Philippines planning to buy helicopters from South Korea

October 2, 2020

The Philippines is planning to acquire  UH-1H and MD500 helicopters from South Korean  for the Philippine Air Force (PAF).

Arsenio Andolong, Department of National Defense (DND) public affairs service chief , said Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana expressed intent in a letter to the new South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook.

"In a congratulatory letter to newly-appointed Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense Suh Wook, Secretary Lorenzana said that the DND also plans to conduct a joint visual inspection in the fourth quarter ," he said.

"The joint visual inspection will be conducted following strict biosafety protocols amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, by a team composed of representatives from the DND and the Armed Forces of the Philippines," he added.

Andolong said "the acquisition project for the South Korean UH-1H and MD500 helicopters is still in the exploratory stage, with the details yet to be finalized including the timeline and quantity of the assets to be acquired." Robina Asido/DMS