PH and Sweden sign a pact on the purchase of fighter jets

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines and Sweden have signed a key agreement to support Manila’s planned acquisition of multi-role fighter (MRF) aircraft for the Philippine Air Force (PAF).

Entitled “Implementing Arrangement for the Purchase of Defense Materials and Equipment,” the agreement provides the Philippines with a governmental framework for purchasing Swedish defense equipment.

The Swedish Embassy in Manila said on its official Facebook page that the two countries signed the agreement on May 17. The attached photo shows Joakim Wallin, head of Swedish defense exports, and Joselito Ramos, Philippine deputy secretary for logistics, acquisitions and defense self-sufficiency of the Department of National Defense, leading the signing of the agreement.

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“The logistics cooperation is in line with the obligations of both countries under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on cooperation in the acquisition of defense equipment signed by both countries on June 3, 2023, and ratified on the same day by Sweden and the Philippines on September 4, 2023.” the embassy said, referring to the memorandum of understanding signed on the sidelines of the Shangri-La dialogue in Singapore last year.

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According to a separate statement from the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration, the Philippines has expressed “strong interest in Swedish systems,” including fighter aircraft, command systems and airborne early warning aircraft.

“We are now taking a concrete and important step forward in cooperation with the Philippines. The door is now open for Swedish defense companies to participate in Philippine defense procurement,” Wallin said.

The signing of the agreement came ahead of a future visit to the country by Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson as part of a week-long meeting covering three countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

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According to the Swedish Ministry of Defense, the Philippines will be Jonson’s last stop on the trip, which will begin on June 5, after his visits to Singapore and Australia. He will meet with Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and will take part in the National Day celebrations of the Swedish Embassy.

Stockholm has long been offering Swedish Saab JAS-39 Gripen fighters to its Armed Forces. It is one of two jet fighters selected by the PAF as part of the MRF acquisition project, alongside the American F-16 from Lockheed Martin.

Military sources said the planned acquisition of MRF aircraft under “Re-Horizon 3” would be “multi-platform” and would consist of a “mixed fleet.” The $35 million, or approximately $2 trillion, Re-Horizon 3 project is the final phase of the three-phase revised Philippine Armed Forces Modernization Program, a military capability modernization plan that began in 2013.

Last year, PAF Chief Lt. Gen. Stephen Parreño led a small delegation to Sweden, where they partnered with the Swedish Air Force and visited a Saab facility to inspect the JAS-39 and Saab 340 airborne early warning and control aircraft.

The Philippine military’s continued capacity-building efforts come amid China’s growing assertiveness in the western Philippine Sea.

The PAF has long been looking for suitable fighters for deterrence purposes. It currently uses a dozen South Korean-made light combat aircraft, after the remaining fighters were retired in 2005.