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Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star
June 6, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — After offering to provide state-of-the-art F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines, Lockheed Martin – one of the United States’ leading defense and aerospace manufacturers – is aiming to establish long-term non-military collaboration with local industries.
“Lockheed Martin’s partnership with the Philippines extends beyond providing military capability,” Aimee Burnett, vice president of business development for the Integrated Fighter Group, said in a statement.
“As we collaborate with the local industry, we aim to deliver social and economic value by cultivating talent, creating jobs and driving innovation that advances the domestic defense sector and supports holistic progress,” she said.
“In short, Lockheed Martin is committed to building a long-term partnership that benefits the Philippines and its people,” Burnett said.
The company said it hopes to contribute to strengthening the country’s Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept while investing in Filipino talent, technical training, and local industry partnerships.
As part of the F-16 Block 70 package, Lockheed Martin will train Filipino technicians in in-country maintenance, repair and overhaul of F-16 and C-130 aircraft.
“With the F-16 Block 70, Lockheed Martin is confident it can help the Philippines build a sustainable airpower ecosystem, driven by Filipino talent and supported by local industry, while delivering the advanced capabilities needed to address its most pressing defense requirements,” Burnett said.
The company said it would provide core technologies and equipment to local industrial partners to enable them to directly repair Philippine Air Force (PAF) aircraft, leading to greater self-reliance in aerospace development as well as to job creation and skills-building opportunities for the Philippines workforce.
Lockheed Martin said it proposed the establishment of an Innovation Center in the Philippines, which will serve as the focal point for research and development collaboration, technology transfer and investment.
Last April, Lockheed Martin said the US State Department’s recent approval of the proposed sale of 20 F-16 Block 70 aircraft to the Philippines marked a significant milestone in efforts to modernize Philippine air power capabilities.
The Department of National Defense has yet to announce if it is taking the deal.
It recently signed a $700-million agreement to acquire 12 more FA-50 fighter jets from South Korea’s Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd.
Maiden patrol
Meanwhile, the Philippine Navy’s newest warship, BRP Miguel Malvar had its maiden patrol mission on Wednesday under the 7th Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) with the US Indo-Pacific Command.
Delivered just last April by South Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, the 3,200-ton corvette sailed with a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel while a US P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft flew overhead. The PAF was also part of the MCA.
One of the highlights of the latest bilateral activity at sea was a fire support rehearsal involving the US 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment based in Subic.
Aside from defense training, the AFP said the MCA also supports broader objectives, including capacity building and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response preparedness, with PAF’s search and rescue asset and PCG’s BRP Cabra as participants.
In Burgos, Ilocos Norte, Philippine and US Marines held live-fire drills under this year’s Kamandag 09-25 counter-landing exercise.
The exercise involved the use of 105mm and 155mm howitzers, Light Armored Vehicles, and integrated aerial reconnaissance by the Naval Air Wing’s AW109 helicopters.
Partners from France, the Netherlands and Thailand monitored the live-fire drills.
Earlier on Sunday, the Philippine Marines and the US Marine Corps also teamed up for simulated maritime interdiction exercises in Batanes especially in the deployment of the US military’s anti-ship weapon the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System or NMESIS.
