President Marcos approved the military’s proposal to acquire multi-role fighters (MRFs) to boost the country’s defensive capabilities, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said on Thursday.
The decision was reached during the AFP’s first command conference with the President, Brawner said, adding that the military is also studying plans to “harden” its facilities to make these more resistant to hypersonic missile strikes and other forms of attack.
“As to which MRF and how many units, no decision has been reached yet. But we urgently need these MRFs,” he said in a press briefing shortly after the command conference.
While the 12 units of FA-50s in the Philippine Air Force are quite formidable, these are still not enough, Brawner said.
“We need to get more of these jet fighters and (the) multi-role fighters that are actually bigger, faster, and more lethal,” he said.
Two possible contenders for the MRF project are the latest models of the US Lockheed Martin-made F-16s and the Swedish Saab JAS-39.
As this developed, Brawner said “a missile attack is a possibility” following the disclosure of Senator Imee Marcos that 25 areas in the country are potential targets of China’s hypersonic missiles in response to the Philippines’ approval of additional sites for the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the United States.
“It was earlier reported that there are 25 targets here. That is why we are also preparing for those. One of the possible steps is to harden our facilities. We need to protect our facilities from possible missile attacks,” he said.
Senator Marcos earlier said EDCA sites in Batanes, Subic, and Ilocos are the initial targets, but did not disclose where she got her information.
“From what we read, there are Brahmos missiles in Batanes and Subic. So those two will be prioritized along with Ilocos because there are live-fire military exercises. It’s really scary,” she said.
AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Padilla said the military will coordinate with Senator Marcos to get more details about her disclosure.
“The AFP takes such concerns seriously. We are ready to coordinate with Senator Marcos to obtain details and take appropriate actions to ensure our nation’s security,” Padilla said
National Security Council spokesperson Jonathan Malaya added: “We will reach out to Senator Imee to get more information about her statement because we are not aware of any of the security threats she mentioned.”
