As the Philippine government pursues a military modernization program until 2028, domestic defense companies are preparing to step forward in the weeks ahead. This project includes the introduction of fighter jets and submarines, so Korea Aerospace Industries ( KAI ), Hanwha Ocean, and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries are expected to participate.
According to the industry on the 4th, the Philippine government is carrying out a military modernization project over 15 years from 2013 to 2028 to increase its ability to respond to terrorism, domestic maritime security, and internal threats. The Philippine government plans to introduce new weapons in three stages. Phase 1 (2013-2017) and Phase 2 (2018-2022) projects have now been completed, and a total of 42 military projects worth 98 billion pesos (approximately 2.28 trillion won) are in progress.
The third phase of the program, which is scheduled to begin as early as this year, is expected to get off to a smooth start. With the change of government in the Philippines in June last year, there were concerns about whether the project would be maintained, but the new government is also showing its will to pursue the project. KOTRA’s Manila trade office said, “Last May, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Philippine House of Representatives Speaker Ferdinand Martin Gomez Romualdez expressed that the current administration and legislature fully support the military’s modernization program.” KAI , which already has a history of exporting FA-50
light combat aircraft to the Philippines, is expecting additional exports. The Philippines purchased 12 FA-50PH units through a government-to-government contract in 2014 and successfully deployed them after delivery in 2017. The FA-50PH performed well during the Battle of Marawi in the Philippines in 2017 and received praise from the Philippine military as a ‘ GAME토토사이트 CHANGER ( an important product that changes the game).’ Last year, Philippine Air Force spokesman Colonel Maynard Mariano said, “We are considering 12 additional FA-50PHs and are also considering the KF-21 , a multipurpose fighter.” A KAI official said,
“The FA-50 has already proven its practical performance and is recording a high operation rate in the Philippines,” he said. “When the business begins in the future, we can propose not only new exports but also performance improvements to the existing FA-50PH model.”
The Philippine Navy is also pursuing the introduction of two submarines in the third phase of the project. The size of the business is reported to be between $1.25 billion and $1.8 billion (approximately KRW 1.65 trillion – KRW 2.38 trillion). Domestic submarine manufacturers such as Hanwha Ocean and HD
Hyundai Heavy Industries , which need a track record of submarine exports, are expected to jump into the race for orders. Hanwha Ocean opened up exports by winning orders for six 1,400-ton submarines from Indonesia in 2011, but HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has no submarine export records yet. The two companies have also predicted a clash in the submarine business in Canada and Poland.
A shipbuilding industry official said, “Although the Philippines has not disclosed the specific specifications of the submarine, domestic companies have the ability to build submarines of various sizes, so there are many options that can be proposed when starting future projects.”
If domestic companies export submarines to the Philippines, Hanwha Systems, which supplies ship combat systems ( CMS ) and tactical data links ( TDL ) to be mounted on ships, is also expected to benefit. Hanwha Systems has already supplied CMS and TDL to 13 ships, including HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ coastal guard ships, patrol ships, and frigates , which were exported to the Philippines four times . An official from Hanwha Systems said, “The Philippines is focusing on strengthening its naval power as territorial disputes in the South China Sea and military tensions in the Western Pacific are increasing. “We plan to actively participate in the Philippine Navy’s new ship introduction project,” he said.