MANILA — To ensure that all available aircraft are flyable and airworthy at all times, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) is allocating PHP144.6 million for the acquisition of spare parts and components needed for maintenance of its first FA-50PH fighter jet.
Scheduled for maintenance is FA-50PH with tail number 001.
Pre-bid conference is slated on Thursday, 1 p.m. at the PAF Procurement Center Conference Room, Villamor Air Base, Pasay City.
While submission and opening of bids is on May 8, 9 a.m. at the same venue, PAF Bids and Awards Committee chair Brig. Gen. Fernyl Buca said in the bid bulletin posted at the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System website.
The PAF’s 12 plane-order with Korea Aerospace Industries is worth PHP18.9 billion. The first two aircraft, with tail numbers 001 and 002, were delivered on Nov. 28, 2015 while the last two, 011 and 012, were delivered on May 31, 2017.
The FA-50PHs have a top speed of Mach 1.5 or one and a half times the speed of sound and is capable of being armed with air-to-air missiles, including the AIM-9 “Sidewinder” heat-seeking missiles aside from light automatic cannons. (Priam Nepomuceno/PNA)
