The US government has significantly increased the scope of a potential sale of Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 fighters to the Philippines.
The revised potential sale includes 20 Block 70/72 jets – 16 single-seat C versions and four two-seat D versions – as well as weapons and other equipment, according to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).
This is significantly more than the potential sale outlined in 2021, which was for 12 aircraft.
The value of the revised possible deal is $5.6 billion, more than double the $2.4 billion value in 2021.
The new Foreign Military Sales (FMS) offer also contains significantly more weaponry, with 112 Raytheon AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles, compared with just 24 such weapons in 2021.
Also included are 40 Raytheon AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles and 36 GBU-39B Small Diameter Bombs, neither of which were listed in 2021.
Other new systems include the AN/ALQ-254 Viper Shield electronic warfare system, infrared search and track systems, and more advanced cryptographic and communications gear.
“The proposed sale will enhance the Philippine air force’s ability to conduct maritime domain awareness and close air support missions and enhance its suppression of enemy air defences and aerial interdiction capabilities,” says the DSCA.
“This sale will also increase the ability of the armed forces of the Philippines to protect vital interests and territory, as well as expand interoperability with the US forces. The Philippines will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces.”
The remarks reflect a shift from those in the 2021 FMS case, which focused on the F-16’s utility for counterinsurgency work.
The updated FMS case comes one week after a visit by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to Manila. During the visit, he reiterated the defence relationship between the two countries in the context of Chinese military aggression in the South China Sea.
Amid the China threat, Manila has had a long running ambition to buy advanced fighters. Other options could include the Saab Gripen and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21.
For the time being, the mainstay of the Philippine air force are 11 KAI FA-50s. Manila formerly operated 12 FA-50s, but one was lost in an early March crash.
