Philippines finally receives first T129 attack helicopters
The Philippine Air Force has received the first two units of T129 Atak helicopters from Turkey. (PAF)
A pair of T129B Atak helicopters arrived in Clark Air Base, Pampanga, on 9 March, after being freighted to the Philippines from Turkey aboard two Turkish Air Force A400M aircraft.
The A400Ms were likely used for delivery given that the global transport services offered by Antonov Airlines are suspended because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The two Turkish aircraft delivered the helicopters as well as integrated logistics equipment.
The two attack helicopters will be reassembled and tested before they are formally inducted at a PAF ceremony within the next 1-2 months.
Lt Col Maynard Mariano, the PAF spokesperson, said
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Air Warfare
-
Update: India’s Rafale-M deal postponed
New Delhi had been gearing up to sign a Navy Rafale deal as talks swirled around a potential assembly line in Nagpur.
-
Turkey’s Eurofighter process going to plan despite German block, says minister
The comment, made by Turkish defence minister Yasar Guler, also noted that the 40-strong sale of Eurofighter Typhoons was primarily managed by the UK, not Germany.
-
Belgium considers additional F-35 order to boost fleet
The statement from Prime Minister Bart De Wever during a parliamentary session follows the country’s Easter Agreement which would see it increase defence spending to 2% of GDP by the end of 2025.
-
Northrop Grumman notes $477 million loss as it manages higher B-21 programme costs
In its Q1 earnings call, the company disclosed a US$477 million pretax loss related to the programme as it works to scale up.
-
Lockheed Martin wants to “supercharge” F-35 after NGAD loss
The investment in technologies developed for Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) aircraft bid will now be applied to its F-35 and F-22 aircraft, according to Lockheed Martin CEO James Taiclet.