Philippines admits F-16 fighter jet deal from US is too expensive

F-16 fighter (Photo: Reuters).

Since the US approved the sale of 12 F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines in 2021, Manila has been faced with the question of how it will finance the deal.

"The F-16 purchase is still too expensive, so we have to find a way to maintain our finances in the long term," Jose Manuel Romualdez, the Philippine ambassador to the US, told Nikkei Asia .

The country is considering options including switching to buying used aircraft or receiving financial support from Washington.

When the deal was announced in June 2021, the US estimated the cost to the Philippines of purchasing the aircraft and related equipment at $2.43 billion, accounting for more than half of the Philippines' annual defense budget.

Mr. Romualdez said that the Philippines "may" cancel the deal to buy new F-16 aircraft from the US and Manila could buy old fighters from a third country such as Denmark.

However, Danish fighter jets are unlikely to reach the Philippines. In October, the US State Department approved Denmark's transfer of F-16s to Argentina. Under regulations, if Denmark wants to transfer US-made aircraft to a third country, it needs approval from Washington.

In addition to Argentina, Denmark has also decided to provide old F-16s to Ukraine to counter Russia. This will deplete the Nordic country's F-16 inventory.

So, another option that the Philippines can hope for is to receive aid from the US.

"We hope that the United States will be able to provide us with some support so that we can modernize our armed forces as quickly as possible. Because this is a critical time, the sooner we can complete that work, the better," said Mr. Romualdez.

The Philippine armed forces launched a 15-year modernization program in 2012 to upgrade defense equipment and the recent acquisition of Japanese-made radars that can track intrusions at distances of up to 300km is a step in that direction.

The program is expected to continue beyond 2027 with the goal of ensuring the Philippines has a modern and capable military.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/philippines-thua-nhan-thuong-vu-mua-tiem-kich-f-16-cua-my-qua-dat-do-20231227221612321.htm