Washington: The US State Department has approved a potential Foreign Military Sale of 20 F-16 fighters to the Philippines, with an estimated price tag of $5.58 billion.
The approved package, which covers 16 F-16C Block 70/72 jets and four F-16B Block 70/72 fighters, comes just days after Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Manila and pledged greater defence ties between the two countries.
The announcement, issued in the form of congressional notifications from the Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), is not final. Quantities and dollar totals often shift during negotiations, and the announcement technically tees up an opportunity for lawmakers to block the deal within a 30-day period, though such a step is rare.
The overall package includes 24 engines, 22 AESA radars, and a host of internal systems. It also comes with a collection of munitions: 112 AIM-120C-8 or equivalent missiles, 36 Guided Bomb Unit (GBU)-39/B Small Diameter Bombs Increment 1 (SDB-1); 40 AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder missiles, 32 AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder Captive Air Training Missiles (CATMs); 60 MK-82 500-lb general purpose bombs; and 60 MK-84 2,000-lb general purpose bombs, plus associated equipment.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a strategic partner that continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in Southeast Asia,” a statement announcing the sale on the DSCA’s website reads.
“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 (SEAD) and aerial interdiction capabilities” the statement continues. “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.”
Lockheed Martin is the primary contractor for the sale. While no commercial offsets are currently proposed, the DSCA notice leaves open the possibility that those will be “defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the contractor.”
