Why PH dawdles on her defense versus China

By MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

In the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Modernization Act (RAFPMA) or what is known as Republic Act 10349,  I saw that after we completed procuring a squadron  or 12 South Korean made F/A-50 Lead-In-Fighter-Trainer (LIFT) supersonic jets next year as part of RAFPMA’s Horizon-1 (2013 to 2017, P75 billion to P90 billion for 33 items), we will be procuring on Horizon II (2018-2022) multiple roles jets like the 4.5 Generation American made F-16s, Jas 39 Swedish made Gripens, French Mirage Rafaeles, or Euro fighter Typhoons that would make us at par if not better than the air forces of our South East Asian Region’s neighbors. Delivery of these multiple role jets would be in 2019 or 2020 if we will be gearing for a brand new. Why on that year? Since Congress will debate and appropriate the budget for them on 2017. The order will be on 2018 and delivery could be in the 2019 or 2020.

U.S made F-22 Stealth Jet Raptors

 Bakit masyadong malayo? Why our government procrastinate in buying those lethal jets as  deterrence to the Chinese intruders of our islands and reefs at the West Philippines Sea (WPS)?
Just take a look at the 33 projects intended for the Horizon 1, aside from the F/A-50 jets and the Bell Helicopters Bell 412EP from the Canadian Commercial Corporation those shopping lists in the Navy and Marine Corp mandated by RA 10349 are still pipe dreams.
They are the Anti Submarine Warfare capable Naval Helicopter; Frigate; Multi-Purpose Attack Craft Mk.3;  Amphibious Assault Vehicle;  Marine Forces Imagery and Targeting Support System; Base Support and Logistics;  Jacinto-class Patrol Vessel Combat System Alignment Phase 3;  Jacinto, class Patrol Vessel Marine Engineering Upgrade for PS-37; 7.62mm Designated Marksman Rifle;  5.56mm Standard Weapons System and those in the Philippine Air force like the 7.62mm Design1 Air Surveillance Radar; Close Air Support Aircraft; F/SAA/LIFT Munitions; Long Range Patrol Aircraft;  Full Motion Flight Simulators; C-130T; Basing Support System for F/SAA/LIFT; Basing Support System for Air Surveillance Radar; Basing Support System for Long Range Patrol Aircraft ted Marksman Rifle; 5.56mm Standard Weapons System need to be bided and purchased one year before the end of Horizon 1 in 2017 while Horizon 2 (from 2018 to 2023 worth from P140 billion to P500 billion shopping list) is just around the corner.
What’s the delay under the exiting Aquino Administration? The Chinese have been streaking into land and sea grabbing frenzy of our properties in the WPS and Scarborough Shoals.
 As what Latin author Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus says “Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum (If You Want Peace, Prepare for War)
 Is it because we rely so much on the United States superior fire powers that we slacken in our defence in case a shooting war between us and the chink eyed trespassers break at the WPS?
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Probably Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, who got rid of his video games addiction with nephew Josh, and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin have seen how superior the Yanks against the Chinese that they neglected our Armed Forces to modernize.

Russian Made Sukhoi 30 Flanker Multi-Role Jets. Russia's answer
 to American made F-15 Eagles

Probably they saw at YouTube-History Channel documentary video’s “Dog Fights of the Future - Combat for Fifth-Generation Jet Fighter”.
For those who were glued to the AlDub’s make- believe- love story phenomenon at noon time show GMA-7 TV, the video’s synopsis was about the simulation war between the U.S using its four Generation 5 F-22 stealth jet’s Raptors versus the enemy’s 14 Mikoyan Mig-29 Fulcrum Generation 4 fighter jets.
In 2016, the voice over of the video said, a commercial jet was shot down by a heat seeking missile somewhere at the WPS.
A U.S Navy’s  Sikorsky SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk helicopter probably from the guided missiles destroyer USS Lassen (that just mocked the Chinese on their self proclaimed 12 nautical miles territorial water at the Spratlys) came to the succor of the plane’s survivors but was shot down from one of the 14 Russian Fulcrums (Russian advanced version of the American F-16 jet fighter) heat seeking rocket .
But unknown to the bad guys, four F-22s , probably from Clark Philippines or Okinawa, Japan, were coming after them.
Would the engagement be a lopsided bout because of 4 U.S jets versus 14 Chinese fighter jets?
The host of the program says that in the future air war, the U.S will prefer quality and not quantity in fire powers.
As the four stealth U.S fighters came ablazing, the pilot of the Mig 29s did not see them on their radars.
 When the F-22s unleashed their AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles from the jets’ bay area it was too late for the pilots of the Fulcrum to release the chaffs and flares to deceive the missiles locked - in as they exploded in thin air.
 AMRAAM is a modern beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) or fire-and-forget missiles that replaced the previous generation Sparrow missiles. They are all-weather day-and-night operations. Designed with 7" diameter instead of 8" diameter form-and-fit factors, and employing active transmit-receive radar guidance instead of semi-active receive-only radar guidance.
While the enemy pilots could not see the Grim Reapers that would chop their heads off in an ambush 120 miles away, the Russians and the Chinese try their best to be at par with the U.S on the Generation 5 technology 20 years from now.
I heard the Russian and the Chinese have stealth jets in T-50 and Chengdu J-20 (or Shenyang J-31), respectively.
But their reliability is still under scrutiny unlike with their U.S counterpart whose super cruise and pitch-axis thrust vectoring nozzles are state-of-art technology that could hardly be beaten.
Super Cruise, according to Wikipidea, means compared to other fourth and fifth generation jets of other countries, the F-22 is among only a few aircraft that can sustain supersonic flight without using fuel-inefficient afterburners; targets can be intercepted which subsonic aircraft would lack the speed to pursue and an afterburner-dependent aircraft would lack the fuel to reach.

Thrust Vectoring Nozzles are the jet is highly maneuverable at both supersonic and subsonic speeds. Computerized flight control system and full authority digital engine control (FADEC) make the aircraft highly departure resistant and controllable at aggressive pilot input. The Raptor's relaxed stability and powerful thrust vectoring power plants enable the aircraft to turn tightly and perform very high alpha (angle of attack) maneuvers such as the Herbst maneuver (J-turn) and Pugachev's Cobra (Victor Pugachev was the Russian pilot that pioneered the Cobra Manuever). The aircraft is also capable of maintaining over 60° alpha while having some roll control.
To further appreciate the U.S aerial military superiority, here’s the video that probably influenced President Aquino and Secretary Gazmin to procrastinate on the procurement of those badly needed materials included in RAFPMA.
Please watch the video here below to fully appreciate the nitty-gritty of the story:

(You can read my selected columns at http://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com and articles at Pangasinan News Aro. You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com)