Airforces

OV-10Ms. Only ten Broncos
remained in service in 2017.
Based at Danilo Atienza AB,
in Cavite, the 15th Strike Wing
includes four other squadrons.
The 17th Attack Squadron was
activated on October 1, 1974 and
a first batch of Italian-made, locally
assembled SF260MPs arrived
late the following February. From
June 1993 a total of 18 new-build
SF260TPs were delivered, and a
19th was upgraded from an existing
SF260MP. Finally, 18 SF260FHs

• locally assembled by Aerotech
  Industries and initially intended for
  primary training – began to enter
  service in November 2010. Around
  30 SF260s of all types remained
  in service in 2017. The 18th

Attack Squadron is equipped with

around 20 (from an initial batch of

32) MD520MG Defender attack

helicopters, the first of which arrived

in early 1990. The 19th Composite

Tactical Training Squadron provides

initial and conversion training for

tactical air operations using aircraft

loaned from co-located units.

Finally, the 20th Attack Squadron

operates eight AW109E helicopters.

The first two units were delivered on

August 17, 2015 and the remaining

six on December 5 the same year.

On March 28, 2014, Manila signed

a $417.95m contract with Korea

Aerospace Industries (KAI) for 12

FA-50PHs. The first two were

delivered in November the following

year and were assigned to the

7th Tactical Fighter Squadron at

Basa AB in Pampanga. The next

two arrived on December 1, 2016

and a further two on February 22,

2017. The remaining six aircraft
      were delivered at monthly intervals
      in pairs from March to May 2017.

Anti-terror campaign

On May 23 the Philippine military

launched an offensive in the city of

Marawi in the province of Lanao

del Sur with the aim of capturing

the leader of Abu Sayyaf, a group

affiliated with so-called Islamic

State (IS). The result was the

longest urban battle in modern

Philippine history. Clashes in the

city saw police and Philippine Army

personnel confront an alliance of IS

militants and other jihadist groups.

On the 24th the government sent

additional forces that landed at

Laguindingan Airport. The PAF was

engaged after two days of fighting

on the ground, performing air

strikes to expel around 30 remaining

militants of the IS-inspired Maute

jihadist group from three villages

outside the city: Barangays

Gadongan, Basak Malutlut and

Bangon. Also on the 25th, Manila

began to deploy special forces

and attack helicopters – including

Defenders – to help retake the city.

By the end of the first week of the

campaign, the PAF had deployed

all of its combat and close

support aircraft types on bombing

missions, with mixed success. On

May 31, 11 soldiers were killed

and seven others wounded when

a PAF SF260 – conducting air

strikes against Maute militants

• hit friendly ground troops.
  After an impromptu ceasefire
  during which civilians were
  evacuated, ground skirmishes and
  air strikes resumed on June 3, and
  FA-50s dropped bombs on the
  city centre. Two days later, FA-50s
  and AW109Es were engaged in
  close support air strikes. Fighters
  returned to bomb Marawi again
  on the 9th, specifically targeting
  the three villages remaining under
  Maute control. The same day a US
  Navy P-3C was seen flying over
  Marawi as part of a US-Philippine
  agreement for provision of technical
  support and intelligence. An RQ-20
  Puma unmanned aerial vehicle was
  also observed being operated by
  Western personnel near the city.
  By June 24 the Royal Australian Air
  Force was deploying two AP-3C
  surveillance aircraft to assist the
  Philippines. A week later, these
  Orions were flying over Marawi with
  mixed Filipino and Australian crews.
  A second ‘friendly fire’ incident
  killed two soldiers and injured
  11 others on July 12. This time,

FA-50PHs attempted to drop

four unguided 500lb (227kg)

bombs on a high-rise target

where around 80 Maute and

other IS terrorists were holding

defensive positions. One of the

bombs fell short of the target by

around 650ft (200m), hitting a

building sheltering government

troops. Following this incident,

the entire FA-50PH fleet was

grounded for investigation after

performing almost 70 missions

successfully over Marawi.

The FA-50s were engaged

again by early August, launching

air strikes to clear positions

held by the Maute in Marawi.

On August 7 a spokeswoman

from the Western Mindanao

Command and Joint Task

Force Marawi claimed that 122

government security personnel

and at least 528 terrorists had

been killed in the Marawi crisis

since it began. On August

23, Defender helicopters,

OV-10s and FA-50s pounded

the area around the grand

mosque to flush out gunmen.

Throughout the campaign, the

PAF has also made use of the

services of the 208th Tactical

Helicopter Squadron – part of the

205th Tactical Helicopter Wing,

based at Mactan-Benito Ebuen

AB, Cebu – equipped with UH-1H

‘Dagger’ transport helicopters.

These have been used to deploy

ground troops into Marawi.

As of mid-October, FA-50s

were continuing to fly over the

city. According to the Philippine

Army, by the 16th of that month,

822 insurgents, 162 military

and police officers and 47

civilians had been killed. On

October 23, after five months of

fighting, defence secretary Delfin

Lorenzana announced that the

battle against the terrorists in

Marawi had finally been won.

PAF AW109E Power serial 815 (c/n 11815) armed with 0.5in calibre FN Herstal gun pods. These rotorcraft entered

service with the 20th Attack Squadron in 2015 and are used for homeland security, armed reconnaissance and close

support tasks.

SIAI-Marchetti SF260TP serial 29-06 ‘06’ was part of a batch of 19 delivered

from June 1993. The aircraft have a combat role, as demonstrated by these

examples with underwing rocket pods, but few remain in active service.

AFM

http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #358 JANUARY 2018 // 97