.png){kind=logo}
1 month ago
21
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
December 13, 2025 | 12:00am
This handout photo taken on March 23, 2024 and released by the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (PCG/BFAR) on March 25, 2024 shows an aerial view of BRP Datu Pagbuaya as it sails from the Philippine-held Thitu Island sheltered port, in the Spratly Islands, in the disputed South China Sea.
Photo by Handout / Philippine Coast Guard / AFP
MANILA, Philippines — Fighter jets and helicopters of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) have participated in the latest maritime exercises betwen the Philippines and the United States’ military forces in the West Philippine Sea.
Three of the PAF’s FA-50 fighter jets and three A-29B Super Tucano aircraft as well as two helicopters joined the 9th Bilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) on Wednesday, according to PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Christina Basco.
“The activity aims to enhance interoperability between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the US Indo-Pacific Command, in support of maritime security and improved maritime domain awareness within the region,” Basco said.
PAF’s assets played a vital role in the drill, with the FA-50PH and the A-29B Super Tucano aircraft conducting coordinated air operations in support of joint maritime security objectives.
An S-70i Black Hawk helicopter executed vertical replenishment missions aboard a US vessel, in partnership with the Naval Air Warfare Wing of the Philippine Navy.
During the MCA, a Sokol search and rescue aircraft provided operational support to ensure safety, readiness and integrated maritime response capabilities.
Basco said the Phl-US MCA reflected the enduring cooperation between the two countries in promoting regional security and stability.
During the drill, the AFP deployed the BRP Jose Rizal warship, which, along with the PAF assets, conducted maritime security exercises with the US Indo-Pacific Command’s USS Rafael Peralta, MH-60R Seahawk helicopters and P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.
Meanwhile, to reduce dependence on foreign defense equipment, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) turned over a locally made automated weapon system to the Department of National Defense and the Philippine Army.
The controller-operated battle-ready armament or COBRA, was designed to strengthen the firepower capability of the Army’s armored vehicles by integrating a .50-caliber remote-controlled weapon station.
“Through rigorous functional, operational endurance and live-fire tests, the COBRA has proven that local technologies can meet and even exceed mission requirements,” DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said during the turnover ceremony at Camp O’Donnell in Capas, Tarlac on Thursday.
