The United States has approved the potential sale of $5.58bn in F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines, describing the proposed deal as supporting the security and foreign policy concerns of the US by improving the capability of a “strategic partner”.
Describing the Philippines as “an important force for political stability” in Southeast Asia, the US State Department announced on Tuesday that the sale had been approved and could see 20 F-16 warplanes and related equipment transferred to Manila.
The acquisition of the F-16s would improve “the Philippine Air Force’s ability to conduct maritime domain awareness and close air support missions and enhance its suppression of enemy air defences,” the State Department said.
“The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region,” it added.
Manila’s potential purchase of the F-16s comes amid months of mounting tension with Beijing and confrontations between the Philippine Navy and Chinese coastguard forces in the disputed South China Sea, where China has claimed almost complete ownership despite an international legal ruling that such an assertion has no merit.