The Philippine Air Force (PAF) announced on Tuesday that it plans to lift the administrative grounding of the FA-50 fleet soon, as the comprehensive inspection of the fighter jets nears completion.
“As for the lifting of the administrative grounding of our aircraft currently, we are almost complete with our comprehensive inspection of our FA50 fleet. And we are committed to bringing back this fleet back to full operational status very soon, hopefully within this week,” PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo said in a press conference at Camp Aguinaldo. “So that we can get back to their essential missions of maritime patrol, airspace security, and support to ongoing focused military operations.”
The PAF earlier decided to ground all of its remaining FA-50s pending an investigation into an ill-fated incident involving one of its jet fighters with tail number 002 while conducting a tactical night operation in the Bukidnon area on 4 March.
Further, Castillo mentioned that they are still awaiting the results of the voice and data extraction and assessment, which were conducted overseas.
The PAF earlier sent the flight data recorder of the ill-fated FA-50PH 002 to the US for data extraction procedures.
Castillo said the investigation team is also conducting visual interviews with all personnel involved during and after the flight.
“Our investigating team is also conducting the visual interviews of all personnel involved, not only on the air but also on the ground,” she said.
At the same time, Castillo noted that all the maintenance and history records of the ill-fated aircraft are being thoroughly investigated.
“We are committed to coming up with a swift, impartial, and thorough investigation regarding this so that we can assure that our future operations are safe for everyone,” she added.
Meanwhile, Castillo said the FA-50 fleet's temporary grounding did not hinder PAF’s operations, as maritime patrols across the archipelago continued as usual.
“Regarding the maritime patrol — It is the usual maritime patrol that our Philippine Air Force’s platforms are involved in. As I’ve said the maritime patrol capability of the Air Force does not rest only on one platform, but involved around a lot of different aircraft,” she said.
Castillo said the PAF conducted a maritime patrol utilizing 829 Bravo Super Tucano aircraft over strategic waters such as Surigao Strait, East of Samar, and San Bernardino Strait.
“The mission was executed under the operational control of the Visayas Command to monitor and secure the maritime areas within Philippine jurisdiction,” Castillo said. “The Philippine Air Force through its airborne surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities plays a vital role in the Armed Forces of the Philippines' joint maritime security efforts."