procure both if it decides to go forward with an acquisition.

Source: Philippines News Agency (PNA)
Associated URL: https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1141272
Author: D. Darling, Asia Analyst