Philippines seeks more retired MSDF patrol aircraft, navy chief says

Manila –

As Tokyo and Manila discuss the potential transfer of used Japanese destroyer escorts, the head of the Philippine Navy has said the service is also interested in acquiring an additional five retired TC-90 aircraft from the Maritime Self-Defense Force to boost its surveillance capabilities.

“Before the end of this year, we’ll be sending a joint visual inspection team to Japan to check five TC-90s that have become available,” Philippine Navy chief Vice Adm. Jose Ma Ambrosio Ezpeleta told The Japan Times in a recent interview.

“We still have a lot of gaps in our maritime domain awareness capabilities, so we want to determine if we can incorporate these additional aircraft into our fleet to step up our patrols,” he said at naval headquarters in Manila.