Why does the Air Force need a dedicated fighter trainer aircraft?
By: Manuel Mogato | Published: November 4, 2025
Reading Time: 5 minutes
At a recent Senate budget hearing for the Department of National Defense, Senator Raffy Tulfo questioned why the Philippines was buying a propeller-driven plane when the country urgently needs faster fighter jets to address the external security threats.
He was comparing the newly-acquired Brazilian turboprop A-29 Super Tucano with the South Korean’s FA-50 Golden Eagle light fighters.
But the comparison was not apples to apples as the two aircraft were designed for different missions.
The first would be used as close air support and an anti-insurgency aircraft while the second would be for territorial defense although it was also used for dropping bombs on Communist rebels in Mindanao.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who defended the defense department’s 385 billion pesos budget for 2026, had to explain to Senator Tulfo why the Philippine Air Force (PAF) needs the A-29 Super Tucano to deal with continuing internal security threats.
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Senator Gatchalian said the Philippines is acquiring six more A-29 Super Tucano to complete a squadron of slow-moving planes assigned with the 15th Strike Wing. Six were earlier delivered. (Also read: Building a local defense industry)
For the FA-50s, Gatchalian said the Air Force has ordered an additional 12 light fighters to the 11 remaining first batch of supersonic aircraft.
When the Philippines acquired the South Korean light fighters under the administration of the late former President Benigno Aquino in 2015, the Philippines was not looking for a multi-role fighter (MRF), like the Lockheed Martin’s F16 or the Swedish SAAB JAS-39 Gripen.
It simply wanted a trainer jet that could double as an air defense aircraft to patrol the disputed territories in the West Philippine Sea.
It was designed to replace the aging Italian Siai Marchetti S-211 acquired by the first Aquino administration in 1990.
Next to Singapore, the Philippines was the second largest operator of the S-211 trainer jets with 25 planes. Only three remained in operation, as of 2024, as there were no spare parts and the planes were past their shelf lives of about 30 years.
The Philippine Air Force needs a new jet trainer to transition its pilots to operating faster and more agile multi-role fighters.
What’s the use of acquiring an F-16 Viper or a JAS-39 Gripen when no Filipino fighter pilot can fly the aircraft? It is imperative for the Air Force to acquire first a jet trainer but it has no funds under the revised modernization program.
The Air Force only has SF-260 and T-41 trainer planes for training pilots at the Air Education and Training Command at the Fernando Air Base in Lipa, Batangas, the
former 100th Training Wing where future helicopter, transport, and fighter pilots are made.
The advanced pilot training was continued at specific air commands, like the 15th Strike Wing at Danilo Atienza base in Cavite, 5th Fighter Wing at Cesar Basa Air Base in Pampanga, 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing, and the 220th Airlift Wing both at Benito Ebuen base in Cebu.
Except for fighter training, the other Air Force commands have sufficient air assets to provide training and operations, like S70i Black Hawk helicopters, T-129 ATAK helicopters, A-29 Super Tucano, C-130H heavy lift aircraft, and C-295 medium lift transport.
With the impending decommissioning of the S-211, the Air Force has no assets to train fighter pilots unless it utilizes the FA-50 as a trainer aircraft.
A senior Air Force general said the military has no funds to acquire a new lead-in fighter trainer (LIFT) aircraft, although the Air Force has been looking into a probable replacement, the Czech L39 Skyfox.
He said Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro was interested in the L39 Skyfox because of the long-term financing and versatility of the trainer aircraft.
The Czech Republic was willing to provide a soft loan payable in 21 years at a low interest rate for six to 12 L39 Skyfox planes.
“As we expand the FA-50 fleet with 23 aircraft and advance toward a multi-role fighter capability, we must secure the pipeline that produces competent, combat-credible fighter pilots,” the senior Air Force general said.
“A dedicated jet trainer is not a luxury. It is the foundation of territorial defense and archipelagic air operations.”
At the rate the Air Force is acquiring FA-50 light fighters, it is facing a bottleneck because pilots are not being produced at the rate required due to absence of dedicated fighter trainers.
He said the A-29 Super Tucano cannot be a stepping stone for fighter operation since it is designed as a strike asset.
The Air Force also cannot overuse the FA-50 for training and tactical operations because it could affect operational readiness and it was not designed for basic jet training.
By activating an additional squadron of FA-50, the Air Force needs at least fighter pilots.
At 100 hours training, at least 7,200 hours of jet training is required for a competent fighter pilot.
The FA-50 cannot generate these required hours, thus there is a need for a dedicated fighter trainer aircraft.
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