Good News : First batch of T129 helicopters to arrive in Philippines this month

The first batch of the six Turkish-made T129 «ATAK» attack helicopters will arrive in the Philippines this month , Philippine Air Force (PAF) commander Lt. Gen. Allen Paredes said Tuesday night.

As reported by the Philippine Public News Agency, the six T129 attack helicopters were procured for a total contract price of U$S 269,388,862 (about P12.9 billion) from Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) through a government-to-government type agreement under Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act.

The T129 is a twin-engine, tandem-seat, multi-role, all-weather attack helicopter based on the Agusta A129 Mangusta platform and further developed in Turkey, which is designed for advanced attack and reconnaissance missions in hot, high environments and adverse geographical conditions, both day and night.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana signed the contract for the procurement of the Turkish attack helicopters in July last year.

In May this year, the U.S. approved the export license needed for Turkey to sell the helicopters to the Philippines. The U.S. approval for the export of these helicopters was necessary as the helicopters are powered by U.S. engines.