In a speech celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Philippine Air Force, the president of the Philippines, Benigno Aquino III, announced that Japan would be supplying the country with three Beechcraft TC-90 King Air. The country plans to use the King Air along with other donated assets such as new patrol boats and submarine-hunting P3-C patrol planes to improve the territorial defense and humanitarian assistance/disaster response capabilities of the two countries.
Currently, Manila does not have the aircraft to patrol the South China Sea. The TC-90s will greatly boost the countries’ monitoring capabilities and allow for a response to China’s threat to Philippine claims there.
Japan has been a close strategic partner of the Philippines since 2011, and have increasingly been boosting their defense capabilities in light of China’s assertiveness in the East China Sea and the South China Sea. The countries have even agreed upon a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) to allow Japans access to Philippine military bases.
While Japan has no claims in the South China Sea, it is worried by China’s construction of seven artificial islands in the waterway’s Spratly archipelago. This extends Chinese military reach into sea lanes through which many of Japan’s ship-borne trade passes. China insists they pose no threat to its neighbors and the outposts will have civilian uses such as search and rescue and weather monitoring.
The United States (who has security treaties with Manila and Tokyo) has backed Japan-Philippines alliance. President Obama announced in a visit last month for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit they the U.S. would provide the Philippine Navy with a third Hamilton-class cutter and a research vessel. The U.S. has also asked the Japanese military to provide training and maintenance along with any aircraft it supplies.
One of the key platforms of President Aquino has been the bolstering of the Philippine’s lack-luster defenses.
“We have changed our armed forces’ image. From an army neglected through a decade of government lies, deceit and thievery, we now have a modern, better-prepared and more dependable fighting force,” President Aquino said.