Aircraft
Green Light for 'Too Expensive' Philippines' F-16 Purchase
The U.S. is happy to sell F-16s to the Philippines, but the price may be too high for Manila.
An impression depicts F-16C Block 70/72s carrying Sniper targeting pods, and armed with AIM-9X and AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)
An impression depicts F-16C Block 70/72s carrying Sniper targeting pods, and armed with AIM-9X and AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

On June 24 the U.S. State Department approved the potential sale of 12 F-16 Block 70/72 fighters to the Philippines, following a request from the government in Manila as its searches for a Multi-Role Fighter (MRF) to defend the nation's airspace and surrounding seas. However, a day later the Philippine defense secretary, Delfin Lorenzano, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the F-16 package was too expensive, and that the Philippine Air Force (PAF) was examining other options. The front-runners for the MRF requirement are the F-16 and Sweden's Saab Gripen.


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