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| South Korean F/A-50 (T-50) Fighter (File Photo) |
By: Jaime Sinapit
MANILA, Philippines – Credible territorial defense, but not to go to war with China. That’s the rationale behind the determination of President Benigno Aquino III in pushing 24 big-ticket projects before he steps down from power in 2016, the Department of National Defense (DND) said Wednesday.
The 24 projects are culled from 138 defense projects with a budget of P75 billion to modernize the Armed Forces.
The objective, said Fernando Manalo, defense undersecretary for Finance, Munitions, Installations and Materiel, is “for all the items to be delivered and for use by our Armed Forces a within the term of the President. This is not only a conscious effort but deliberate and very decisive efforts that we want to be accomplished the soonest possible. These 24 projects are already in various stages of implementation.”
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| Maestrale class frigate (Image: EUNavfor) |
The list is topped by the acquisition of 12 units of Korean-made FA50 “Golden Eagle” lead-in semi multirole fighter jets with a budget of P18.9 billion, and two frigates worth P18 billion.
Manalo said negotiations on the aircraft from the Korean Air Space (KAI) through the government of South Korea is nearly completed. Manila intends to purchase these under a government-to-government agreement.
Read the full story at InterAksyon