South China Sea: Philippines to buy more ‘faster, lethal’ fighter jets as Beijing tensions persist

Manila considering US F-16 and Sweden’s JAS-39 for the air force that could help the country project power beyond its territorial waters

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Philippine and US fighter jets patrol the airspace above the South China Sea in 2023. Photo: PAF via AP

Published: 4:00pm, 6 Jul 2024

President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has approved the plan to acquire new multirole fighter jets as the Philippines pushes ahead with its military modernisation to plug weaknesses in the air force’s defence capability amid simmering South China Sea tensions with Beijing.

Military chief General Romeo Brawner said the existing fleet of South Korean-made FA-50 aircraft was “still not enough to protect” the country which is considering buying “bigger, faster and more lethal” warplanes such as the US F-16 and Sweden’s JAS-39.

A decision on how many additional jets would be inducted into the air force was yet to be made, he told reporters on Thursday.

The upgrade was already in the pipeline and aims to enhance the Philippines’ ability to project power beyond its territorial waters in the resource-rich seaway, observers say.

“What we need in the West Philippine Sea is not just vessels for maritime patrols but air assets as well,” said Rej Torrecampo, a security analyst at the Political Economic Elemental Researchers and Strategists think tank.

“It will have a critical and direct impact on our ability to project our assets beyond our 12 nautical miles territorial sea which include our 200 nautical miles exclusive economic zone (EEZ).”