PAF to get P5.5 billion Japan radar

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Air Force (PAF) is now in the process of acquiring a P5.5-billion radar system from Japan to boost its capability to secure the country’s airspace in strategic areas including the disputed West Philippine Sea.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has signed the Contract Agreement and Notice to Proceed for the Horizon 2 Air Surveillance Radar System (ASRS) Acquisition Project of the PAF under a negotiated government-to-government procurement arrangement.

The project, which has an Approved Budget for Contract of P5.5 billion, was awarded to Mitsubishi Electric Corp. (MELCO) with a total contract price of $103.5 million.

It is expected to be delivered to the Philippines by 2022, DND spokesman Arsenio Andolong said, and the recommended ASRS sites would cover large areas of the Philippine Rise, southern areas of the country, and the southern portion of West Philippine Sea.

He announced yesterday that operations from the strategically vital locations will enable the PAF to provide optimal airspace monitoring, aircraft control, perform its air defense mission and enhance the security in identified areas of interest.

“Specifically, the ASRS will help to detect, identify, and correlate any threats and intrusions within the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and deliver radar images to decision-makers and relevant operating units,” Andolong said.

He added that the ASRS package includes three fixed long-range Air Surveillance Radars, each with building facilities, and a mobile Air Surveillance Radar.