Bad weather causes slight delay in delivery of new fighter jets

MANILA, Philippines — Bad weather in South Korea pushed the scheduled arrival of the Philippine Air Force's first two FA-50PH advanced trainer jets from Friday to Saturday.

In an advisory on Thursday, Department of National Defense media officer Prime Berunia said that the first two of 12 units of the fighter aircraft worth P18.9 billion will arrive at the Clark Air Base in Angeles City, Pampanga.

The Golden Eagle jets, made by Korean firm KAI, will allow Philippine pilots gain experience in operating fast-moving aircraft.

The new air assets will also serve as interim fighters until the country invests in more capable jets.

The two-seater FA-50PH jet can run on maximum speed of Mach 1.5, or 1150.9 miles per hour. Mach number is a ratio of the speed of an aircraft to the speed of sound.

It also capable of being fitted air-to-air missiles, including the AIM-9 "Sidewinder" air-to-air and heat-seeking missiles aside from light automatic cannons.

Its design is derived from the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon in terms of engine, speed, size, cost and range of weapons. — Camille Diola with reports from PNA