Uh! Our vehicle to the Philippine Army

Uh! Our vehicle to the Philippine Army

 

[시사타임즈 = 이철원 시사타임즈 회장] In 1998, while attending the Philippine Joint Chiefs of Staff, I had the opportunity to visit the Philippine military base as part of my education. The air force and warships of the Philippine Army were not purchased, but were donated free of charge from other countries. Naval ships with the logos of donor countries such as the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom were still moored at the docks, and the patrol boat we donated had the name‘Seungri-ho’clearly left in Korean. The fighter jets at the airfield were the latest F-5s, which were donated from the United States and other countries. At that time, when the South Korean military replaced the main aircraft of the Air Force from the F-5 to the F-16, five F-5s and 16 patrol boats of the Navy were donated free of charge to the Philippine Army.

 

And what was impressive when dispatched in 2014 was the military trucks and ambulances (AMBs) used by the Philippine Army that were exported from Korea, which are identical to the vehicles used by the Korean military. 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 to arouse a sense of patriotism that our mission could contribute to exporting Korean weapons to the Philippines.

 

▲Korean AMB at the Philippine Army establishment commemoration ceremony (c)시사타임즈

The Philippines, which has a relatively weak military power in Asia, is experiencing a fierce territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea after the withdrawal of US troops. On March 28, 2014, a contract was signed for the purchase of light attack aircraft FA-50 from Korea to strengthen air power. The Philippine Air Force retired its F-5 fighters donated by our allies in 2005. And for nearly 10 years, the fighters could not operate normally. It was the first time in the history of the Philippine military to promote the purchase of Korean-made aircraft to replace the six S-211s, the only jets owned by the Air Force.

 

A contract to purchase a fighter jet has been promoted since 2012, but it was delayed due to various reasons, and the contract was concluded in a flash. I think that the successful mission performance of the ARAW played a big role, along with the government's sales diplomacy activities, support from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, and the Korean Air Force's promise to support pilot training. I also met President Aquino with the President of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and the Korean Ambassador to Korea to support this at the national level.

 

▲Korean-made vehicles at the anniversary of the establishment of the Philippine (c)시사타임즈

On July 16, 2014, President Aquino announced an investment of about 1 trillion won in the military modernization project and held the first defense industry exhibition in the Philippines. At this time, 7 companies including KAI, Hanwha, and Korean Air participated in Korea and exhibited various items such as warships, military helicopters, and military supplies. This first defense exhibition in the Philippines showed the Philippine government's high interest in the defense industry, and it was announced that it would secure up to KRW 5.62.3 trillion in the defense budget in 2015, and continued investment in the defense industry was expected. It is expected that opportunities for Korean military equipment to enter the Philippine defense market will further expand in the future.

 

글 : 이철원 시사타임즈 회장

 

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