Detailing the New F-16 Viper Offer from DSCA for the Philippine Air Force

Since this was first reported, the Philippine Air Force aspires to have its squadron of new and more capable multirole fighter jets, one that can surpass the current firepower load-out and other features that the FA-50PH that the air service branch currently maintains in service.

As the new information provided from an official portal that forms part of the United States' system for Foreign Military Sales, this topic will delve primarily on the new information involving a known multirole fighter jet made by that country's premier aerospace company, intended for the Philippine Air Force's air defense requirements.

THE OFFICIAL DSCA RELEASE

An artist's rendition of what a Philippine Air Force F-16 Viper will look like.
From Lockheed Martin Facebook Page.

On a normal Tuesday of April 1, 2025, an information relevant to the Philippine Air Force’s Multirole Fighter Jet Acquisition Program has released on the website of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency or DSCA, providing information on the request of approval for a Foreign Military Sale or FMS of a certain fighter aircraft made in the United States. And, no, this is not another April Fools Joke, as the release refers to an updated information for a potential sale of F-16 Block 70/72 Viper aircraft.

And why ‘updated’, one might ask? The answer points to another release made by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency or DSCA on their website, also referring to a potential sale of F-16 Block 70/72 Viper, with the details posted on their website since June 24, 2021. 

At the time we publish this article, the previous one is no longer available from the DSCA website, fully reflecting on the updated and most recent release made on the website for the Philippine Air Force’s multirole fighter jet requirements.

At a glance, it refers to the potential sale of at least twenty (20) units of F-16 Block 70/72 Viper multirole fighter jet, of which sixteen (16) are the single-seater F-16Cs, while the remaining four (4) units are the double-seater, conversion trainer F-16Ds for the Philippine Air Force pilots to familiarize more about the aircraft. The estimated cost of the entire package presented is at around US$5.58 Billion, or Php 310 Billion, based on the exchange rate of US$1.00 = Php 55.57.

The price tag is unsurprising high even at the original budget allotted for the project under the Horizon 2 phase being at around Php 61 Billion, as factors like inflation came into play, not to mention that the offers made through DSCA always come with other components included in the entire F-16 package presented in the website. This includes the number of munitions and spare parts items in the presented package, of which its breakdown will get covered throughout this discussion.

In the previous offer before the update, the details presented on the DSCA website refer to the potential sale of at least twelve (12) units of F-16 Block 70/72 Viper multirole fighter jet, of which ten (10) are single-seater F-16Cs, and the remaining two (2) units are the double seater, conversion trainer F-16Ds. 

The price tag presented for this arrangement comes at around US$2.43 Billion, of which it comes at around Php 118.34 Billion during the June 24, 2021 exchange rate of US$1.00 = Php 48.69.

As usual, aside from the increase in the number of units in the updated release, both the spare parts and ammunition package also increase, ranging from the AIM-9X sidewinder missiles to Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles or AMRAAMS, of which reports provided might have the numbers change to make the deal more bearable for the Department of National Defense to consider. Also included are the sensors and other crucial aircraft subcomponents that are part of the F-16 system deployed onboard.

This discussion will delve more into the details surrounding the updated release from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency website, particularly into the breakdown of armaments, spare parts, and aircraft units included in the package as compared to the original 2021 figures. 

Going further, the missile systems discussed will also come with a glance, providing details on its capabilities that might help improve the capabilities of the Philippine Air Force; especially if they get this multirole fighter jet aircraft type.

THE NUMBER OF JETS

From the initial 12 units, the new DSCA release now calls for 20 units, an increase of 8 more units.
File image.

One immediate change that came from the updated release from the DSCA website for April 1, 2025, as compared to the first iteration way back in 2021, is the number of F-16 Viper units included in the deal, intended for the Philippine Air Force’s multirole fighter jet acquisition project. The change also reflects the direction of the air service branch’s primary objectives in securing the needed numbers under this project, which will cover shortly throughout this sub-topic.

In the original release of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency or DSCA website in 2021, the information provided calls for the sale of at least twelve (12) F-16 Block 70/72 Viper through Foreign Military Sales or FMS arrangement, whereby the breakdown comes down to at least ten (10) single-seater F-16 Block C variant and at least two (2) double-seater F-16 Block D conversion trainer variant. The latter will help pilot aspirants to familiarize the aircraft’s operational function, among other combat purposes.

In the numbers provided in 2021 reflects the original multirole fighter jet acquisition project requirements of the Philippine Air Force of that period, whereby the service branch aims to have at least twelve (12) units of multirole fighter jets that will probably form into a squadron, with a meager budget of around Php 61 Billion. 

Of course, given the components released as a package in the DSCA website, the budget required for twelve (12) F-16s plus other components surpassed that of the presupposed budget allotted.

The current 2025 version of the offer has since increased to at least twenty (20) units of F-16 Block 70/72 Viper, of which sixteen (16) units are the single-seater F-16 Block C variant, while the remaining four (4) units are the dual-seater, conversion trainer variants of the F-16 Block D variant. This clearly reflects the Philippine Air Force’s updated numbers for its Multirole Fighter Jet Acquisition Project, of which the Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro now calls for a total number of at least forty (40) units of this aircraft. 

This means that Lockheed Martin, with this information provided by the DSCA website for the Philippine Air Force’s multirole fighter jet requirements, will cover at least half of the total number that the air service branch aims to get under this updated arrangement provided by the said end-user, along with the Department of National Defense. 

From this, the remaining twenty (20) units of aircraft might still be open to other competitors, especially if the first half pushed through, awarded to the US aerospace company.

The increase in the number of units of F-16 Block 70/72 Vipers on the website release reflects not only on the desires of the Philippine Air Force in finalizing this portion of the multirole fighter jet project, but also for Lockheed Martin to push its marketing further into securing this project. That also means further cementing its foothold in the Philippine defense and aerospace market, adding up along with the C-130J-30s and S-70i Black Hawk Helicopters that the Philippine Air Force purchased from this said manufacturer.

As the numbers added for this new iteration of the multirole fighter jet acquisition project fully delved on, the next portion to talk on is on the munition aspects of the updated release, with comparisons provided between the recent one to the original release in 2021. 

This portion, at a glance, has an increase with the number of munitions included and also on the type of munitions provided, some of which might help provide the firepower requirements for a Philippine Air Force multirole fighter jet to use during missions.

THE MUNITIONS

Munitions include the AIM-9X Sidewinder Missile.
Image Source.

Aside from the number of units mentioned in the upgraded deal for F-16 Block 70/72 Viper, another thing to check in the details is the number and type of munitions that forms part of the package, as each of the presented firepower provides additional capabilities for the said multirole fighter jet’s operational requirements, as the Foreign Military Sales arrangement of the United States DSCA always come with its package as complete, although details might still subject for further negotiation with the Philippine side.

The 2025 updated release provides additional forms of munitions that have not offered in the original 2021 version for the F-16 Block 70/72 offer to the Philippine Air Force, the following will come as a list with a glance on the capabilities of each offered munition for this project, ranging from air-to-air missile munitions to guided bombs and guided bombing kits that can fit on unguided munitions, most of which being new capabilities that will help augment the air service branch’s existing munitions inventory.

One notable munition included on the package for the F-16 Block 70/72 Viper are the AIM-9X air-to-air missile munitions, of which these Sidewinders, as it commonly called, come as an improvement to the AIM-9L Sidewinder that typically found fitted with the Philippine Air Force’s FA-50PH Lead-In Fighter Trainers made by Korea Aerospace Industries or KAI. This is not surprising, as the AIM-9X is currently the latest variant of the Sidewinder family of air-to-air missile munitions.

As quoted in this spec sheet that talks about the AIM-9 Sidewinder family, the AIM-9X variant has the same rocket motor and warhead as the AIM-9M. Major physical changes from previous versions of the missile include fixed forward canards and smaller fins designed to increase flight performance. The guidance section gets redesigned and features an imaging infrared seeker, and its propulsion section now incorporates a jet-vane steering system for enhanced post-launch ability. 

Another interesting air-to-air missile munition recently included in the package on the F-16 Block 70/72 Viper for the Philippine Air Force is the AIM-120C-7/C-8 AMRAAM or the Advanced Medium Air-To-Air Missiles, of which twenty-four (24) units comes included in this package. 

The AIM-120 AMRAAM is a beyond visual range or BVR missile, of which such capability is currently nonexistent in the Philippine Air Force, hence its inclusion might improve the air service branch’s air defense capabilities.

Of course, included in the munitions package list is the 500 lb Mark-82 bombs, of which the Philippine Air Force surely have in its inventory, some of which fitted with kits that form the GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs for surgical strikes and precision-related mission objectives.  All the mentioned munitions will provide the full support for the operational requirements of the F-16 Block 70/72 Viper, as an effort to establish the multirole fighter jet force of the Philippine Air Force.

Aside from the munitions, the next point of discussion that will complete this topic will be on the spare parts support of the package, of which the F-16 Block 70/72 Viper aircraft provided to the Philippine Air Force will not only limit to the units bought but also with spare parts support that will increase its operational time, along with providing the needed support infrastructure that ensures the air service branch’s ability to sustain the operations of the multirole fighters in the following decades of operations.

SPARE PARTS, SENSORS, AND SUBCOMPONENT KITS

Spare engines also come as part of the package.
This is an U.S. Air National Guard photo by Audra Flanagan, via DVIDS.

Another part of the package that the United States Foreign Military Sales arrangement provided by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency or DSCA on their website are the sensors and spare parts package of the F-16 Block 70/72 Viper, most of which are likely integrated with the units provided for the Philippine Air Force’s multirole fighter jet requirements, with the provided extra numbers intended as a spare parts hulk for prolonged operational airworthiness.

One notable component to point on is the supply of twenty-four (24) F110-GE-129D or F100-PW-229 Engines (20 installed, 4 spares), which means the engines come at both installed and spare part configuration that ensures continuous operational airworthiness of the F-16 Block 70/72 Viper, along with the bureaucratic description of providing and including the installed subsystems onboard the aircraft as part of the deal with the Philippine Air Force, aside from discussing the fighter jet units at a glance.

Aside from the engines, the aircraft’s sensors have also included in the package, of which it refers to the twenty-two (22) AN/APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Scalable Agile Beam Radars (SABR), (20 installed, 2 spares). 

The numbers provided for the F-16 Block 70/72 Viper’s main radar come similarly to the said multirole fighter aircraft’s engines in terms of spare, except that there are two (2) fewer spares for the AESA radar, but still sufficient for operational requirements based on this given parameter.

Including in the package are the twelve (12) AN/AAQ-33 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods (ATP) and twenty-four (24) Multifunctional Information Distribution System-Joint Tactical Radio Systems (MIDS-JTRS), whereby the former provide improved long-range target detection/identification and continuous stabilized surveillance for all missions, including close air support of ground forces and the latter serve as a suite that connects an F-16 Block 70/72 fighter jet to the Link-16 Tactical Data Link network.

The said components form an integral part of the F-16 Block 70/72 Viper’s own capabilities, which go beyond its dogfighting and beyond visual range (BVR) missile shooting capabilities. 

The latter components mentioned provide the needed information and communication exchange between units of a larger network system employed by an armed force, all playing a crucial role in coordination and quick decision making that defines the outcome of the conflict.

Adding to the spare parts and subcomponents list are the following items: AN/ARC-238 radios; AN/APX-127 or equivalent Advanced Identification Friend or Foe (AIFF) Combined Interrogator Transponders (CIT) with Mode-5, KY-58 and KIV-78 cryptographic devices, AN/PYQ-10 Simple Key Loaders (SKLs); KGV-250X cryptographic devices, Scorpion Hybrid Optical-based Inertial Trackers (HObIT) or Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems II (JHMCS II) helmet mounted displays, and night vision devices (NVDs).

While the list provided on the website of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency or DSCA is more comprehensive than the content of this article, the final items provided come as an integral part of the offered F-16 Block 70/72 Viper as an essential subcomponent installed onboard. 

Also, all the components provided in the comprehensive release are all for the improvement of the Philippine Air Force’ capabilities, as this means a lot for the air service branch’s first multirole fighter jet since the AFP Modernization has started.

LOOKING FORWARD

Information received has suggested that there is a promising prospect on the horizon.
File Image.

As the Philippine Air Force’s multirole fighter jet acquisition project pushes through, there are still some hurdles that need to be overcome prior to this project to get fulfilled, especially if this means purchasing new F-16 Block 70/72 for the air service branch. 

One of the primary concerns relating to this project is the budget availability, of which both the Philippine ambassador to the United States and the Secretary of National Defense are highlighting this concern that prevents the project from pushing through.

What remains now is the formal offer that the United States might bring into this deal that involves the said twenty (20) units of F-16 Block 70/72 Viper multirole fighter jets, along with the subcomponents, spare parts, and munitions included in the package as presented on the Defense Security Cooperation Agency or DSCA website release. 

The aerospace company Lockheed Martin said that they are optimistic about seeing this offer pushing through, suggesting a government-to-government approach as an idea to get it done.

Aside from the interesting tidbits on the package provided on an official website from one of the United States government’s own agencies, another thing to highlight on is Lockheed Martin’s ‘total package’, whereby they also present other tidbits that involve industrial development and tech transfer aspects such as in-country maintenance, repair and overhaul capacity. The said tidbits are for the support of the newly enacted Self Reliance Defense Posture Revitalization Act or the Republic Act 12024.

Despite the optimistic output provided by the aerospace manufacturer that produces the F-16 Block 70/72 Viper from its South Carolina production line, the discretion of a formal offer for the twenty (20) units of the said multirole fighter jet still lies with the United States government, of which they are still yet to provide an official one at the time of this writing. This still makes the multirole fighter jet acquisition project of the Philippine Air Force still relatively open to the competition.

Relating to the grand scheme of ongoing developments within the Philippine Air Force’s push for modernization, the Department of National Defense and the Korea Aerospace Industries or KAI, has signed a contract calling for an additional of twelve (12) FA-50 Lead-In Fighter Trainers, which is correlated to the multirole fighter jet program, particularly that this Korean-made light fighter serve as a stepping stone for pilots in terms of experience before embarking on board dedicated multirole fighters.

The recent developments provided sheds the possibility for the multirole fighter jet acquisition program to push through, although this would not come smoothly as there are still some concerns needed to iron out with some of those mentioned now finding its way for the materialization of the project and eventually for the Philippine Air Force to get its decent and dedicated fighter aircraft. The project comes at a significant importance to other defense-related projects like the land-based defense systems, as mentioned.

Ultimately, the goal for the Philippine Air Force is to improve its overall air defense capabilities, sufficient to conduct its duty of protecting the country’s airspace that comprise the entire Philippine Air Defense Identification Zone or PADIZ, while adhering to the entire Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Re-Horizon 3 modernization initiative, itself aligning to the Department of National Defense’ Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept or CADC.

All the mentioned efforts aim for the improvement of the defense of the Philippine republic and its core interest.

(c) 2025 PDA.

Share:

Read More

The NMESIS and the United States' Renewed Commitment in Philippine Defense

At the turn of the new administration that is sitting in the United States government at the time of this writing, there are a mix of uncertainties among the alliances relating to the commitment that the world's sole superpower has in keeping the current world order, particularly against countries that are up to challenge it. For the Philippines, a deployment of a new weapons system gives an assurance on its 'ironclad alliance' with the former.

US SECRETARY OF DEFENSE'S VISIT TO THE COUNTRY

The deployment of the NEMESIS anti-ship missile system is an interesting development for the US-Philippine relations.
Image Source.

From March 27 through March 28, 2025, United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited the Philippines for an official visit, meeting with President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr and Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro, as part of his Indo-Pacific visit involving United States territory of Guam, and other Indo-Pacific country of Japan. 

This is SECDEF Hegseth’s first visit to an Asian country in the official status of his position, aiming to advance defense and security goals with the key officials of the Philippine government.

His visit to the country has the assurance for an ironclad alliance between both countries in mind, signifying that the Philippines receive that needed continuous support amidst the uncertainties surrounding the practical nature of commitments and relationships of the United States' official foreign policy. 

The continuity of this commitment from the Biden administration to the present Trump 2.0 administration is a needed assurance that the Philippine authorities needed to hear from the current United States government.

This visit comes with interesting tidbits as to the type of support that the Philippine government, specifically the Armed Forces of the Philippines, will receive from the United States as the result from this renewed cooperation between both countries, and the expectations as to the things the Philippines will give as a return of investment from this burgeoning relations between both countries. The type of support provided comes on top of increased troop deployments and rotations by United States forces in the country.

One interesting tidbit highlighted and also the primary topic of discussion is the likely deployment of the United States military’s newest shore based anti-ship missile system, coming with an acronym “NMESIS” (pronounced ‘nemesis’), which stands for “Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System”. This system will have its debut deployment into the country in the 2025 Joint Exercise Balikatan, which will take place from April 21 up to May 9, 2025.

The debut deployment of the shore-based anti-ship missile system will go with its extended deployment of the country even after the 2025 Joint Exercise Balikatan gets concluded, going similarly with what the United States forces did with the Typhon Mid-Range Capability (MRC) missile system deployed in the country. Both systems aforementioned will help the Philippine forces practice and share knowledge on the operations and other aspects of its usage and deployment.

Of course, its deployment always comes with deterrence in mind, as this has raised on an interview relating the effect that the NMESIS anti-ship missile system has for the overall Philippine defense deterrence, of which the response into the matter also encompass the greater aspects of the country’s deterrence, which includes the ‘ironclad’ alliance that the Philippines has with the United States, along with the current capabilities that the Armed Forces of the Philippines has, to date.

As the deployment of the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System or NMESIS gets highlighted in the aspects of the greater scope of current Philippine defense posture and its implication in the current order of the Indo-Pacific region, the discussion relating to this topic will delve primarily on the system’s development, geopolitical implications, and its specifications, giving a full picture that intertwines geopolitical and Philippine defense aspects of the system’s deployment in the country.

WEAPONS DEVELOPMENT

The NMESIS' missile munitions will be the Naval Strike Missile from Kongsberg, the same anti-ship missile found onboard United States Navy ships.
Image Source.

To understand better the development of the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System or NMESIS platform, it is worth to focus more on its munitions first, before focusing on other areas like its launcher and other relevant parts of the system. 

For starters, the munition the system has primarily composed of the Kongsberg-developed and produced Naval Strike Missile (NSM) system, originated in the Scandinavian country of Norway and is now a mainstay anti-ship missile munition of the United States Navy.

In Southeast Asia, the countries that will probably come up with the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) systems munition will be the southern neighboring countries of both Malaysia and Indonesia, whereby the former will use it to arm both of its Maharaja Lela-class Frigates (Littoral Combat Ships or LCS) and its older Lekiu-class Frigates, and the latter will use it to arm its Klewang-class Fast Attack Crafts. The Philippine Navy uses the South Korean SSM-700K Haeseong ‘C-Star’ anti-ship missile munition as its mainstay solution.

The missile system’s development started way back in the late 1980s, when Kongsberg started into conceptualization and addressing the limitations of Norway’s first indigenously made anti-ship missile, which is the Penguin anti-ship missile. It then undertook formalization into a full-scale development contract in 1996, costing at around US$100 Million and the timeframe expected to have at least six (6) years. Serial production of the missile then started on June 29, 2007.

For both the United States Navy and Marine Corps, the responsibility regarding the production of the Naval Strike Missile System lies with the country’s military defense firm Raytheon, which likely included the ones intended for the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System or NMESIS platforms deployed for the 2025 Balikatan Exercise purposes. As the missile munition’s details got discussed, let us now delve into the next part, which is on the missile launcher itself.

The missile launcher itself is a product made by a US-based defense company Oshkosh, named “ROGUE Fires Carrier”, itself derived from the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle or JLTV, a multipurpose vehicle currently used by the United States Armed Forces that shares similar design to the M-ATV Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles or MRAP vehicles that the same defense company supplied to the Armed Forces. The similarity of its chassis eases the logistics chain on its mobility uses with the commonality of its spare parts bulk.

As for the JLTV’s chassis development, it started way back 2012 under the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program pushed by a joint modernization partnership between the United States Army and the United States Marine Corps, designed to replace several of its aging High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle or HMMWV (colloquially known as the Humvee) vehicles. Since then, it has become the mainstay platform used by the said two (2) military branches of the United States Military.

With the details now provided on both the Naval Strike Missile and the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) derived ROGUE Fires Carrier missile launcher, the next point on this discussion will now delve on its geopolitical uses that relates to the latest development on its deployment to the Philippines as part of the Joint Exercise Balikatan 2025, and how the extended deployment of the units in the country helps deter threats from a regional adversary like China.

GEOPOLITICAL IMPLICATIONS

Here is the potential site deployment of the NMESIS anti-ship platform during the Exercise Balikatan 2025.
From Orion Intel.

As the deployment of the NMESIS missile launcher units deployed in the country comes as part of the growing alliance between the United States and the Philippines, the actions taken always come with geopolitical implications in mind, particularly in the dynamics relating to the stability of the Indo-Pacific region at large. Of course, regional powers like China always come to mind, particularly to the areas in the country that the NMESIS will probably get deployed.

One likely location that the NMESIS platform gets deployed is in the area near Northern Luzon, particularly in the island group of Batanes, a Philippine province nearest to the island country of Taiwan that China desires to reunite under the communist red banner of the mainland. 

This is crucially important, as China has plans on blockading the said island country being part of its invasion purposes, with multiple drills already accomplished by the People’s Liberation Army as part of this worrying push.

Just the deployment of the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) platforms in Batanes already undermines China’s own adventurism against Taiwan, particularly that securing the Bashi channel near Batanes will put any Chinese ships traversing in the area or the ones taking part in the blockading activities into harm. 

Still, the Philippine government has this deployment as merely part of the bilateral exercise between them and the United States, emphasizing more on interoperability drills.

Another detail to point on is how crucial the deployment of the NMESIS anti-ship platform is for the First Island Chain in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly with the goals of containing Chinese aggression into the waters off the coast. For context, the First Island Chain comprises countries of Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines, of which it stretches from the northern part of the Japanese territorial domain down to the Philippines’ southernmost part.

The interoperability that the NMESIS anti-ship platform might provide to the Philippine Armed Forces from their counterparts in the United States military might give insights for the former in the repair, maintenance, and operational aspects of the platform deployed by the latter, particularly for consideration into its purchase as the former currently embarks on its modernization program, aiming to provide the needed credible defense posture that the country needs for territorial defense purposes.

Ultimately, the extended deployment of the anti-ship missile system in the country will provide an increased deterrence for its own defense, in which it adds to the systems that the United States military has in the country, with the other being the strategically important deployment of the Typhon Mid-Range Capability (MRC) missile of the United States Army. Both systems deployed in the country showcase the Philippines’ importance as a strategic geographic location in the Indo-Pacific that can deter Chinese expansionism.

As the impact and geopolitical implication of the NMESIS anti-ship platform just covered as part of this entry, the next portion of this topic will now cover the specifications and other features of both the Kongsberg-made Naval Strike Missile (the munition onboard the anti-ship missile unit) and the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle derived ROGUE Fires Launcher, itself being an unmanned platform that relies primarily on the remote inputs of its operator, even on operations involving the launching of its missiles.

SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS

Here are the main attributes of a Naval Strike Missile munition,  which is a primary armament of the NMESIS anti-ship platform. 
From Kongsberg, through this image source.

This topic will not be complete if not with the complete discussion about the system specification of what defines a Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System or NMESIS platform that the United States Armed Forces field throughout the Joint Exercise Balikatan 2025, and eventually going beyond that bilateral exercise phase. 

Once again, the discussion will cover two (2) parts, the missile munition, which is the Naval Strike Missile, and the unmanned launcher version of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle or JLTV.

At a glance, the Naval Strike Missile has the following technical data based on what the presentation provided on the manufacturer’s website. Breaking it down, the Naval Strike Missile has a subsonic speed of Mach 0.7 to 0.9. 

For context, the supersonic BrahMos missile that the Philippine Marine Corps received and the Philippine Army aims to have, has the speed of at least Mach 2.0 to 2.8 (varying to the used cruising altitude), giving the latter an advantage related to this speed metric.

Despite having a subsonic speed, the Naval Strike Missile has the advantage of its maneuverability, as its capability in having an advanced sea-skimming maneuvers gives challenges to the opposition force’s onboard air defense system in intercepting this advanced munition. 

This thing similarly goes with the SSM-700K Haeseong ‘C-Star’ missiles found aboard both the Philippine Navy’s Jose Rizal-class and Miguel Malvar-class frigates, which actually has a speed of around Mach 0.85.

Adding information for the Naval Strike Missile, it has the weight of 407 kilograms or 897 lbs, a length of 3.96 meters or 156 inches, and a total range of around 185 kilometers to 250 kilometers. For comparison, the BrahMos missiles that the Philippine Marine Corps currently have come with a total range of around 290 kilometers, while the SSM-700K Haeseong 'C-Star' missile has a total estimated range of around 180 to 200 kilometers, at par with the said Kongsberg-developed product.

After talking about the Naval Strike Missile munition that the NMESIS anti-ship platform uses in eliminating its targets, the next component to discuss is the launcher platform and other parts of the system, especially with the chassis and features that considers as an unmanned variant of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle from Oshkosh. 

The ROGUE Fires Carrier is just one of the multiple variants of the design provided by Oshkosh, with its chassis shared with the MRAP variant widely used in the United States Military.

At a glance, the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle or the JLTV that the NMESIS launcher bases itself from has an operational range of 400 miles or at around 643.78 kilometers, on-road speed of 65 miles per hour or 104.61 kilometers per hour, and a maximum weight of around 15,500 lbs or 7,030.68 kilograms, or 7.031 metric tons. 

This means that the vehicle comes as light enough that it is transportable by any cargo aircraft that is likely serving both the United States and the Philippines, such as a C-130 Hercules aircraft.

The light portability of the ROGUE Fires Carrier, plus the firepower capability possessed by the Naval Strike Missile as an anti-ship munition, makes the NMESIS anti-ship platform a formidable system that comes as ideal for deployment into ideal chokepoints like the Bashi Channel, which comes as a crucial part of the containment under the First Island Chain. As part of an integrated network chain of military units, the system relies on inputs from other surveillance units for its targeting operations.

ENDING NOTE

A U.S. Marine Corps Navy-Marine Corps Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System assigned to Medium-Range Missile Battery, 3d Marine Littoral Combat Team, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division is staged at Basco, Philippines, April 26, 2025.
United States Marine Corps Photo

Like the Typhon Mid-Range Capability Missile System that ever since deployed to the Philippines from 2024, the new Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System or NMESIS anti-ship platform come as strategic in its usage, as its design as a mobile, coastal-based anti-ship platform added up to the complex situation in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly relating into adding the deterrence in areas part of the First Island Chain like the Philippines.

Its deployment to the Philippines as part of the Joint Exercise Balikatan 2025 provides an opportunity to the troops of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, taking part in the activities to learn and to get an interesting insight into the operational and maintenance requirements of the NMESIS platform, which is helpful not only for interoperability of units among both the Philippine Military and its United States equivalent, but also on familiarity on its usage should the former opts for purchasing the system later on.

To recall, the NMESIS platform uses the Naval Strike Missile munition, which is a product from the Danish defense company Kongsberg and is currently a mainstream munition used by the United States Navy, replacing the older and legendary Harpoon missile system. 

This is different to both the BrahMos and SSM-700K Haeseong ‘C-Star’ anti-ship missile systems that the Philippine Marine Corps and the Philippine Navy, its parent unit, uses on its coastal-based and ship-based units, respectively.

And just like the Typhon Mid-Range Capability missile system deployed in the country since 2024, the NMESIS platform provides another layer of deterrence for the Philippines’ own defense under the alliance arrangement between the country and the United States, particularly that both countries have recently expanded its bilateral defense ties that correlates to the adding up of military sites provided under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement or EDCA.

The deployment of both advanced systems from the United States not only adds to the worry of the Chinese relating to its planned conquest of the island nation of Taiwan, but it also adds up to the dynamics of the geopolitical situation in the Indo-Pacific which, should they choose it, might put the deployment of the systems in the Philippines in consideration as another potential target. Such aggression puts the premise for the Philippines to tap other like-minded nations and alliances to establish deterrence.

Of course, the deployment of the US-made, coast-based anti-ship missile come as simply an ongoing development on the ever-improving defense ties between the Philippines and the United States, as the Philippine Military on its own has recently received another battery of BrahMos supersonic anti-ship missiles from India intended for the Philippine Marine Corps, and the Philippine Navy receives its first fully armed frigate, the BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG-06) that will get fit with its own SSM-700K anti-ship missiles later on.

In a final note, the deployment of the NMESIS anti-ship platform in a bilateral exercise with the Philippines is a sign of ever-growing bilateral defense relations that the country has with the United States, particularly in facing a geopolitical situation, with China aiming to dominate the affairs of the Indo-Pacific region. 

The Philippines play a crucial role in this ongoing situation, in which it can maximize its strategic location not only to the benefit of the alliance but also in improving its Armed Forces to new heights.

(c) 2025 PDA.

Share:

Read More

Detailing the 2025 Philippine Coast Guard Budget

At the first weeks of the year 2025, the Philippine government, through the Department of Budget and Management or DBM, released the full details surrounding the General Appropriations Act for that year, and with that usually comes with the highlights surrounding the budget of the Department of National Defense, as in the case for outlets like this one.

In another quick discussion in this short-written entry, we will continue covering the 2025 budget relating to the country's national security purposes, only this time this will encompass the Philippine Coast Guard and projects under the Department of Transportation (DOTr) involving the West Philippine Sea.

DISCUSSION OVERVIEW

The Cessna C208CX Grand Caravan Aircraft is currently the mainstay fixed-wing aircraft of the Philippine Coast Guard.
Image Source.

The Philippine Coast Guard’s annual budget, just like those for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, always comes with an ongoing evolution, a focus primarily on its mandate for external defense and orientation to that phase of national security. 

Both budgets belong to the annually enacted General Appropriations Act, of which the 2025 iteration of the law got the signature of Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jnr on Rizal Day, December 30, 2024.

This article comes as the continuation of the discussions surrounding the 2025 General Appropriations Act, particularly pointing to its implications in relation to the current national defense efforts of the Philippine government, through the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. 

To recall, the Revised AFP Modernization Program received an important increase, although the bulk of its allotment aligns at Un-programmed Appropriations, depending on annual government revenue.

As the purpose of this writeup also delves in the country’s push and resolve on its territorial integrity, sovereignty, and national interest that encompasses beyond the scope of the core mandate of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the duties and responsibilities of the Philippine Coast Guard in the West Philippine Sea also plays a role that the country showed its presence and perseverance in what’s rightfully part of the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone, even before a more powerful adversary.

With an increasing trend of China’s assertiveness in securing what they claim as ‘theirs’ through the use of their own coast guard, maritime militia, and even naval assets belonging to the People’s Liberation Army Navy at sea, the budget encompassing the Philippine Coast Guard and the projects that the Department of Transportation at-large in the West Philippine Sea are helpful in cementing the country’s interest in West Philippine Sea, securing its marine resources for the citizenry to benefit.

Coming as usual, this article will delve into the plans, programs, and projects presented under the 2025 General Appropriations Act for the Philippine Coast Guard, while relating to the ongoing developments and that the maritime law enforcement agency has at present, such as in purchasing additional white hull assets as part of its fleet expansion. This, coupled with new facilities getting constructed, aims to help the agency uphold its core mandate, especially in increased tensions in the West Philippine Sea.

THE PCG BUDGET IN THE 2025 NATIONAL EXPENDITURE PROGRAM

The budget breakdown of the Philippine Coast Guard's National Expenditure Program, spanning three (3) years.

At a glance, there is a positive trend in the overall allotments presented for the Philippine Coast Guard’s financial requirements under the 2025 National Expenditure Program, as it has highlighted the growing responsibility of the maritime law enforcement agency in enforcing its presence in areas like the West Philippine Sea, along with its efforts to expand its existing Maritime Domain Awareness in securing the Philippine Territorial and Exclusive Economic Zone waters.

The budget of the Philippine Coast Guard in the 2025 National Expenditure Program comes at around Php 31,268,928,000.00 or Php 31.268 Billion, in which it is higher than the 2024’s Php 29,420,681,000.00 or Php 29.421 Billion allotment in the presentation, which itself is higher than the 2023’s Php 21,908,100,000.00 or Php 21.908 Billion allotment. This means that there is at least a 6.39% increase in the 2025 budget, lower than the 25.54% increase in the 2024 proposal as compared to the 2023 budget proposal.

With the positive trend also comes the same picture on the specific expenditure clusters that describe an operational component of a government agency like the Philippine Coast Guard, whereby there’s a general increase on both Personnel Services (PS) and Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE), while there’s a general decrease on the maritime law enforcement’s Capital Outlay (CO) allotments as compared to the previous year. The breakdown of each expenditure cluster comes as follows.

The overall allotments for Personnel Services (PS) for basic salary and benefits for the Philippine Coast Guard’s uniform and civilian personnel composition comes at around Php 23,112,726,000.00 or Php 23.112 Billion, of which it comprise the largest percentage of the agency’s 2025 National Expenditure Program allotments that is at around 73.92% of the total budget allotted in this presentation. It is higher than 2024’s Php 19,739,399,000.00 or Php 19.739 Billion, and 2023’s Php 19,857,096,000.00 or Php 19.857 Billion.

Aside from Personnel Services or PS, another thing to point out is the composition of allotments under the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses or MOOE, whereby it has the proposed figures under the National Expenditure Program for 2025 amounting to Php 7,086,919,000.00 or Php 7.086 Billion, composing about 22.66% of the total proposed budget in this presentation. It is higher than 2024’s Php 4,744,045,000.00 or Php 4.744 Billion, and 2023’s Php 3,571,565,000.00 or Php 3.572 Billion.

Completing this composition is the budget allotments under Capital Outlay or CO, whereby it saw a decrease in figures as compared to the first two (2) budgetary clusters, as discussed. For the year 2025, the figures provided under the National Expenditure Program of the said fiscal year amounts to Php 1,081,228,000.00, or Php 1.081 Billion, comprising only about 3.46% of the total budget. For comparison, figures for 2024 and 2023 are at around Php 4,744 Billion and Php 1.327 Billion, respectively.

The general increase of both Personnel Services (PS) and Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) sees as the ongoing increase on the number of hired personnel to the maritime law enforcement agency, along with the operational and repair requirements for the agency’s facilities and white hull vessels that is likely to receive in the succeeding years. While the National Expenditure Program provides the amounts as proposed at a glance, the 2025 General Appropriations Act gives a full picture.

THE ACTUAL BREAKDOWN UNDER THE 2025 GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT

Here is the actual breakdown of allotments for the Philippine Coast Guard under the 2025 General Appropriations Act.

As the budgetary figures provided under the 2025 National Expenditure Program comes as an initial and also a sneak peek into what will the budget of a certain government agency will look like, the 2025 General Appropriations Act provide as the final budgetary figure that a government agency like the Philippine Coast Guard will see as a basis for its allotment, which will be its budget to use for its personnel and operating expense requirements for the said fiscal period.

The budget of the Philippine Coast Guard in the 2025 General Appropriations Act comes at around Php 33,251,928,000.00 or Php 33.252 Billion, which is actually higher than the figures presented under the National Expenditure Program of the maritime law enforcement agency with the aforementioned figures provided in this writeup. This means that the budget of the Philippine Coast Guard saw an increase of Php 1,983,000,000.00 or Php 1.983 Billion.

Going further, the breakdown between the expenditure cluster goes as follows - Php 23,100,781,000.00 or Php 23.101 Billion for Personnel Services or PS, Php 7,086,919,000.00 or Php 7.087 Billion for Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses or MOOE, and Php 3,064,228,000.00 or Php 3.064 Billion for Capital Outlay or CO, totaling to the aforementioned figure that saw an increase as compared to the proposed ones under the National Expenditure Program.

This means that the budget for the Personnel Services comes with a minor decrease of Php 11,945,000.00, likely pointing to the number of personnel separating from the service through multiple means such as resignation, transfer of agency, reaching the mandatory age for retirement, or applying for the optional retirement package. Budgetary numbers provided usually correspond to the actual number of personnel in service, with data originating from the agency’s Human Resource directorate.

Meanwhile, there are no changes on the overall allotment to the Philippine Coast Guard’s own Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) requirements, which stayed at Php 7,086,919,000.00 or Php 7.087 Billion for both the 2025 National Expenditure Program and the 2025 General Appropriations Act. 

This means that their requirements for upkeep facilities and operating PCG equipment lines up into what should be their actual expenditure projections on the said fiscal period.

Finally, the Philippine Coast Guard’s Capital Outlay, under the 2025 General Appropriations Act, saw more than a twofold increase, as it saw the increase from Php 1,081,228,000.00 or Php 1.081 Billion in the 2025 National Expenditure Program increased into Php 3,064,228,000.00 or Php 3.064 Billion, with a difference being at Php 1,983,000,000.00 or Php 1.983 Billion. This will enable the agency to improve its capabilities by acquiring more hardware and building new facilities.

From the provided figures, the overall increase in allotments for the Philippine Coast Guard under the 2025 General Appropriations Act directly attributed to the increase in allotments under its Capital Outlay (CO) funding cluster, while there is a decrease and no change on the allotments of both the Personnel Services (PS) and Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE), respectively. 

Not mentioned here are the funding resources done through Official Development Aid or ODA loans, like the additional Teresa Magbanua class Multirole Response Vessels (MRRVs).

DOTR'S WEST PHILIPPINE SEA PROJECTS IN 2025

Pag-asa island now comes with a hangar and an air traffic control tower.
Screen grab from ABS-CBN News Channel.

As the Philippine Coast Guard falls under the organizational jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation or DOTR, it is as well worth discussing and delving with the projects that the transportation department have that has a relation with national security push, particularly on matters that correlates to the entire government’s push into cementing its presence in highly contested areas like the Kalayaan Island Group in the West Philippine Sea.

Based on the projects list provided by the 2025 General Appropriations Act for the earmarked programs set by the Department of Transportation or DOTR, one highlighted project on the list is the Airport Development and Expansion of Pag-Asa Island Airport (in Kalayaan Island Group), which amounts to Php 1,650,000,000.00, or Php 1.650 Billion Pesos. This budget is likely to provide continuous work on the airport facilities on the island, such as the air traffic control building and hangar facilities (see image above).

Another highlighted project is the Pag-Asa sheltered port project amounting to Php 300 Million, which refers to the dredged part of the island that can accommodate Philippine vessels of both civilian and government enforcement in nature, making it convenient to provide the much needed sustainment supplies for the troops and inhabitants of the island, along with an immediate deployment of heavy equipment and armaments that cement the country’s presence in an island part of the Kalayaan Island Group.

Finally, completing the list is the construction of Sheltered Port at Lawak Island, which is part of the Kalayaan Island Group municipality as the Pag-Asa island itself. Currently, the island, internationally named as Nanshan Island, comes with a small contingent of Philippine Coast Guard and Armed Forces personnel deployed in the area, and having a sheltered port in the island will help not only to cement the country’s presence but also to give added protection among Filipino fisherfolk during harsh storms.

Amounting to Php 1,080,000,000.00 or Php 1.080 Billion, the Phase 2 of the construction of a Sheltered Port at Lawak island is the continuation of what has already invested there, whereby an amount of Php 800,000,000.00 or Php 800 Million has already provided for the construction of the facility as part of the 2024 General Appropriations Act. Likewise, both the airport expansion and the sheltered port on Pag-Asa island are a mere continuation of the plans earmarked by the Transportation Department in prior years.

All the aforementioned projects aimed to improve not only the well-being of the troops and inhabitants within the Kalayaan Island Group in the West Philippine Sea, but it gives additional presence and resolve that the Philippine government and citizenry at-large provides attention and added support in protecting the country’s national interest and sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea area, all of which are within bounds of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS.

Coupled with the current efforts by both the Philippine Coast Guard and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to improve their capabilities further for territorial defense purposes, the projects set by the Department of Transportation as mentioned play a vital role in providing support in further improving and fortifying the Philippine positions in the West Philippine Sea, all despite having incursions from both the China Coast Guard together with accompanying Chinese Maritime Militia ships.

LOOKING FORWARD

A scale model of the HDP-500 OPV as presented by HD Hyundai during the ADAS 2024 Exhibition.
File Image.

The budget of the Philippine Coast Guard in the 2025 General Appropriations Act, as opposed to its proposals under the 2025 National Expenditure Program, shows that the budget allotment increase, especially on its Capital Outlay related expenditures, are helpful for the maritime law enforcement agency under the Department of Transportation to further fulfill its mandate, especially that it plays a crucial role as the current frontline component in challenging Chinese elements in the West Philippine Sea.

The increase fully reflects the general trend on its budgetary requirements, all of which saw a constant increase on its needed budget allotments through encompassing years mentioned in the first parts of this writeup. 

The trend as presented is not that surprising, given that there is also a general increase of white hulls entering the service, along with the establishment of new facilities and recruiting the pool of aspiring applicants that wanted to join the service.

As mentioned earlier on the detailed breakdown of the expenditure cluster of the Philippine Coast Guard’s own budget, the numbers do not cover any soft loan or similarly arranged scheme that correlates to the agency’s improvement of its own capabilities, particularly to the recent purchase of Japanese-made Multirole Response Vessels and additional Teresa Magbanua-class MRRVs, all of which having the JICA Official Development Aid loan as the source of funds.

Adding to this is the ensured continuity with the ongoing rehabilitation and facility improvement projects in various Philippine outposts in the West Philippine Sea that is currently defined as part of the Kalayaan Island Group municipality of the Province of Palawan. Pag-Asa island’s current improvement of both of its airport and sheltered port emphasizes the importance of those facilities that increase the flow of logistics on goods, supplies, and much-needed goods from the Philippine mainland.

Aside from Pag-Asa island, the improvement in Lawak island, which is another Philippine outpost in the West Philippine Sea and as part of Kalayaan Island Group, also gives expanded presence for the country’s resolve in ensuring its national interest within its designated Exclusive Economic Zone or EEZ, whereby the national government sees its importance that the said projects have included in the 2025 budget of the Department of Transportation that also benefiting the country’s defense prospects.

The role of the Philippine Coast Guard, along with the budgets allocated by the Department of Transportation in the West Philippine Sea projects, shows that the country’s national defense efforts encompass the national government at-large, and not just the ones in the front-lines like the Armed Forces of the Philippines. 

The support among government agencies ensures that territorial integrity also comes with improving presence by providing better infrastructure for the assigned outposts to benefit.

Ultimately, the whole of nation approach in deterring the encroachment of a regional superpower in the country’s doorstep will come as a welcoming way forward in ensuring that the country’s citizenry and national interest will benefit, while making sure that the country is safe from threats that are now involving multiple domains, as the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines mentions. As a country, the Philippines, with its citizens being united, stands against aggression posed against its own sovereignty.

To access the following documents, here are the following links below.

1. GAA 2025 - Philippine Coast Guard, under Volume 1-B, Chapter XXVI (archived).

2. GAA 2025 - Department of Transportation (Office of the Secretary), under Volume 1-B, Chapter XXVI (archived).

Here is an archived version of Volume 1-B webpage of the Department of Budget and Management or DBM.

(c) 2025 PDA.

Share:

Read More