Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said there is still no final decision on the type of multi-role fighter aircraft that the Department of National Defense will acquire for the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Teodoro made the statement amid reports that the Philippines had already reached an agreement with South Korea to acquire Korean-made KF-21 Boramae fighter jets.
Reports said Korea Aerospace Industries had supposedly secured a deal to deliver the KF-21s under the military’s ongoing modernization program.
“None yet on the MRF,” Teodoro told reporters during an ambush interview at Camp Aguinaldo when asked if the defense department had already chosen the type of MRF to procure.
“None yet. You are going to know it. We are going to announce when there is already a decision,” he said.
The Armed Forces, particularly the Philippine Air Force, has long needed multi-role fighters to strengthen the country’s ability to protect its airspace.
Defense officials are reportedly considering three aircraft types under the MRF acquisition program, including the KF-21. The two others are Sweden’s Saab JAS 39 Gripen and the United States’ F-16.
The MRFs to be acquired are separate from the 12 FA-50 aircraft ordered by the DND from Korea Aerospace Industries last year for around ₱40 billion.
The aircraft are expected to be delivered from 2028 to 2030.
The additional FA-50s will augment the 12 similar aircraft previously acquired from KAI and delivered from 2015 to 2017. One of the delivered FA-50s crashed in Bukidnon last March.
Teodoro said the upcoming FA-50s “will perform more than their costs.”
He said the additional FA-50s will be equipped with “stand-off capability,” or the ability to detect and engage targets from a distance.
“That’s always part of our plan because that’s deterrence,” Teodoro said.
“But of course, we still have to look for deterrent capabilities, whether MRF, whether missiles,” he added, saying the military continues to build up its capabilities.