The US State Department on Tuesday approved the possible sale of training helicopters worth $120 million to the Philippines, in a deal that seeks to boost the air capabilities of Washington’s “strategic partner” in Southeast Asia.
The US government gave the go-signal for the Philippines’ request for TH-73A training helicopters from AgustaWestland Philadelphia Corp., the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), an office attached to the US Defense department, said on its website.
The potential deal includes an unspecified number of helicopter units, hoists, lifts, aircraft simulator, personnel training and spare parts and engines for its repairs, the agency said. It has informed the US Congress about the deal.
The Philippine Defense department did not immediately reply to a Viber message seeking comment.
Foreign military sales by US defense manufacturers need Washington’s approval to ensure that weapon acquisitions of other nations align with US foreign policy and security interests.
“The proposed sale will improve the Philippines’ capability to meet current and future threats by providing an aircraft platform that will serve as the primary method of improving pilot training and skills, thus helping to ensure the development of a proficient rotary wing aviator corps,” the DSCA said.
The statement came weeks after the DSCA greenlit the Philippines’ request for 20 units of F-16 fighters worth $5.6 billion from Lockheed Martin Corp. and days before the Philippine and US militaries begin their annual Balikatan (Shoulder-to-Shoulder) war games.
The Philippines is the US’ oldest treaty ally in Asia, and Washington has signified its support to arm Manila with deterrence capabilities amid lingering tensions with China over the South China Sea.
The South China Sea has become a flashpoint for Southeast Asia as China continues to claim and assert sovereignty over almost the entire sea, seen as a vital trade route that is also believed to be rich in undersea gas and oil deposits.
Philippine and Chinese forces have repeatedly sparred in the sea over competing claims on Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal, among other sea features.
The Philippine military is seeking to counter China’s military might in the region by undertaking a modernization program called Horizons and has earmarked at least $35 billion (P2 trillion) for its military build-up in the next decade. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio
