MANILA – The Philippine Air Force (PAF) on Tuesday said it would deploy around six fighter aircraft to represent the country in the upcoming "Pitch Black" exercises hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force.
"The plan is to send in six FA-50s and one C-130 (to transport ground personnel and support equipment)," PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo said in a press briefing at the Philippine Navy headquarters in Manila.
Should this plan push through, Castillo said the PAF still has enough assets to secure the country's airspace.
She said this will be the first time the PAF will participate in this international exercise, as they have only deployed personnel to act as observers in the past.
She said more than 100 PAF personnel would join the exercise from July 12 to Aug. 2 in Australia's northern city of Darwin.
These personnel and other support equipment will be transported by a PAF C-130 aircraft. (PNA)
