Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 25)— The Philippine government has greenlighted the purchase of six T-129 attack helicopters from Turkey in a deal worth $269.4 million (about ₱13 billion), with two units set to be handed over by the third quarter this year, the Defense Department said Tuesday.
“Based on latest developments, we are expecting the first two units of T-129 attack helicopters for the Philippine Air Force to be delivered this September,” DND Spokesperson Dir. Arsenio Andolong said in a statement.
The T-129 helicopters will be acquired from Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) under a government-to-government deal.
It is expected to boost the fleet of light attack helicopters of the 15th Strike Wing of the Philippines Air Force, whose assets primarily provide close-air support to ground forces in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations.
The unit also announced on its Facebook page last Saturday that it has sent off a number of its pilots and crew to undergo over two months of training in the TAI headquarters in Ankara, Turkey.
The remaining four units of T-129 choppers are expected to be delivered in February 2022 and February 2023, Andolong said.
