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Jeoffrey Maitem

For decades, the Philippine Air Force hunted communist rebels and Islamist militants in the country’s forests and southern islands.
Now, amid seemingly intractable tensions in the South China Sea, it is being reshaped into an armed service meant to defend one of Asia’s most contested maritime frontiers – even as analysts rank it the weakest air arm among Southeast Asia’s six largest militaries.
“Because we are an archipelago, we really need to strengthen our air assets,” air force spokeswoman Colonel Maria Christina Basco said on Friday, as quoted by local media. “This means a 360-degree defence of the Philippines.”
Since 2013, when the Philippine military’s modernisation programme entered its first phase, known as Horizon 1, the air force has steadily rebuilt basic capabilities lost to years of underinvestment.
Newer platforms had expanded the air force’s operational range and improved interoperability with allies, said Vincent Kyle Parada, a former defence analyst for the Philippine Navy and a lecturer at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.

This was “crucial” for the air force to move on from “internal security operations towards a more active role in territorial defence and deterrence in the South China Sea”, he said.
Justin Kyle Malarayap, a fellow defence analyst and visiting assistant professor at Arellano University in Manila, called the modernisation drive a sign that the Philippines was maturing in its approach to regional security.
He said the air force’s push to modernise had let its leadership align force development with national policy, acquiring assets based on operational need rather than habit.
“The Philippines possesses the knowledge, technical and diplomatic bases to build an air force that can secure Philippine-held features in the South China Sea,” Malarayap said.
“However, the development of the [military] hinges heavily on the political stability within the Philippines,” he added, noting that changes to who was in charge influenced “the trajectory of military procurement, public perspective on national security and the political will to enforce territorial integrity”.

Since taking office in June 2022, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has accelerated the acquisition of advanced naval and air assets, such as guided-missile frigates and patrol gunboats, while championing a self-reliant defence posture to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers.
He has also actively expanded defence cooperation with treaty ally the United States and other international partners, reversing the stance of his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte who distanced the country from Western allies to court Beijing.
In March, Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr called for stronger air defences, especially systems capable of intercepting hostile missiles, while pressing suppliers to guarantee they can meet the country’s logistical needs.
Though still dwarfed by its regional counterparts, the Philippine Air Force has acquired additional FA-50PH fighter jets, Spyder surface-to-air missile systems, C-130 Hercules and C-295 transport aircraft in recent years, while expanding its fleet of Black Hawk and other multirole helicopters.

“We remain relentless in ensuring that support will continue, because we know that when our troops are equipped and are attended to properly, they are empowered to fulfil their duties and serve the country with excellence,” Marcos said at the air force’s 79th founding anniversary on July 1, pledging continued government backing for equipment, training and facilities.
In 2024, Marcos approved “Re-Horizon 3”, revising the military modernisation programme’s original third phase and allotting roughly US$35 billion over the next decade.
Even so, Parada said the Philippines remained Southeast Asia’s weakest air power among its six largest militaries, a legacy of decades spent fighting insurgents rather than building conventional air power.
Dwarfed by neighbours
Singapore has the region’s most advanced air force, with roughly 100 F-15SG and F-16 fighters, airborne early warning aircraft, aerial tankers and an integrated air defence network, plus 20 incoming F-35s.
Indonesia fields the region’s largest, most diverse combat fleet, modernising with 42 Rafale jets while co-developing the KF-21 fighter with South Korea. Malaysia flies Su-30MKM and F/A-18D fighters and is acquiring 18 South Korean FA-50M light combat aircraft. Thailand pairs Gripen and F-16 fighters with airborne early warning and command-and-control systems, while Vietnam fields one of the region’s largest fighter fleets, built around Russian Su-30MK2s with layered air defence.

By contrast, Manila operates 11 FA-50PH light fighters, with 12 more on order, backed by new C-130J transports, Black Hawk helicopters, Spyder air defence systems and upgraded radar. It is also pursuing a multirole fighter programme, with South Korea’s KF-21 the front runner, though no contract has been signed. In April 2025, Washington approved a proposed US$5.58 billion sale of 20 F-16 Block 70/72 jets, but Manila has yet to secure funding.
Despite the yawning capability gap, analysts say the Philippines is pushing to build an air force capable of defending its maritime approaches.
The routine presence of Chinese coastguard and naval vessels in disputed waters demanded stronger air and maritime capabilities, Parada said.
He cautioned, however, that air power alone could not secure sovereignty or protect fisherfolk and was less visible as an instrument of control than navy frigates or coastguard patrol vessels.

“Air assets are also much more expensive to acquire and maintain compared to ground or naval ones,” Parada said, adding that though there was “no shortage of potential vendors” to meet the air force’s capability requirements, “what Manila is struggling with is finding and allocating the resources to make such acquisitions feasible”.
Malarayap argued that the Philippine Air Force was “arguably one of the most doctrinally mature in Southeast Asia, due to the sheer frequency of multilateral exercises it hosts and participates in”, but acknowledged that it was still dwarfed in size and capability by its regional counterparts, including Indonesia’s and China’s.
“For the Philippines, China’s growing encroachment near Philippine territory is perceived not just as a political failure but as an existential threat, especially for younger generations,” he added, referring to eastern portions of the South China Sea that Manila calls the West Philippine Sea.
“They are growing to understand the long-term value of the West Philippine Sea and the economic implications of failing to protect it.”


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The Philippines

Outgunned Philippine Air Force takes on South China Sea defence

Super Tucano light attack aircraft of the Philippine Air Force, designed for counter-insurgency operations, perform a fly-by during joint drills with the US in 2024. Photo: AFP

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr looks at miniature models of military aircraft presented to him by air force chief Lieutenant General Arthur Cordura (right) during an event at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on July 1 marking the Philippine Air Force’s 79th founding anniversary. Photo: EPA

Anti-government protesters carry mock images of Marcos, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth during a rally in Manila last month. Photo: EPA

A coastguard helicopter delivers aid packages to an earthquake-affected village in Sarangani province, southern Philippines, on June 11. Photo: Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development/EPA

F-15SG fighters of the Republic of Singapore Air Force perform during National Day celebrations last year. The city state operates Southeast Asia’s most advanced air force. Photo: Xinhua

A Chinese coastguard vessel patrols near Second Thomas Shoal last month. The disputed South China Sea feature lies around 194km west of the Philippines’ Palawan province. Photo: Xinhua

Germany blurs defence lines with bet on Philippines’ old US base

A Philippine soldier guards an American  F-18 fighter jets on a refuelling stop at Clark Airbase in 2001. Photo: AFP

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (left) walks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr following a press conference at the Malacanang Palace in Manila on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

An aerial view of the former US Air Force base at Clark, the Philippines’ Pampanga province, in 1996. Photo: AP

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (centre) looks at aircraft parts on Tuesday during a tour of the LTP facility at Manila International Airport. Photo: EPA

A Philippine soldier guards an American F-18 fighter jet on a refuelling stop at Clark Airbase in 2001. Photo: AFP

A German naval support ship prepares to dock during a port call in Manila in 2024. Photo: AFP

An aerial view of Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea. Analysts say closer ties to Manila allow outside nations to monitor developments in the disputed waterway. Photo: Xinhua

Philippines vows to block structures at Scarborough Shoal amid fears of Chinese expansion

A ship identified by the Philippine Coast Guard as Chinese maritime militia is seen near Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea on Monday. Photo: AFP

A structure, which the Philippine Coast Guard said was likely deployed by Chinese research vessels, floats at the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, on June 10. Photo: Philippine Coast Guard/Handout via Reuters

A ship identified by the Philippine Coast Guard as a Chinese research vessel (right) is seen at Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea on Monday. Photo: AFP

An antenna claimed by the Philippine Coast Guard to have been installed by a Chinese research vessel is seen at Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea on Monday. Photo: AFP

Australia, Philippines forge defence pact to counter Beijing’s South China Sea dominance

Australian troops head for the Philippines as part of Exercise Alon that runs from August 15 to 29. Photo: Australia’s Defence Department

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles (left) and his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro Jnr, talk after their joint press briefing in Makati City on Friday. Photo: Reuters

Marles (left) and Teodoro Jnr sign a statement of intent for the enhanced defence cooperation agreement on Friday. Photo: AP

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Manila is spending billions to transform its underfunded air arm into a maritime shield against Beijing


Manila is spending billions to transform its underfunded air arm into a maritime shield against Beijing.


Outgunned Philippine Air Force takes on South China Sea defence

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Manila is spending billions to transform its underfunded air arm into a maritime shield against Beijing

Manila is spending billions to transform its underfunded air arm into a maritime shield against Beijing