Philippine Defense Budget Statistics from 2019 to 2021

Through the years, the discussion provided among Philippine defense communities only encompasses the thing on the surface, most likely encompassing the military hardware purchased by the Armed Forces of the Philippines through the Department of National Defense under the Revised AFP Modernization Program. 

What's rarely getting a discussion is the one that serve as a critical component that will ensure that various acquisition projects that the Philippine military has will get materialized and eventually getting delivered to the end-user from any of the three branches that defined the Armed Forces of the Philippines. In this topic, the details will become more intricate, as the discussion will cover the country's defense spending from 2019 to 2021.

DISCUSSION OVERVIEW

Defense budgeting is a lifeline that ensures the materialization of the Revised AFP Modernization.

Philippine defense topics of contemporary times usually cover recent updates relating to the ongoing Revised AFP Modernization Program, where the crowd of defense enthusiasts talking to social media usually talks about the essence of securing military hardware of various types to ensure the security and deterrence of the country’s national sovereignty and interest against both domestic and foreign threats, particularly on the projects pushed by all three (3) branches of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

But all of that talk has an underlying factor that can define or break this defense modernization momentum, one that requires understanding it as this factor plays a big and fully significant role to making sure that the materialization of an acquisition project gets fulfilled, along to its component that ensures its continuous operational, maintenance, and repair requirements throughout its length of active service within the necessities of the Philippine Military.

This factor refers to the aspect of budgeting itself, specifically the very function of government budgeting in relation to how annual appropriations get passed and how the entire defense sector secures a portion of the entire government’s budget allotments, with details added to it as to the quantity of that budgetary pie went to the Revised AFP Modernization Program. The increase and decrease in allocation to the defense sector define how the planners proceed with their respective acquisition projects.

Getting a full discussion on the functionality of the Philippine defense budgetary trends is something that is not founded on, at least not until this article comes in to point out the needed statistical data to provide the full picture of how things came to the overall trends of the defense allotments and the expenditure that always came with it. Add also to that the budgetary technicalities that an average person found to be complex and incomprehensible until an understandable reason gets explained.

Since the enactment of the Republic Act 10349 or the Revised AFP Modernization Program, the annually enacted General Appropriations Act provided a portion of the allotments intended for the full materialization of the acquisition projects under the said law, all of which aim for the improvement of the overall capabilities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, especially at this period where the national government has the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept or CADC as part of its policy.

Add to this are the pressures provided by the country’s key ally, especially with the United States government under the administration of Donald Trump, where the alliances should have committed at least 2% to 5% of their respective Gross Domestic Product or GDP output to finance their respective defense programs and upkeep. With the figure provided, this writeup aims to provide additional understanding of the statistical data relating to the country’s national defense spending annually.

In its first of a multiple series that will release on this website in the upcoming years, the information provided will give full insight to the budgetary trends relating to the Philippine defense spending, especially in relation to its annual reports of its Gross Domestic Product, in this case spanning three (3) years from year 2019 to 2021. The succeeding years will have its own entry, and the previous years before 2019 have insufficient data to make it into this discussion as of this time of publishing.

AT A GLANCE

Here is the statistical data originating from reliable sources.
Click the table to enlarge.

For this discussion, as the title itself suggests, will encompass Philippine defense budgetary allotments encompassing three (3) years, although the other years, particularly the latter ones, will come as a separate topic to ensure that each content will come manageable to delve on, as the details on each fiscal year’s expenditure per service branch and other services within the Department of National Defense will also come as part of the entire presentation.

As the topics covered three (3) years from 2019 to 2021, the details will come with a comparative data presentation, which at a glance, is present as statistical information provided in the table displayed above. 

The parameters presented are as follows: the years covered in this scope and the allotments presented under the Department of National Defense, including agencies outside the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Added to it is the budget for the Revised AFP Modernization Program, plus under ‘Un-programmed’ column.

Another set of parameters presented in the table above includes the overall Gross Domestic Product or GDP that the Republic of the Philippines produced from 2019 to 2021, both in dollar and peso denomination, with the latter having a calculated average for foreign exchange being a reliable parameter for calculations. 

Completing the table presented here will go as the percentage (%) of the defense budget to the country’s annual GDP, giving a picture of its trend with the presented three (3) years as a parameter.

At a glance, as this section intends to be, presents a promising prospect to the overall budgetary presentation that the Department of National Defense has as to the respect to the annual Gross Domestic Product that the Republic of the Philippines have as its output for the said three (3) years. In 2019, the total defense budget comes at around Php 186.222 billion, with the percentage of the GDP being around 0.95%. The gross domestic product, or GDP, for the year 2019 is at around Php 19.507 trillion.

In the year 2020, the budget presented as part of the Department of National Defense’s own expenditure for the year totals at around Php 196.744 billion, an increase of around Php 10.5 billion compared to the previous year. 

That also reflects its increase, respectful to the annual Gross Domestic Product of the country, whereby the latter, amounting to Php 17.355 trillion, comprises around 1.13% of the entire GDP. The percentage clearly breaches the 1% share, as opposed to the previous year’s percentage.

Finally, the figures in 2021 give a slight shrinkage in the defense spending percentage to the GDP, although the shrinkage is only small at around 1.11%. Still, the budget of the Department of National Defense for the year still saw an increase to around Php 216.471 Billion, of which the Revised AFP Modernization Program also saw an increase for the first time as opposed to the constant Php 25 Billion and Php 5 Billion on both programmed and un-programmed appropriations, respectively, totalling Php 30 Billion.

While the figures presented on the table can only provide much insight on the overall Philippine defense budget that spans three (3) years, as mentioned, the following details will delve deeper to the breakdown of each object of expenditures that the Department of National Defense have in this presentation, ranging from the respective budget of all three (3) service branches of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, down to the three (3) budget clusters - PS, MOOE, and CO.

For reference, here is an official GDP data from the World Bank (archived link here). 

PHILIPPINE DEFENSE BUDGET - FY 2019

The overall breakdown of the Philippine defense budget under the
2019 General Appropriations Act.
Image Source.

On the table presented above, the Department of National Defense presents a budget amounting to Php 186.222 billion under the 2019 General Appropriations Act, with the Armed Forces of the Philippines getting the huge portion of the defense budget pie, at around Php 180.398 billion. 

The agency that got the second place in the largest portion of the 2019 defense budget is the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, with a budget of around Php 1.866 billion, followed by the Office of Civil Defense, which has around Php 1.3 billion.

Breaking it down to the service branches under this period, the Philippine Army received the largest pie with the total budget amounting to Php 91.407 billion, followed by the Philippine Navy, where its budget comes at around Php 27.842 billion. 

Finally, the Philippine Air Force amounts to around Php 24.584 billion. The amounts under Capital Outlay also come with a similar ranking, with Php 3.515 billion, Php 1.252 billion, and Php 352 million distributed accordingly among the three branches, in that order.

The largest portion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ budget under this fiscal period goes to the expenditures that fall under the Personnel Services or PS cluster, of which the budget goes to the salary, benefits, and pension of both active and retired personnel that belong to the Philippine military. 

The breakdown is the following allotments: Php 74.488 billion for the Philippine Army, Php 19.334 billion to the Philippine Navy, Php 14.743 billion for the Philippine Air Force, and Php 5.740 billion for the AFP-GHQ.

For the Revised AFP Modernization Program, this line item falls under the Capital Outlay portion of the General Headquarters, AFP and AFP-wide Service Support Units or AFPWSSUS, with that allotment keeping the fixed amount of Php 25 Billion, without the usual Php 5 Billion allotment for the program lined under the ‘Un-programmed Appropriations’ portion of this fiscal year’s General Appropriations Act that the succeeding years have, provided on the table above.

Continuing to the budget breakdown for the fiscal year 2019, the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ budget for Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses or MOOE has a sum of Php 35,732,408,000.00 with the Philippine Army having the largest pie at Php 13.402 billion, followed by the Philippine Air Force with the budget of around Php 9.488 Billion allotted for this cluster. Completing the list is the Philippine Navy with a budget of Php 7.255 billion, and AFP-GHQ with a budget of around Php 5.587 billion.

The year 2019 will be the period where the Philippine defense budget in total equates to 0.95% of the said fiscal period’s Gross Domestic Product as reported by the World Bank’s own official data, where the figures provided for the year is at around US$376.820 Billion, or Php 19.507 Trillion based on the said year’s average foreign exchange rate. As provided on the table ‘at a glance’, the Philippines’ defense budget will breach the 1% threshold in the succeeding year.

At the turn of the decade comes its new set of figures and relevant budgetary data earmarked for the Philippine defense expenditure purposes, although several of its output might have a minor pushback given that an unexpected turn of events, namely a medical health emergency that struck the world economy, contracting each country’s economic output with that period. Despite this, the following year provided its statistical data for comparative purposes as part of this topic.

PHILIPPINE DEFENSE BUDGET - FY 2020

The overall breakdown of the Philippine defense budget under the
2020 General Appropriations Act.
Image Source.

Coming at 1.13% total rate compared to the country’s overall Gross Domestic Product at the period at Php 17.355 Trillion, the overall Philippine defense budget expenditure breached the 1% of the Gross Domestic Product share percentage, which might seem signifying relating to the growth of the share of the defense expenditure to the overall economic output for the year. However, deep details regarding this explanation entail the reason relating to this achievement.

During the year, an unexpected global event took place, where a global pandemic got triggered because of the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, resulting in a series of enforced lockdowns that have rendered the global economy to a standstill. 

Because of this, the Philippine economy contracted a bit, of which compared to the 2019 Gross Domestic Product of Php 19.507 trillion, the country’s output in 2020 lowered significantly at around Php 17.355 trillion.

Still, the overall Philippine defense budget in 2020 still saw significant growth, with the allotment presented under the General Appropriations Act ending up having a total figure of Php 191.744 billion, higher than 2019’s Php 186.222 billion budget. 

Also, compared to the defense budget in 2019, the allotments for the Revised AFP Modernization Program under the un-programmed appropriations appeared, with the amount totaling Php 5 billion, while the programmed budget remained at Php 25 billion.

Going to the specifics, the Php 191.744 billion defense budget breaks down into the following details as discussed in the following sentences. Personnel Services or PS allotments for personnel basic salary and benefits have the largest pie of the budget at Php 119.716 Billion, trailing next is the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses at Php 41.340 Billion, and Capital Outlay, which includes the allotment for the Revised AFP Modernization Program, at Php 30.686 Billion.

On the presented breakdown, the allotment provided for the Armed Forces are as follows - Php 118.110 Billion for the Personnel Services or salaries and benefits for both uniform and civilian personnel of the agency, Php 37.693 Billion for the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses or for upkeep of both military equipment and military facilities, Php 19 Million for Financial Services, and Php 30.201 Billion for Capital Outlay, with Php 25 Billion Revised AFP Modernization Program budget included in the figure.

Now talking to the breakdown among service branches of the Armed Forces of the Philippines under the 2020 General Appropriations Act, the one that receives the largest pie of allotments is the Philippine Army, amounting to Php 92.508 Billion, followed by the Philippine Navy at Php 29.054 Billion, and last is the Philippine Air Force at Php 26.436 Billion. The budget under the AFP-General Headquarters and AFP Wide Service Support Units (including the RAFPMP allotment) is at around Php 38.005 billion.

The next part will complete the three (3) year comparison of defense expenditures that the Republic of the Philippines have from 2019 to 2021, with the latter getting a boost for its budget for the Revised AFP Modernization Program for the first time on both programmed and un-programmed appropriations. 

As presented at a glance, the trend of the annual Philippine defense budget comes at a constantly increasing pace, with the 2021 budget surpassing Php 200 billion for the first time.

PHILIPPINE DEFENSE BUDGET - FY 2021

The overall breakdown of the Philippine defense budget under the 
2021 General Appropriations Act.
Image Source.

Coming at 1.11% of the Gross Domestic Product for the year, the Philippine defense budget saw a bit dipping share compared to the output amounting to Php 19.419 Trillion, but the overall defense budget trend still saw a significant increase, specifically to the allotments intended to the Revised AFP Modernization Program, as it is a first time for this program to have an appreciable amount as compared to the constant Php 25 Billion allotment that came before this fiscal year.

Speaking of that first time, the Revised AFP Modernization Program under the 2021 General Appropriations Act received at least Php 27 billion, a boost of at least Php 2 billion from the original allotments provided in the prior two (2) years within this discussion’s own parameter. 

Likewise, the allotments provided under the un-programmed appropriations for the Revised AFP Modernization Program also received their own increase, which is at Php 11 billion, or Php 6 billion higher than what is usually given.

This is also the year that the Philippine defense budget breached the Php 200 billion mark, whereby the allotments presented in the 2021 General Appropriations Act have at least Php 205.471 billion, as compared to the Php 191.744 billion allotments set aside for this sector under the 2020 General Appropriations Act. 

The increase reflects the increasing budgetary requirements of the Department of National Defense, specifically the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ operational, maintenance, and repair (MRO) requirements.

Going on the breakdown, a huge chunk of it, at least amounting to Php 199.415 billion, goes to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, with Php 97.625 billion of the allotment going to the Philippine Army. Both the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Air Force both have a respective share of the pie amounting to Php 30.203 billion and Php 31.552 billion, with the remaining part of the budget went to the AFP-Wide Service Support Units, with its total allotment of Php 40.034 billion.

The portion of the Php 40.034 billion allotted under the AFP-Wide Service Support Units is the Php 27 billion allotted for the Revised AFP Modernization Program, which received its increase as mentioned throughout this discussion. 

It ‌also forms the largest share for this portion under the General Headquarters of the AFP under the Capital Outlay cluster, while the remaining cluster has at least Php 6.445 billion for Personnel Services, and Php 6.128 billion for Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses.

As expected, the largest share of the budget for all three (3) branches of the Armed Forces of the Philippines is for the Personnel Services or for the salaries and benefits of the personnel that have served in each of the branches, with the Philippine Army receiving Php 79.173 billion, the Philippine Air Force receiving Php 15.100 billion, and the Philippine Navy receiving Php 20.916 billion. The branches’ MOOE comes at around Php 15.787 billion, Php 14.899 billion, and Php 9.168 billion, respectively.

Now that the discussion of the breakdown of budgetary allotments for the Philippine defense from 2019 to 2021 fully presented, the next part of this discussion will be more theoretical in its tone, as the main highlight focuses more on the projected budgetary output for the Philippine defense, especially if the said years, based on the annual Gross Domestic Product, received at least 2% of the said economic parameter, and its effect to the Philippine defense programs, based on the prices of current military purchases.

THEORETICAL PROJECTIONS

The Philippine defense budget in this scenario ranges between Php 300 billion to almost Php 1 trillion for its defense expenditures if given the 2-5% GDP projections.

Now that the Philippine defense budgetary statistics with data from 2019 to 2021 as a parameter and the General Appropriations Act of the said fiscal periods being the basis for providing the actual percentage of the defense budget of the country compared to the Gross Domestic Product, this portion will delve on the theoretical realm of possibilities, notably on the scenario if the Philippine defense allotments comprise at least 2% or 5% of the Gross Domestic Product as the primary basis.

Based on the data provided above, the defense expenditures based on the 2% and 5% of the Gross Domestic Product comes higher, perhaps even twofold compared to the budget presented for the entire Department of National Defense from 2019 to 2021, and even 200 times to 300 times larger to what has allotted to the Revised AFP Modernization Program presented on the said three years, as the figure comes limited always at around Php 25 billion to Php 30 billion per annum at an average.

For the year 2019 as an example, the 2% share of the Gross Domestic Product that have set aside for defense based on the figures on the table above comes at around Php 390.141 billion, which is 2 times higher than the actual figure for the budget under the Department of National Defense amounting to Php 186.222 billion. 

Likewise, the 5% defense expenditure share in this scenario will render the Philippine defense budget an amount of Php 975.352 billion, a Php 25 billion difference from securing the Php 1 trillion mark.

Meanwhile, the defense expenditure figures for 2020, following the parameters, will give the Philippine defense budget allocations an increase of around Php 358.911 billion for the 2% share basis, and Php 897.277 billion for the 5% share basis. As usual, the actual budget under the 2020 General Appropriations Act for the Department of National Defense amounts to Php 196.744 billion, although the dip in the amounts in the theoretical scenario is noticeable given the global health concern throughout the year.

In the year 2021, the figures presented themselves as Php 388.380 billion for the 2% share of the Gross Domestic Product provided for Philippine defense expenditure in this theoretical scenario, and Php 970.951 billion for the 5% share, which are still lower than the 2019 figures presented as this said year comes as the country and the entire world still recovered from the global health concern that have occurred a year prior. Still, the figures presented are higher than the actual Php 216.471 billion budgetary figure.

The figures presented, as provided in this theoretical output, might give the Armed Forces of the Philippines an opportunity to improve its firepower and external defense-related projects, plans, and programs at a hyper-drive, as this enable each of the service branch of the Philippine military further increase the numbers of needed hardware purchased under both Horizon 2 and 3 phases of the Revised AFP Modernization Program, while improving existing facilities and building new ones to shelter the newly purchased capability.

Given the figures under this presentation, this will enable the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to quickly building up not only its big ticket acquisition projects of military hardware intended for addressing both domestic and foreign territorial defense related threats, but also to give opportunity to expand and improve its existing facilities, all in which going in line with its long-term plans, as this will come useful for the country to exercise its national interest in succeeding years to come.

IN CONCLUSION

The bicameral legislature has the final say on budgetary matters, including defense.
Pitz Defense Analysis file image.

The discussion as presented here is the full picture of the Philippine defense budgetary expenditures that have taken place within the said three (3) years as mentioned, which is from 2019 to 2021. 

This also means that there will be more of this to come as part of the growing topics to delve into regarding the broader scope of the functionalities of the Philippine defense topics, going beyond the usual talks on the recent military hardware that the Armed Forces of the Philippines is keen into buying on.

Discussing the budget that runs Philippine defense is really important to delve into, especially on the numbers that are running the actual expenditures presented by the executive branch of the government through the DBCC or the Development Budget Coordination Committee, which presents the proposed budget for the succeeding fiscal year before the bicameral plenaries of both the House of Representatives and Senate before it becomes the official General Appropriations Act for the year.

The defense spending for the said three (3) years in this discussion presented to be just limited to just 1% of the GDP or the Gross Domestic Product, which is a given for the government budget that always focuses on more pressing expenditures relating to social services such as additional infrastructures for connecting communities and making lives easier, or on education where it gives opportunity to the population to be more productive citizens as they prepare to be part of the country’s economy.

One keynote to point out is that the countries that the Philippines has a strong alliance with, like the United States, has a current policy that pushes its alliances to have a defense expenditure of at least two percent (2%) of the Gross Domestic Product, and since then have increased further to as high as five (5%) of the Gross Domestic Product that a country has produced in a fiscal period. Of course, there is a likelihood that the Philippines will not adhere to this scheme, citing its budget also allotted to other matters as mentioned.

Should the Philippines follow the increase of getting its defense spending to at least two percent (2%) or five percent (5)% of the Gross Domestic Product, there is a clear indicator that the Armed Forces of the Philippines can accomplish most of its acquisition objectives under the Revised AFP Modernization Program, specifically on both the Horizon 2 and the Re-Horizoned 3 timelines that its implementation phase might have gotten shorter than the current financial situation that all three military branches are dealing.

With the Php 2 trillion ten-year based Re-Horizon 3 now rolling, the increase of allocation on the defense spending clearly provides a large difference on its overall output, specifically on the timeline of accomplishing key acquisition projects and even getting several piecemeal projects like the acquisition of the Miguel Malvar-class frigate under the Corvette Acquisition Project accomplished by getting more than a pair of ships in one go, or even getting this F-16 Viper full package with ease.

In the long run, the Armed Forces of the Philippines might get the capability it needs under the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept or CADC, although the presented increase in this theoretical budget might have accomplished this concept sooner. 

Still, getting the projects realized depends on the country’s key policymakers, as the increasing tension in the Indo-Pacific region suffices as justification for an increase in defense spending, especially for a country like the Philippines that ensures its national interest.

(c) 2025 PDA.

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Introduction of the New Rajah Sulayman-class OPV of the Philippine Navy

Known initially as the HDP-2200+ Offshore Patrol Vessel design presented to the Philippine Navy by the South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, the offshore patrol vessel's introduction with its designated names and hull numbers gives insight on the background and historical significance of each vessel's name that will join the fleet in the future, from the time this article publishes.

IN THE NEWS

Here is a full image of officials of both the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, posing in front of the newly launched BRP Rajah Sulayman (PS-20).
Image Source.

As the various government agencies and the rest of the country prepares to the 127th Independence Day celebration that took place on June 12, 2025, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Department of National Defense have this event go even further, even beyond the military marches that have took place in Quirino Grandstand near Rizal Park, Manila. This event encompasses an important event for the first vessel of its own class, as visitors have witnessed its launching ceremony.

It was June 11, 2025, when the launching of the Philippine Navy’s first offshore patrol vessel got launched in the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries facility in Ulsan, South Korea. On the ship’s hull, it bears the name of a chieftain before the Philippines even became an entity formed by Spanish colonization. 

On the said ship’s name is the BRP Rajah Sulayman, named after a Rajah that ruled over the Kingdom of Luzon before getting conquered by the Spaniards under the auspices of explorer Miguel Lopez de Legazpi.

Attended the launching ceremony are the officials of the South Korean shipyard, along with officials belonging to the Philippine government through its embassy in South Korea, representatives from the Department of National Defense, and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Gen Romeo Brawner Jr., PA who represented the Philippine military. In a speech, he said that the launch of the first OPV is not merely the unveiling of a new ship, that it is a declaration of AFP’s commitment for maritime security.

It symbolizes the ever-increasing bilateral ties between South Korea and the Philippines, whereby both countries elevated their ties into a full strategic partnership, with an agreement taking place in October 2024. The agreement underscores the need to expand defense and security relations of both countries, which also means getting into future agreements that go similarly to the purchase of offshore patrol vessels of the Philippine Navy, now named as the Rajah Sulayman-class OPVs.

The vessel ordered has its design derived from the HDP-2200+ concept presented by the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, with specifications specially suited for the Philippine Navy requirements for an Offshore Patrol Vessel or an OPV. Initially, being the HDP-1500 design and then the HDP-2400, the Rajah Sulayman-class came with basic sensor system and armaments that usually come with a ship of this configuration. The said South Korean shipbuilder also markets the design to the Philippine Coast Guard during ADAS 2024.

As the first ship gets named and launched, so does the question of what will be the names of the remaining offshore patrol vessels that the Philippine Navy ordered in South Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. 

This article will provide the details on the naming of the remaining offshore patrol vessels, which are all referring to chieftains of Rajahs and Datus in title, while providing updates to the information relating to the offshore patrol vessels that the Philippine Navy will probably receive starting next year.

For this topic, the discussion will first present an overview of the names of the remaining vessels of the Philippine Navy, while giving background of vessels that bear the same name before the Revised AFP Modernization Program taking place, starting from the 2010s up to present. 

Ultimately, the updates on the specifications and other relevant information will come presented in this article, giving a full perspective to the progress of the entire Offshore Patrol Vessel Acquisition Project of the Philippine Navy.

THE NAMING

The names and bow numbers of each Offshore Patrol Vessel belonging to the Rajah Sulayman-class.
From a Philippine Navy publication, shared on Pitz Defense Analysis.

In this new class of offshore patrol vessel, it is not surprising that the naming of the vessels will go after the country’s pre-Hispanic chieftains, as it provided additional historical significance of the said names to the resolve of the people to resist Spanish influence and power, in a place that will subsequently named as the Philippines. 

The bravery of the chieftains to protect their domains comes as a chain of resolve from the locals to keep on fighting, that the revolutionary heroes continue until the end of the Hispanic era.

On a Philippine Navy publication (see image above) on the Offshore Patrol Vessel Acquisition Project, the names and corresponding hull number of the vessels unfolded, providing a full overview of what to call on each of the six (6) offshore patrol vessels purchased. 

The following names are - BRP Rajah Sulayman (PS-20), BRP Rajah Lakandula (PS-21), BRP Rajah Humabon (PS-22), BRP Sultan Kudarat (PS-23), BRP Datu Marikudo (PS-24), and BRP Datu Sikatuna (PS-25).

First, it corroborated the classification convention that the Philippine Navy has in the present time this article has published, as it will have frigates with hull numbers from zero-six (06) to nineteen (19) with the first two (2) filled with both BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG-06) and BRP Diego Silang (FFG-07). 

The offshore patrol vessels will have a hull number designation from twenty (20) to twenty-nine (29), six (6) of which are now covered by the new Rajah Sulayman-class OPVs bought from South Korea.

All the names of the ships mentioned have used before in other vessels that were once commissioned in the Philippine Navy fleet, which basically means that all the names in the offshore patrol vessels ordered by the naval service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines from South Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy Industries will use for the second time, bearing it to the brand new vessels that continue the legacy of the old ones, most of were from Second World War era.

Out of the six (6) names used for naming the HDP-2200+ offshore patrol vessels of the Philippine Navy, four (4) were names of the fleet’s frigates or destroyer escorts prior to the 1970s reclassification, and the remaining two (2) were names of ex-Malvar-class patrol corvettes. 

Going further, RPS Rajah Soliman was once a Buckley-class destroyer escort, BRP Rajah Lakandula was once an Edsall-class destroyer escort, and both BRP Rajah Humabon and BRP Datu Sikatuna were both Cannon-class destroyer escorts.

All the mentioned ships have once served in the United States Navy in the Second World War, of which this was eventually turned over to the Philippine Navy and since then became the mainstay composition of the Philippine fleet before modernization comes into mind from the Revised AFP Modernization Program in 2012, with the Jacinto-class Patrol Vessels being the most modern and advanced vessels of the time. This has then changed when the entire Philippine fleet saw modern warships serving in its inventory.

As discussing each name of the ships will only make this writeup even longer, the details will instead focus on each class of ships that was part of the Philippine Navy fleet, shortening the discussion into just four (4) types - the Buckley-class destroyer escort (frigate), the Edsall-class destroyer escort (frigate), the two (2) Cannon-class destroyer escort (frigate), and the two (2) Malvar-class patrol corvettes. All of which have their own stories of active service in the Philippine Navy’s fleet.

THE RPS RAJAH SOLIMAN (D-66)

The ship in the image come as one of the Philippine Navy frigates in the fleet.
(c) GorioB, Flickr.

Before the flagship of new offshore patrol vessels of the Philippine Navy now bearing this name, albeit more Filipino in pronunciation, this vessel and its namesake deserves a mention and detailed discussion in this writeup, as it gives an added knowledge of the country’s service branch using these names on naval vessels transferred to the Philippine fleet, even before the idea of buying brand new offshore patrol vessels became a trend in the service branch’s contemporary times.

The story started in the Second World War, whereby the United States Navy commissioned the USS Bowers (DE-637), a Buckley-class Destroyer Escort with a full service record involving its operational and mission related achievements in the Asia-Pacific theater of operations during the said conflict on a global scale. 

From the Battle of Leyte Gulf to the Battle of Okinawa, the said destroyer escort gallantly took part in the war effort that aimed to eliminate the threat of Japanese imperialism as of that time.

The first casualty involving the said warship in combat took place on April 16, 1945, whereby a Japanese aircraft conducted a Kamikaze charge against the destroyer escort, resulting in the casualty of thirty-seven (37) of its crew. 

Since then, it got converted into a High Speed Attack Transport vessel that belonged to the Charles Lawrence-class, and it remained that way for a decade and a half, until the vessel eventually turned over to the Philippine Navy in 1961 that it became the RPS Rajah Soliman (D-66).

Being the largest vessel that the Philippine Navy had during that time in the 1960s, the RPS Rajah Soliman (D-66) has a length of 93.3 meters, a beam of 11.1 meters, and a draft of 3.4 meters. By modern standards, this ship's size comes almost at par with the modern Rajah Sulayman-class offshore patrol vessels that get discussed in this writeup, with the latter being slightly larger. The largest vessel in the fleet as of this time is the Tarlac-class Landing Docks, with a length of around 123 meters and a beam of 21.8 meters.

While both aforementioned ships have almost similar size, things are not that similar in terms of fitted armaments onboard, as the old RPS Rajah Soliman (D-66) comes with depth charge racks and torpedo tubes onboard that can carry 21-inch torpedoes, making this vessel capable to conduct anti-submarine operations that count as a significant capability of that time, only regained with the entry of both Jose Rizal and Miguel Malvar-class frigates in the Philippine Navy fleet as of recent.

The old RPS Rajah Soliman (D-66) served in the Philippine Navy fleet from its entry in 1961 to its demise in 1964, when the Typhoon Winnie (local name: Dading) pummeling the shores of the country, especially the repair facility that the aforementioned destroyer escort got situated during the storm. 

The battering waves that came out from that typhoon rendered the vessel unserviceable, counted as beyond economical repair that made it eventually sold for scrap in 1966. 

It took the Philippine Navy almost six (6) decades to have a ship getting named to this specific pre-colonial chieftain once again, this time having its spelling more native to the Filipino language and also became the name of the entire class of offshore patrol vessels that the naval service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines will receive in the latter part of the decade from the day this writeup publishes. The next one will also refer to another single class of destroyer escort serving the fleet.

THE BRP RAJAH LAKANDULA (PF-4)

The Edsall-class BRP Rajah Lakandula (PF-4) is in the foreground, with the BRP Andres Bonifacio (PF-7) in the background.
Image retrieved from Wikimedia Commons.

This ship, like the RPS Rajah Soliman (D-66), was also a warship that solely belong to its own class of warship that have served the Philippine Navy, and like the aforementioned 1960s-era destroyer escort, have only served the naval service branch of the Philippine Armed Forces’ offshore combat force fleet for a medium amount time, at least actively for twelve (12) years. The BRP Rajah Lakandula (PF-4) was a sole Edsall-class destroyer escort that served the Philippine Navy from 1976 to 1988.

As a vessel, it served most of its time within the United States Navy as the USS Camp (DE-251), a destroyer escort vessel that provided additional protection on the Atlantic convoy that supplied European war effort against Nazi Germany through the United Kingdom during the Second World War. 

Built and commissioned in 1943, it provided support in the logistics chain by countering threats posed by German U-Boats that aimed to disrupt the entire war supply chain by sinking the convoy vessels carrying goods.

After the war, the USS Camp (DE-251) reclassified into a training ship in Pearl Harbor in 1945, until the ship decommissioned from active duty on May 1, 1946. The ship recommissioned back into service as the radar picket ship USS Camp (DER-251), providing an early warning system that expands coverage of detecting foreign aircraft that enters the expanded area of responsibility, similar to how airborne warning and control systems or AWACS perform in today’s battlefield environment.

It served as a radar picket ship platform until it officially turned over to the South Vietnamese Navy in 1971 as the RVNS Tran Hung Dao (HQ-1), where it served the fleet for four (4) years until the country it served surrendered after the successful takeover and reunification as accomplished by the communist North Vietnam. The said South Vietnamese frigate escaped to the Philippines, where the Philippine Navy gained the ship as the BRP Rajah Lakandula (PF-4).

One notable mission that the ship took part was with its patrol operation in the Basilan Strait’s Sangbay Island on October 7, 1980, when its crew draw into a battle with armed pirates in the island, resulting to the casualty of the Medal of Valor recipient Ensign Albert V Majini, whose name now emblazoned on an Acero-class Fast Attack Interdiction Craft - Missile (FAIC-M) of the Philippine Navy, a way to show testament on his heroism against a threat that attempted to pin down BRP Rajah Lakandula (PF-4).

Being an Edsall-class destroyer escort, the USS Camp has the following specifications, whereby its size comes with 93.27 meters long, 11.15 meters wide, and 3.73 meters draft. 

For comparison, the Rajah Sulayman-class offshore patrol vessels are slightly larger and almost on a par with the provided size dimensions, but take note that being a destroyer escort, the BRP Rajah Lakandula has torpedo tubes and depth charge racks fitted onboard, along with capable anti-aircraft guns that makes it a formidable vessel of its time.

The BRP Rajah Lakandula, after twelve (12) years of actively serving the Philippine Navy, gets decommissioned in 1988, and since then served as the stationary barracks ship for the fleet until it eventually sold for scrap sometime between the late 1990s and the early 2000s. 

Since then, it took the Philippine Navy at least two and a half (2 ½) decades for its leadership to reuse the name for the second time, with this one now named on the country’s second HDP-2200+ derived offshore patrol vessel.

THE TWO (2) PHL NAVY CANNON-CLASS DESTROYER ESCORTS

This was once a flagship of the Philippine Navy's fleet, until the entry of the former Hamilton-class cutter BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF-15/PS-15), then a patrol frigate (now an offshore patrol vessel).
Image retrieved from Wikimedia Commons.

The following two (2) Cannon-class destroyer escorts discussed bears the name that the new offshore patrol vessels will soon have, out of three (3) vessels that belong to this class of vessels that all bear the names of pre-Hispanic chieftains of the Philippines. 

The portion of this subtopic will also encompass the reason that the name of one of the Cannon-class ships, BRP Datu Kalantiaw, does not end up included in this final list of names of the Philippine Navy’s new offshore patrol vessels.

Setting aside BRP Datu Kalantiaw comes the other two (2) Cannon-class destroyer escorts that bears the name that two (2) of the upcoming HDP-2200+ offshore patrol vessels will soon have, which are the vessels BRP Datu Sikatuna (PF-5) and BRP Rajah Humabon (PF-6), then (PF/PS-11). 

Getting back to the BRP Datu Kalantiaw, the reason this name did not end up included was because of its pseudo-historical nature of the personality, suggesting that there was actually no Datu Kalantiaw existed, and was rather a hoax.

Going back to the two (2) vessels named BRP Datu Sikatuna and BRP Rajah Humabon, its service history with the Philippine Navy began when the aforementioned destroyer escorts, once operated by Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force as JDS Asahi (DE-262) and JDS Hatsuhi (DE-263), both defined the Asahi-class destroyer escorts of the Japanese fleet before the formal turn-over of the vessels to the Philippine fleet on the day of September 13, 1976.

Still going further back into history, both the said Cannon-class destroyer escorts served the United States Navy as the USS Amick (DE-168), and USS Atherton (DE-169), both serving in the Second World War as part of the fleet that pushes the United States war effort to put both the Japanese Empire and Nazi Germany into eventual defeat. Both vessels officially got launched into the water on May 27, 1943, with gaps in months of the commissioning of the aforementioned destroyer escorts into the fleet within the said year.

While both vessels share the same year of getting commissioned into active duty, the same cannot say in the number of years that both vessels served on three navies, from the United States Navy, then the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force or JMSDF, and eventually in the Philippine Navy service where both vessels saw maximizing its function in the fleet until decommissioning. The gap of decommissioning between both the BRP Datu Sikatuna and the BRP Rajah Humabon has spanned for at almost thirty (30) years.

The BRP Datu Sikatuna (PF-5) decommissioned first in 1989, likely due that there are only two (2) Cannon-class destroyer escorts, then named as Kalantiaw-class patrol frigates in service that spare parts hulk for this class of ships becoming more scarce, making the cannibalization of the vessel as a spare parts hulk more likely to ensure that the remaining ship of this class in service, the BRP Rajah Humabon, fully operational.

Decommissioning BRP Datu Sikatuna (PF-5) enabled the BRP Rajah Humabon (PF/PS-11) to operate for at least twenty-nine (29) years in the fleet, with the ship being the flagship of the Philippine Navy from the late 90s up to the early 2010s, when the first ex-Hamilton class cutter BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF/PS-15) entered active service within the fleet. As the Philippine Navy modernizes its fleet up to the standards of the time, the BRP Rajah Humabon decommissioned from active service on March 15, 2018.

BRP SULTAN KUDARAT AND BRP DATU MARIKUDO

The BRP Sultan Kudarat (PS-22) was once part of the Malvar-class patrol corvettes.
Photo by Mike Baylon, from Navsource.

Both of the vessels belonged to what has named as the ‘Malvar-class patrol corvettes’, which was the Philippine Navy’s mainstay patrol platform before the Revised AFP Modernization Program helped the service branch securing its newer vessels and rendering most of the vessels belonging to this class getting decommissioned from active duty. Both vessels aforementioned belong to this specific class of patrol vessels that were once known as the PCE patrol crafts from the United States Navy.

The BRP Sultan Kudarat (PS-22) was a PCE-842-class patrol craft made for the United States Navy in the Second World War, bearing the name PCE-895 at the day of its commissioning on October 30, 1944. Then it became known to be the USS Crestview (PCE-895) on February 15, 1956. 

Like the BRP Rajah Lakandula (PF-4), the USS Crestview then served in the South Vietnamese Navy as the Dong Da II (HQ 07), until it evacuated to the Philippines after its fall in 1975.

Meanwhile, the BRP Datu Marikudo (PS-23) was a PCE(R)-489-class patrol craft made for the United States, also used in the Second World War as the PCE(R)-853 upon commissioning on June 16, 1944. 

Then it received its new name as the USS Amherst (PCE(R)-853) on February 15, 1956, a training reserve ship intended to provide skills to the naval reservists of the Forth (4th) Naval District in Philadelphia, in the state of Pennsylvania. It changed hands like its sistership, the BRP Sultan Kudarat.

Still talking about the BRP Datu Marikudo (PS-23), it then served in the South Vietnamese Navy as the Van Kiep (HQ 14), where they became the second user of the vessel on June 3, 1970 in its turn-over from the United States Navy, when the ship got struck out from the registry. It served for at least five (5) years, until the Vietnamese government fell in 1975, where alongside the then future BRP Sultan Kudarat (PS-22) and BRP Rajah Lakandula (PF-4), evacuated to the Philippines.

Both the BRP Sultan Kudarat (PS-22) and BRP Datu Marikudo (PS-23) entered the Philippine Navy on April 5, 1976, as the RPS Sultan Kudarat and RPS Datu Marikudo, until the prefix got its revision into the current one in the 1980s. 

Both served the fleet as the mainstay patrol vessels all throughout the 1990s up to the early 2010s, where the fleet experienced a transformation resulting from the materialization of the Revised AFP Modernization Program.

The BRP Datu Marikudo first decommissioned from active duty, citing the vessel’s age, in December 2010, at the time that the Philippine Navy was in poor shape and the idea of having modernized vessels, aside from the Jacinto-class patrol vessels already in service, was still a distant dream. 

The BRP Sultan Kudarat (PS-22) decommissioned nine (9) years later, on July 5, 2019, slowly putting out the remaining World War 2 era vessels from the fleet, until the replacements came in six (6) years later.

Now, both names will get used for a second time, which will come with the upcoming six (6) Rajah Sulayman-class offshore patrol vessels produced by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries for the Philippine Navy’s modernization requirements. 

Seeing this, the new ships that bear the same name will also bear the operational legacy brought by the older Malvar-class patrol vessels that came before it, continuing the always constant mandate of securing the country’s maritime interests.

SUMMARY

An updated version of the infographic, featuring the names of the vessels.
Pitz Defense Analysis file image.

Once known as the HDP-1500, then the HDP-2400 variant, the Philippine Navy’s Rajah Sulayman-class offshore patrol vessels officially derive itself from the HDP-2200+ Offshore Patrol Vessels as marketed by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, itself going differently to its slightly different product line that is the HDP-2200 variant. The latter, as discussed in this website, are the ones offered by the said South Korean shipbuilder to the Philippine Coast Guard during the 2024 ADAS Exhibition.

The stories of the names presented were referring to the ships that have once served the Philippine Navy of the old, whereby all of it served as a United States Navy vessel during the Second World War, with two (2) of it transferred from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force in the meantime, until it served in the Philippine Navy fleet for a final time. The same goes with the ones that have served with the South Vietnamese Navy vessels that sought escape to the country after their motherland collapsed in 1975.

Bearing the names of the pre-Hispanic chieftains come with it the prestige of a growing Philippine Navy fleet, with the Offshore Combat Force surely getting the six (6) offshore patrol vessels under this acquisition project. 

It bears the names of its namesakes, all of which bear a reputation of bravery and reputation of the said chieftains against the attempts of domination by the old colonials, or bearing a reputation of flourishing of pre-colonial communities before getting a strong pact with the Spanish.

It will join the fleet that will complement the other offshore patrol vessels that form part of the Offshore Combat Force, notably the Del Pilar-class offshore patrol vessels that were once the Hamilton-class cutters of the Philippine Coast Guard, and the Jacinto-class patrol vessels that were once the Hong Kong-based Peacock-class vessels that have served the British Royal Navy. This soared the number of offshore patrol vessels of the fleet to at least twelve (12) vessels upon the completion of delivery.

Of course, not to mention are the main combatants of the fleet, namely the Jose Rizal and Miguel Malvar-class frigate, along with the sole BRP Conrado Yap (PS-30), which itself is the single Pohang-class corvette that currently serves the Philippine fleet. 

To date, the construction of Rajah Sulayman-class offshore patrol vessels increases the number of warship exports made by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries to at least ten (10) vessels, with likely more to come in the next couple of years.

As the BRP Rajah Sulayman getting launched on June 2025, it signifies the start of the new class of offshore patrol vessels that will fully serve the Philippine Navy in the upcoming decades, gallantly patrolling and securing the country’s territorial and EEZ waters by providing an added presence in crucial areas like the West Philippine Sea. The vessels might go hand in hand with the Philippine Coast Guard’s own vessels in establishing an expanded Maritime Domain Awareness or MDA in its own waters.

As reported, the Rajah Sulayman-class offshore patrol vessels will have its delivery fully completed by year 2028, in which it will significantly increase the number of vessels in the Philippine Navy with the number of units specified in the contract. 

The increase is a welcoming development as the fleet needs more hulls for an effective operation of constantly providing a presence in the country’s vast waters that connect its archipelagic geographical construct. 

(c) 2025 PDA.

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Detailing the New F-16 Viper Offer from DSCA for the Philippine Air Force

Since this was first reported, the Philippine Air Force aspires to have its squadron of new and more capable multirole fighter jets, one that can surpass the current firepower load-out and other features that the FA-50PH that the air service branch currently maintains in service.

As the new information provided from an official portal that forms part of the United States' system for Foreign Military Sales, this topic will delve primarily on the new information involving a known multirole fighter jet made by that country's premier aerospace company, intended for the Philippine Air Force's air defense requirements.

THE OFFICIAL DSCA RELEASE

An artist's rendition of what a Philippine Air Force F-16 Viper will look like.
From Lockheed Martin Facebook Page.

On a normal Tuesday of April 1, 2025, an information relevant to the Philippine Air Force’s Multirole Fighter Jet Acquisition Program has released on the website of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency or DSCA, providing information on the request of approval for a Foreign Military Sale or FMS of a certain fighter aircraft made in the United States. And, no, this is not another April Fools Joke, as the release refers to an updated information for a potential sale of F-16 Block 70/72 Viper aircraft.

And why ‘updated’, one might ask? The answer points to another release made by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency or DSCA on their website, also referring to a potential sale of F-16 Block 70/72 Viper, with the details posted on their website since June 24, 2021. 

At the time we publish this article, the previous one is no longer available from the DSCA website, fully reflecting on the updated and most recent release made on the website for the Philippine Air Force’s multirole fighter jet requirements.

At a glance, it refers to the potential sale of at least twenty (20) units of F-16 Block 70/72 Viper multirole fighter jet, of which sixteen (16) are the single-seater F-16Cs, while the remaining four (4) units are the double-seater, conversion trainer F-16Ds for the Philippine Air Force pilots to familiarize more about the aircraft. The estimated cost of the entire package presented is at around US$5.58 Billion, or Php 310 Billion, based on the exchange rate of US$1.00 = Php 55.57.

The price tag is unsurprising high even at the original budget allotted for the project under the Horizon 2 phase being at around Php 61 Billion, as factors like inflation came into play, not to mention that the offers made through DSCA always come with other components included in the entire F-16 package presented in the website. This includes the number of munitions and spare parts items in the presented package, of which its breakdown will get covered throughout this discussion.

In the previous offer before the update, the details presented on the DSCA website refer to the potential sale of at least twelve (12) units of F-16 Block 70/72 Viper multirole fighter jet, of which ten (10) are single-seater F-16Cs, and the remaining two (2) units are the double seater, conversion trainer F-16Ds. 

The price tag presented for this arrangement comes at around US$2.43 Billion, of which it comes at around Php 118.34 Billion during the June 24, 2021 exchange rate of US$1.00 = Php 48.69.

As usual, aside from the increase in the number of units in the updated release, both the spare parts and ammunition package also increase, ranging from the AIM-9X sidewinder missiles to Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles or AMRAAMS, of which reports provided might have the numbers change to make the deal more bearable for the Department of National Defense to consider. Also included are the sensors and other crucial aircraft subcomponents that are part of the F-16 system deployed onboard.

This discussion will delve more into the details surrounding the updated release from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency website, particularly into the breakdown of armaments, spare parts, and aircraft units included in the package as compared to the original 2021 figures. 

Going further, the missile systems discussed will also come with a glance, providing details on its capabilities that might help improve the capabilities of the Philippine Air Force; especially if they get this multirole fighter jet aircraft type.

THE NUMBER OF JETS

From the initial 12 units, the new DSCA release now calls for 20 units, an increase of 8 more units.
File image.

One immediate change that came from the updated release from the DSCA website for April 1, 2025, as compared to the first iteration way back in 2021, is the number of F-16 Viper units included in the deal, intended for the Philippine Air Force’s multirole fighter jet acquisition project. The change also reflects the direction of the air service branch’s primary objectives in securing the needed numbers under this project, which will cover shortly throughout this sub-topic.

In the original release of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency or DSCA website in 2021, the information provided calls for the sale of at least twelve (12) F-16 Block 70/72 Viper through Foreign Military Sales or FMS arrangement, whereby the breakdown comes down to at least ten (10) single-seater F-16 Block C variant and at least two (2) double-seater F-16 Block D conversion trainer variant. The latter will help pilot aspirants to familiarize the aircraft’s operational function, among other combat purposes.

In the numbers provided in 2021 reflects the original multirole fighter jet acquisition project requirements of the Philippine Air Force of that period, whereby the service branch aims to have at least twelve (12) units of multirole fighter jets that will probably form into a squadron, with a meager budget of around Php 61 Billion. 

Of course, given the components released as a package in the DSCA website, the budget required for twelve (12) F-16s plus other components surpassed that of the presupposed budget allotted.

The current 2025 version of the offer has since increased to at least twenty (20) units of F-16 Block 70/72 Viper, of which sixteen (16) units are the single-seater F-16 Block C variant, while the remaining four (4) units are the dual-seater, conversion trainer variants of the F-16 Block D variant. This clearly reflects the Philippine Air Force’s updated numbers for its Multirole Fighter Jet Acquisition Project, of which the Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro now calls for a total number of at least forty (40) units of this aircraft. 

This means that Lockheed Martin, with this information provided by the DSCA website for the Philippine Air Force’s multirole fighter jet requirements, will cover at least half of the total number that the air service branch aims to get under this updated arrangement provided by the said end-user, along with the Department of National Defense. 

From this, the remaining twenty (20) units of aircraft might still be open to other competitors, especially if the first half pushed through, awarded to the US aerospace company.

The increase in the number of units of F-16 Block 70/72 Vipers on the website release reflects not only on the desires of the Philippine Air Force in finalizing this portion of the multirole fighter jet project, but also for Lockheed Martin to push its marketing further into securing this project. That also means further cementing its foothold in the Philippine defense and aerospace market, adding up along with the C-130J-30s and S-70i Black Hawk Helicopters that the Philippine Air Force purchased from this said manufacturer.

As the numbers added for this new iteration of the multirole fighter jet acquisition project fully delved on, the next portion to talk on is on the munition aspects of the updated release, with comparisons provided between the recent one to the original release in 2021. 

This portion, at a glance, has an increase with the number of munitions included and also on the type of munitions provided, some of which might help provide the firepower requirements for a Philippine Air Force multirole fighter jet to use during missions.

THE MUNITIONS

Munitions include the AIM-9X Sidewinder Missile.
Image Source.

Aside from the number of units mentioned in the upgraded deal for F-16 Block 70/72 Viper, another thing to check in the details is the number and type of munitions that forms part of the package, as each of the presented firepower provides additional capabilities for the said multirole fighter jet’s operational requirements, as the Foreign Military Sales arrangement of the United States DSCA always come with its package as complete, although details might still subject for further negotiation with the Philippine side.

The 2025 updated release provides additional forms of munitions that have not offered in the original 2021 version for the F-16 Block 70/72 offer to the Philippine Air Force, the following will come as a list with a glance on the capabilities of each offered munition for this project, ranging from air-to-air missile munitions to guided bombs and guided bombing kits that can fit on unguided munitions, most of which being new capabilities that will help augment the air service branch’s existing munitions inventory.

One notable munition included on the package for the F-16 Block 70/72 Viper are the AIM-9X air-to-air missile munitions, of which these Sidewinders, as it commonly called, come as an improvement to the AIM-9L Sidewinder that typically found fitted with the Philippine Air Force’s FA-50PH Lead-In Fighter Trainers made by Korea Aerospace Industries or KAI. This is not surprising, as the AIM-9X is currently the latest variant of the Sidewinder family of air-to-air missile munitions.

As quoted in this spec sheet that talks about the AIM-9 Sidewinder family, the AIM-9X variant has the same rocket motor and warhead as the AIM-9M. Major physical changes from previous versions of the missile include fixed forward canards and smaller fins designed to increase flight performance. The guidance section gets redesigned and features an imaging infrared seeker, and its propulsion section now incorporates a jet-vane steering system for enhanced post-launch ability. 

Another interesting air-to-air missile munition recently included in the package on the F-16 Block 70/72 Viper for the Philippine Air Force is the AIM-120C-7/C-8 AMRAAM or the Advanced Medium Air-To-Air Missiles, of which twenty-four (24) units comes included in this package. 

The AIM-120 AMRAAM is a beyond visual range or BVR missile, of which such capability is currently nonexistent in the Philippine Air Force, hence its inclusion might improve the air service branch’s air defense capabilities.

Of course, included in the munitions package list is the 500 lb Mark-82 bombs, of which the Philippine Air Force surely have in its inventory, some of which fitted with kits that form the GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs for surgical strikes and precision-related mission objectives.  All the mentioned munitions will provide the full support for the operational requirements of the F-16 Block 70/72 Viper, as an effort to establish the multirole fighter jet force of the Philippine Air Force.

Aside from the munitions, the next point of discussion that will complete this topic will be on the spare parts support of the package, of which the F-16 Block 70/72 Viper aircraft provided to the Philippine Air Force will not only limit to the units bought but also with spare parts support that will increase its operational time, along with providing the needed support infrastructure that ensures the air service branch’s ability to sustain the operations of the multirole fighters in the following decades of operations.

SPARE PARTS, SENSORS, AND SUBCOMPONENT KITS

Spare engines also come as part of the package.
This is an U.S. Air National Guard photo by Audra Flanagan, via DVIDS.

Another part of the package that the United States Foreign Military Sales arrangement provided by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency or DSCA on their website are the sensors and spare parts package of the F-16 Block 70/72 Viper, most of which are likely integrated with the units provided for the Philippine Air Force’s multirole fighter jet requirements, with the provided extra numbers intended as a spare parts hulk for prolonged operational airworthiness.

One notable component to point on is the supply of twenty-four (24) F110-GE-129D or F100-PW-229 Engines (20 installed, 4 spares), which means the engines come at both installed and spare part configuration that ensures continuous operational airworthiness of the F-16 Block 70/72 Viper, along with the bureaucratic description of providing and including the installed subsystems onboard the aircraft as part of the deal with the Philippine Air Force, aside from discussing the fighter jet units at a glance.

Aside from the engines, the aircraft’s sensors have also included in the package, of which it refers to the twenty-two (22) AN/APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Scalable Agile Beam Radars (SABR), (20 installed, 2 spares). 

The numbers provided for the F-16 Block 70/72 Viper’s main radar come similarly to the said multirole fighter aircraft’s engines in terms of spare, except that there are two (2) fewer spares for the AESA radar, but still sufficient for operational requirements based on this given parameter.

Including in the package are the twelve (12) AN/AAQ-33 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods (ATP) and twenty-four (24) Multifunctional Information Distribution System-Joint Tactical Radio Systems (MIDS-JTRS), whereby the former provide improved long-range target detection/identification and continuous stabilized surveillance for all missions, including close air support of ground forces and the latter serve as a suite that connects an F-16 Block 70/72 fighter jet to the Link-16 Tactical Data Link network.

The said components form an integral part of the F-16 Block 70/72 Viper’s own capabilities, which go beyond its dogfighting and beyond visual range (BVR) missile shooting capabilities. 

The latter components mentioned provide the needed information and communication exchange between units of a larger network system employed by an armed force, all playing a crucial role in coordination and quick decision making that defines the outcome of the conflict.

Adding to the spare parts and subcomponents list are the following items: AN/ARC-238 radios; AN/APX-127 or equivalent Advanced Identification Friend or Foe (AIFF) Combined Interrogator Transponders (CIT) with Mode-5, KY-58 and KIV-78 cryptographic devices, AN/PYQ-10 Simple Key Loaders (SKLs); KGV-250X cryptographic devices, Scorpion Hybrid Optical-based Inertial Trackers (HObIT) or Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems II (JHMCS II) helmet mounted displays, and night vision devices (NVDs).

While the list provided on the website of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency or DSCA is more comprehensive than the content of this article, the final items provided come as an integral part of the offered F-16 Block 70/72 Viper as an essential subcomponent installed onboard. 

Also, all the components provided in the comprehensive release are all for the improvement of the Philippine Air Force’ capabilities, as this means a lot for the air service branch’s first multirole fighter jet since the AFP Modernization has started.

LOOKING FORWARD

Information received has suggested that there is a promising prospect on the horizon.
File Image.

As the Philippine Air Force’s multirole fighter jet acquisition project pushes through, there are still some hurdles that need to be overcome prior to this project to get fulfilled, especially if this means purchasing new F-16 Block 70/72 for the air service branch. 

One of the primary concerns relating to this project is the budget availability, of which both the Philippine ambassador to the United States and the Secretary of National Defense are highlighting this concern that prevents the project from pushing through.

What remains now is the formal offer that the United States might bring into this deal that involves the said twenty (20) units of F-16 Block 70/72 Viper multirole fighter jets, along with the subcomponents, spare parts, and munitions included in the package as presented on the Defense Security Cooperation Agency or DSCA website release. 

The aerospace company Lockheed Martin said that they are optimistic about seeing this offer pushing through, suggesting a government-to-government approach as an idea to get it done.

Aside from the interesting tidbits on the package provided on an official website from one of the United States government’s own agencies, another thing to highlight on is Lockheed Martin’s ‘total package’, whereby they also present other tidbits that involve industrial development and tech transfer aspects such as in-country maintenance, repair and overhaul capacity. The said tidbits are for the support of the newly enacted Self Reliance Defense Posture Revitalization Act or the Republic Act 12024.

Despite the optimistic output provided by the aerospace manufacturer that produces the F-16 Block 70/72 Viper from its South Carolina production line, the discretion of a formal offer for the twenty (20) units of the said multirole fighter jet still lies with the United States government, of which they are still yet to provide an official one at the time of this writing. This still makes the multirole fighter jet acquisition project of the Philippine Air Force still relatively open to the competition.

Relating to the grand scheme of ongoing developments within the Philippine Air Force’s push for modernization, the Department of National Defense and the Korea Aerospace Industries or KAI, has signed a contract calling for an additional of twelve (12) FA-50 Lead-In Fighter Trainers, which is correlated to the multirole fighter jet program, particularly that this Korean-made light fighter serve as a stepping stone for pilots in terms of experience before embarking on board dedicated multirole fighters.

The recent developments provided sheds the possibility for the multirole fighter jet acquisition program to push through, although this would not come smoothly as there are still some concerns needed to iron out with some of those mentioned now finding its way for the materialization of the project and eventually for the Philippine Air Force to get its decent and dedicated fighter aircraft. The project comes at a significant importance to other defense-related projects like the land-based defense systems, as mentioned.

Ultimately, the goal for the Philippine Air Force is to improve its overall air defense capabilities, sufficient to conduct its duty of protecting the country’s airspace that comprise the entire Philippine Air Defense Identification Zone or PADIZ, while adhering to the entire Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Re-Horizon 3 modernization initiative, itself aligning to the Department of National Defense’ Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept or CADC.

All the mentioned efforts aim for the improvement of the defense of the Philippine republic and its core interest.

(c) 2025 PDA.

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