Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 9)— After months of delays, the first two of six T129 “ATAK” helicopters from Turkey have arrived, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) announced on Wednesday.
“The two T129, together with its initial logistics support, were loaded onboard two A400M of the Turkish Air Force,” PAF spokesperson Lt. Col. Maynard Mariano said in a statement. The two military cargo planes touched down at the Clark Air Base shortly early Wednesday.
One of the planes carried the two helicopters while the other transported the initial logistics requirement of the two T129s, the Philippine News Agency quoted Mariano.
He also said the helicopters will undergo technical inspection and flight tests before being accepted for service.
The government purchased six brand-new T129s from Turkey in mid-2021, with the first units initially expected to be delivered by September last year.
Speaking to reporters during a Navy event in Zambales last Feb. 10, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana could not explain the cause for the delivery delay which has dragged on “for several months,” and rescheduled a couple of times.
“They (T129s) were supposed to arrive last November (2021) but they (TAI) asked for some postponement. I don’t know the real reason. Maybe the pandemic — or what,” Lorenzana said.
With the two units now in the country, there is no word yet on when the four other units will be delivered.
According to the PAF, the T129 deal with Turkish Aerospace Institute (TAI) is worth about ₱13.7 billion, and is part of the long-term modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) under Horizon 2.
It will join the fleet of MG-520, AW-109, and AH-1 attack helicopters of the PAF’s Cavite City-based 15th Strike Wing, which is tasked to carry out close-air support for ground troops, as well as armed surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
“It will help a lot in our surface strike capabilities, and it will complement our AH-1 Cobra to support the (missions) of the AFP,” Mariano said.
The Jordanian government donated two Bell AH-1S Cobra helicopters in 2018. One unit was delivered in November last year.
