Philippines eyes military upgrade, welcomes Türkiye's ATAK helicopters

The Philippines’ Air Force has taken delivery of two Türkiye-made T-129 Tactical Reconnaissance and Attack (ATAK) helicopters in a ceremony at Col Jesus Villamor air base on April 6.

Delfin Lorenzana, the Philippine secretary of national defence, called it a "wonderful day" for the Philippine Air Force.

"I am very happy that the dream of the Philippine Air Force has come true, but we still have a long way to go to fully equip our home," he concluded.

Ismail Demir, President of Türkiye’s Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) expressed happiness at the historical moment between nations. 

The procurement is part of a larger strategy by Manila to bolster its defence ahead of escalating tensions with China, especially in the South China Sea.

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Next-gen capacities

The TAI T129 ATAK helicopter is described as the most effective attack helicopter in its class worldwide, with 95 percent of parts for serial production made in Türkiye. 

The helicopter is a next-generation, tandem and two-seat, twin-engine helicopter geared for multiple roles, including attack, reconnaissance, fire support, air defence suppression, precision and deep strikes, armed escort and urban warfare. 

With a maximum cruising speed of 281 kilometres per hour, a flight range of 537 kilometres, the T129 ATAK can fly for three hours with a take-off weight of five tons and an altitude ceiling of 4572 metres. 

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Its design allows it to perform in high altitudes and heat, night and day, as well as geographically harsh missions.

Designed with capacity, flexibility and environmental resilience in mind, the T129 offers manoeuvrability, low visibility, minimised sound and radar presence, armoured high-impact ballistic resistance and a comprehensive suite of electronic warfare systems to increase battlefield survivability. 

These include advanced electronic warfare and countermeasures systems including radar warning, radar frequency mixing, laser guidance counter measures, as well as night infrared electro-optics.

The attack and reconnaissance helicopter is equipped with a three-barrel 20 mm rotating cannon bullets and can be fitted with up to 76 unguided rockets or 500 short-range air support munitions, 8 UMTAS anti-tank missiles, 16 CIRIT laser-guided missiles and 8 Stinger air-to-air missiles.

Pilots rely on the specially designed Hunter helmet, which enables automatic orientation of weapons with detected targets using the pilots line of sight. 

Military modernization

While the Philippines has traditionally procured US military helicopters, it has faced difficulty keeping its ageing Vietnam era fleet of Bell ‘Huey’ helicopters in the air. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte called for the helicopters’ decommissioning earlier this year after a Bell UH-1D helicopter crashed in Bukidnon, killing seven. 

Since 2010, at least six were lost to technical failure and seven to adverse weather, highlighting the country’s need to develop its combat utility helicopter capabilities.

Following a flare-up of conflict in Marawi in 2017, the PAF would make changes to its attack helicopter acquisitions priorities, seeking out purpose-built attack helicopters over light-armed helicopters. 

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A capabilities and performance review showed that the MD-520 MG Defender and AW-109E power helicopters both lacked sufficient firepower during combat engagements. 

The PAF’s Technical Working Group (TWG) chose the TAI T129 over its US counterparts. For the same budget, the Philippines was able to procure six T129 at significantly lower costs, as opposed to five Bell AH-1Z Vipers, or four Boeing AH-64 Apaches. 

The deal for six T-129 developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries was valued at nearly $269.4 million, in contrast with $450 million for six Bell AH-1Z Vipers. or $1.5 billion for six AH-1 SuperCobras.