Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.’s disclose that the Philippines is looking to expand its UAV fleet.  

PAF Chief of Air Staff MGen. Alvin said the Philippine Air Force (PAF) are already operates different unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems and is studying the acquisition of additional military drones.

Hate said while they could not disclose details of the planned acquisitions, he confirmed that a technical working group (TWG) was studying the matter.

“We do have different systems of UAVs in the PAF, that’s confirmed. And as far as the plan of acquiring [military drones], we have a technical working group working on it, so the specifics of which we can’t simply divulge in this forum,” Hate said in an interview.

Hate said UAVs are important not only for military operations but also for disaster response.

“The UAVs, basically, they are our eyes. So, it’s very advantageous for us if we have UAVs, not only for use in times of conflict, but more importantly, if there are disasters,” he said.

According to Hate, the capability allows military leaders to have a clearer picture of conditions on the ground and make appropriate decisions during emergencies.

“We will have our eyes so that we could guide our senior leaders on the appropriate actions we undertake even when such a disaster happens,” he added.

Teodoro told the House Committee on Appropriations that the Philippines was eyeing additional military drones under the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) modernization program.

The defense chief said the AFP already has a fleet of UAVs providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.

“That’s part of the modernization fund. But first and foremost, we have to integrate the capabilities and to have proper working procedures for using them,” Teodoro said.

He said the AFP could acquire more drones as it matures its systems and procedures.

“Actually, the drones are not a problem. It’s what you put in them, which are of more touchy issues, and what we need are the capabilities that are put on them,” the defense chief added.