The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has concluded the nine-day gunnery competition at the Colonel Ernesto Rabina Air Base in Capas, Tarlac, the Philippines.
The competition was conducted between 16 and 24 May.
The event was organised to evaluate the skills and precision of the PAF’s strike, monitoring and detection assets.
The exercises in the competition were formally known as SANAY-TUDLA II and SIMEX III in the PAF and military circles.
PAF spokesperson colonel Maynard Mariano said that the competition witnessed the participation of various PAF assets, reported the Philippines News Agency.
The assets included air defence, search-and-rescue systems, surface strike-capable and command, control, communications, computers, information/intelligence, surveillance, targeting acquisition and reconnaissance (C4ISTAR) assets.
According to Mariano, the assets were divided into two teams, supported by PAF units corresponding to main systems as part of the Integrated Air Operation System.
Mariano said: “During the conduct of the exercises, the PAF utilised its air assets such as the FA-50PH of the 5th Fighter Wing; the AW-109AH, SF-260TP, T-129, and A-29B Super Tucano of 15th Strike Wing; Bell-412 helicopters from the 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing; unmanned aerial vehicles from the 300th Air Intelligence and Security Wing; the S-76(i) and W-3A Sokol helicopters from the 505th Search-and-Rescue Group; and radars from the 580th Aircraft Control-and-Warning Wing.
“Combat air controllers of the 710th Special Operations Wing and direct air support forward teams were also the key players in the success of the activity.”
The competition was streamed live at different military command-and-control facilities, including PAF Control Centre, Air Force Command Centre and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Command Operations Centre.
