CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — As the Philippines beefs up its defensive posture, pivoting from internal security to territorial defense, the government has lined up a series of acquisitions in line with the new plans.
The Philippine Marine Corps requires roughly 60 armored vehicles, but it is getting the ball rolling with seven vehicles from South Korea’s Kovico, assumed to be the company’s KMPV platform, via a notice of award issued Jan. 15.
Funding comes from the 2025 national budget that President Ferdinand Marcos signed into law Dec. 30, 2024. It included 271.9 billion pesos (US$4.65 billion) for the Department of National Defense (DND), a 12.3% hike compared to a year earlier.
A total of 138.2 billion pesos goes to the Army, 51.6 billion pesos to the Air Force and 51 billion to the Navy in 2025.
As a downside, modernization allocations for the armed forces received guaranteed funding of just 35 billion pesos, down on the 50 billion the military was expecting. Another 40 billion pesos could be tapped from standby appropriations, but only if the government receives excess revenues.
Marcos had vowed in December that he “remains committed to transforming our armed forces into a world-class force.”
He promised, “We’ll modernize your equipment, enhance your training programs, ensure that you’re equipped to face challenges not just of today, but also of the future.”
Last year, the DND announced its Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept, which aims to defend Philippine territory and its exclusive economic zone.
Crucial to that will be additional combat aircraft. Therefore, expected soon is a deal for 12 FA-50 Block 20 light fighters from Korea Aerospace Industries, effectively doubling the Philippine FA-50 fleet.
This deal will equip a second squadron. However, no decision has yet been made on new multirole fighters, where Saab’s Gripen and Lockheed Martin’s F-16 are contenders.
The Air Force has just contracted for six additional A-29B Super Tucano light attack aircraft too. A notice of award, worth $112.8 million, was issued to Embraer on Dec. 16, 2024, and the company said “deliveries are scheduled to take place in 2026.”
Shedding more light on ongoing procurements, the DND published a procurement monitoring report last month. It listed, for example, a new Bell 412EPX aeromedical helicopter for the Army.
Meanwhile, deliveries of S-70i Black Hawk helicopters continue. Sixteen helicopters were procured in 2019, and a deal for 32 extras was lodged in 2022, of which 10 have been delivered to date.
The Philippine Navy is awaiting two HDC-3100 corvettes from HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea, due this year and next. The same shipbuilder is also constructing six offshore patrol vessels for the Philippines.
Also underway is a cyber systems acquisition project worth $613 million to improve cyber defenses and systems integration. As part of China’s “gray zone” tactics against the Philippines, state-backed hacking is reportedly commonplace against government agencies.
Gordon Arthur is an Asia correspondent for Defense News. After a 20-year stint working in Hong Kong, he now resides in New Zealand. He has attended military exercises and defense exhibitions in about 20 countries around the Asia-Pacific region.
