$100-M US military aid can be used to acquire 12 upgraded heavy-lift Sikorsky choppers — Philippine envoy

WASHINGTON — The $100-million military aid that will be provided by the United States to the Philippines may be used to acquire 12 upgraded heavy-lift Sikorsky helicopters after Manila terminated a contract to purchase 16 Russian aircraft, Manila’s envoy to the US said Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).

Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said the Philippines is looking into converting a dozen of the 36 Sikorsky aircraft previously ordered by the Philippine government into Poland-manufactured heavy-lift helicopters intended for disaster response and emergencies.

“The $100 million actually is part and parcel of the upgrading of that helicopters but we can use it for something else,” Romualdez told a group of visiting Filipino journalists here.

He said the Department of National Defense will determine if there is a need for 12 upgraded units or just use a part of the grant to acquire other defense equipment.

US Ambassador to Manila MryKay Carlson earlier said the State Department has notified the US Congress to make available $100 million in foreign military financing to the Philippines to compensate for the canceled Russian contract.

Contrary to the canceled $38-million Russian deal, Romualdez said Sikorsky will provide maintenance for the helicopters.

“That’s why some say some of these things may be considered expensive but at the end of the day it’s cheaper because the maintenance is the key. That’s why these helicopters are very useful,” he said.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte approved a deal to buy Mi-17 Russian helicopters but decided to terminate the contract due to fears of western sanctions.

Russian envoy to Manila Marat Pavlov said Manila has not notified Russia of its decision to cancel the deal.

Former Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, in an official letter to Duterte dated June 26, 2022 seen by GMA News Online, said it has already informed Russian aircraft manufacturer Sovtechnoexport LLC that the contract agreement for the 16 chopper, including a bonus “VIP helicopter,” has been terminated.

“Terminating the contract is the prudent thing to do as sanctions under the US law – Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act(CAATSA), which the US is threatening to impose on us should we continue with the Russian helicopter deal, will adversely affect our country,” Lorenza said in the letter.

The existing US sanctions legislation prohibits the purchase of military equipment from countries like Russia.

Philippine Defense officials in Washington said military training and operations between Filipino and American troops would be “easier” if both sides use the same equipment.

“In case there is an event wherein we have to defend ourselves jointly with other allied countries, it is very important that the equipment we will be procuring, everybody within the alliance can work within. That’s what we call interoperability,” said Army Col. Arthur Romanillos, Philippine Embassy military attaché in Washington DC.

The US, a long-time treaty ally of the Philippines, is the country’s biggest supplier of military hardware and arms.

They are bound by a 1951 defense treaty which calls on the US to come to the Philippines’s aid in the event of an armed attack. Both sides also conduct annual military drills. — RSJ, GMA News