The Philippine Air Force (PAF) officially received on Wednesday (April 6) two new T-129 “ATAK” Helicopters from Turkey and a C-295 Medium Lift Aircraft from Spain in a ceremony at the Villamor Air Base.
The ATAK helicopters were delivered on March 9 as part of the PAF’s six-unit acquisition from the Turkish Aerospace Industries, while the C-295 aircraft arrived in the country on March 28 as part of the first batch of deliveries from the Airbus Defense and Space.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said the unit from Turkey will support the missions of the military and will complement the PAF’s several surface strike systems, while the asset from Spain will be used for personnel and equipment transport and for disaster and humanitarian operations.
“These new aircraft will not just beef up our capabilities but, in deep retrospect, carry the hopes and aspirations of what we want as an Air Force, to become a more agile and dependable organization,” AFP Vice Chief of Staff Lt.Gen. Connor Anthony Canlas said. (PAF)/AG – gb
