Uh! Korean military vehicles in the Philippines

Uh! Korean military vehicles in the Philippines

 

[시사타임즈 = 이철원 시사타임즈 회장] In 1998, while attending the Philippine Joint Chiefs of Staff, I had the opportunity to tour Philippine military units. Most of the air force and warships of the Philippine Army were donated free of charge by other countries. Naval ships with the logos of donor countries such as the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom were moored at the docks, and the name “Seungri-ho” in Korean was clearly visible on the patrol boat donated by Korea. The fighters at the airfield were F-5s donated from the US and other countries. At that time, when the main aircraft of the ROK Air Force was replaced from the F-5 to the F-16, five F-5s and 16 patrol boats of the Navy were donated to the Philippine Army free of charge.

 

▲A Korean-made vehicle in a parade at the Philippine Armed Forces Founding (c)SISATIMES

▲A Korean-made ambulance in a parade during the Philippine Army founding (c)SISATIMES

 

 

And the impressive thing about being dispatched in 2013 is that military trucks such as 5/4t, 2½t and Ambulance (AMB) used by the Philippine Army were imported from Korea, and they were the same as the vehicles used by the Korean Army. Also, the machine gun that the Philippine army carried and used very usefully in the jungle was the Korean K-3 machine gun. These appearances made the members of the Arau unit feel proud and motivated them to arouse patriotism that our mission performance could contribute to the export of Korean weapons to the Philippines. On March 28, 2014, the Philippines, which has a relatively weak military power in Asia, signed a contract to purchase FA-50 light attack aircraft from Korea to strengthen its air power while experiencing intense territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea after the withdrawal of US forces.

 

The Philippine Air Force retired its F-5 fighter jets in 2005 and has not been able to operate them normally for nearly 10 years. It was the first time in the history of the Philippine military to purchase air force planes from South Korea to replace the only jets it had, the six S-211s. A fighter purchase contract had been pursued since 2013, but it was delayed for various reasons, and then the contract was concluded. It is believed that the successful performance of the Arau Unit played a major role in this, along with the government's sales and diplomatic activities, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration's support, and the ROK Air Force's promise to support pilot training.

 

▲Arau Commander, Philippine President, Korean Ambassador to Philippine, KAI Chairman (c)SISATIMES

 

On July 16, 2014, President Aquino announced the budget injection of about 1 trillion won for the military modernization project and held the first defense industry exhibition in the Philippines. At this time, seven Korean companies, including Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), participated and exhibited various items such as warships, military helicopters, and military supplies. This first defense industry exhibition showed the Philippine government's high interest in the defense industry, and continued investment in the defense industry was expected by revealing a plan to secure up to 5.623 trillion won in the defense budget in 2015. In the future, opportunities for Korean military equipment to enter the Philippine defense market are expected to further expand.

 

글 : 이철원 시사타임즈 회장

 

 

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