The U.S. Department of State has approved the sale of 20 F-16 Block 70/72 fighter jets to the Philippines.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced this.

The Government of the Philippines has requested to buy 16 F-16 C Block 70/72 aircraft and 4 F-16 D Block 70/72 aircraft.

In addition to the fighter jets themselves, the sale also includes 24 F110-GE-129 D or F100-PW-229 Engines (20 installed, 4 spares); 22 Improved Programmable Display Generators (iPDG) (20 installed, 2 spares); 22 AN/APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Scalable Agile Beam Radars (SABR) (20 installed, 2 spares); 22 Modular Mission Computers 7000AH (or available mission computer) (20 installed, 2 spares); 22 Embedded Global Positioning System (GPS) Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) (EGI) with Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM) or M-Code capability and Precise Positioning Service (PPS) (20 installed, 2 spares).

The sale to the Philippines also includes 22 M61A1 anti-aircraft guns (20 installed, 2 spares); 12 AN/AAQ-33 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods (ATP); 112 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) Air Intercept Missile (AIM)-120C-8 or equivalent missiles; 36 Guided Bomb Unit (GBU)-39/B Small Diameter Bombs Increment 1 (SDB-1); 40 AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder missiles; 60 MK-82 500-lb general purpose bombs; 60 MK-84 2,000-lb general purpose bombs, and 30 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) KMU-572 tail kits for GBU-38 or Laser JDAM GBU-54.

Among other equipment, the Philippines will also receive the AN/ALQ-254 Viper Shield (VS) electronic warfare (EW) system, a Hybrid Optical-based Inertial Tracker, a Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System, pod pylons, and other components.

The estimated total cost is $5.58 billion. The proposed sale will enhance the combat capabilities of the Philippine Air Force.

The purchase of F-16 fighter jets will enable the Philippine Air Force to establish an additional squadron, bringing their total to two squadrons. This will complement the South Korean-made FA-50 light fighters, which are currently part of the 7th Tactical Fighter Bulldogs Squadron.

The Philippines ordered FA-50PH aircraft from South Korea in 2014 under a contract for 12 units, valued at approximately $420 million. The first two aircraft were delivered to the Philippine Air Force in November 2015, and the entire batch was completed by 2017.

The FA-50PH became the first jet combat aircraft of the Philippine Air Force after the retirement of the F-5A/B Freedom Fighter jets in 2005. The aircraft are used for training, patrol, and conducting strike missions as part of counter-insurgency operations.

Militarnyi previously reported that Lockheed Martin presented the first F-16D Block 70 combat trainer aircraft for Taiwan’s Air Force.

The aircraft bears the Republic of China Air Force (Taiwan) markings and the tail number “6831.”