April 15, 2024 | NEWS DIGEST

 

By API Desk | Date 04-15-2024

 

Philippines welcomes maritime cooperation with European powers

The Philippines welcome European countries expressing interest in multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) in the disputed West Philippine Sea, the army chief said. 

Armed Forces chief General Romeo Brawner Jr., however, did not identify any countries that contacted him after the US, Japan, and Australia joined the Philippines in an MCA last week. 

Brawner said that he was confident that European countries joining future drills would not cause any escalation in the disputed waters as there are no international laws violated. 

Next month, the French navy will be participating in a joint sail in the West Philippine Sea. German and the United Kingdom will be sending warships for port visits in the Philippines as well.

 

Navy training helicopter crashes, two dead

A Philippine Navy training helicopter went down at a public market in Cavite city, killing two aviators, a navy spokesman said.

Commander John Percie Alcos said the Robinsons R22 helicopter took off at Sangley Naval Station for a training flight but crashed minutes later. The helicopter was the last of two R22 aircraft in the Navy’s inventory. 

The Philippine Navy has withheld the pilots’ names pending their families’ notification. Alcos said that the investigation is still underway. 

Navy test fire new ship-borne short-range tactical missile

The Philippine Navy tested its new Spike Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) missile system on one of its Fast Attack Interdiction Craft (FAIC) platforms at the West Philippine Sea, off Mariveles, Bataan.

Navy spokesman, Commander John Alcos, said the test fire was part of the contract with an Israeli company to deliver nine missile-capable FAICs, which have a range of 30 kilometers.

The test-fire activity validated the NLOS missile system’s precision strike capability as it accurately hits the target at least 20 kilometers away, which Alcos said represented a “leap forward” in precision-guided munitions technology.

3 + 3 meeting in Washington

A series of ministerial meetings between the United States and the Philippines were held in Washington, a day after the first trilateral summit that included Japan. 

National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said that the US security officials hosted the first 3 + 3 ministerial meeting, where the secretaries for defense, foreign affairs, and national security discussed regional security and how to boost the Philippines’ minimum credible defense posture.

“The parties reaffirmed their shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific and discussed ways to deepen coordination regarding shared challenges in the South China Sea, including repeated harassment of lawful Philippine operations by the People’s Republic of China,” Año said. 

Año added that both countries also sought to explore more opportunities to strengthen support for upholding international law.