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Philippine Air Force FA-50PH.
DARWIN, Australia—The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has deployed its upgraded Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) FA-50PH light fighters to Australia for Exercise Pitch Black, using the multinational exercise to validate the aircraft’s new capabilities while assessing future combat aircraft and force-enablement requirements.
“The FA-50 is contributing and has capabilities that a lot of our coalition partners at Pitch Black appreciate, and that will be of value to the whole coalition,” PAF Lt. Col. Mario Mendoza said, referring to the aircraft’s upgraded Link 16 datalink and planned beyond-visual-range (BVR) missile capability.
Manila awarded KAI a 93 billion South Korean won ($64 million) contract in late 2025 to upgrade its fleet of 11 FA-50s with new avionics, expanded weapons integration and Link 16 connectivity.
The aircraft has evolved from primarily performing strike missions to undertaking both offensive and defensive counter-air operations, including complex air combat scenarios alongside and against high-end platforms such as the Lockheed Martin F-35.
The capability enhancement also prepares the PAF for the arrival of 12 additional FA-50 Block 20 aircraft, all scheduled for delivery by 2030.
Mendoza said Pitch Black also provides the PAF with a valuable opportunity to evaluate prospective fighter aircraft by observing how they perform as platforms and integrate within a large multinational coalition.
Beyond fighters, the service is also assessing future force-enablement capabilities. PAF personnel are embedded with U.S. Air Force KC-135R crews, as well as the Royal Air Force and NATO Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF) operating the Airbus A330 MRTT, to gain firsthand experience in air-to-air refueling operations.
The air force has also deployed air battle management personnel to observe the exercise’s command-and-control architecture as it develops a more capable ground-based C2 network and considers plans for a future airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) capability.
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