MANILA – Filipino and American fighter jet pilots conducted air-to-air combat training over the skies of Clark Air Base, Mabalacat City, Pampanga on Tuesday.
In a statement Wednesday, Philippine Air Force (PAF) spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo said Filipino pilots from the 5th Fighter Wing and their American counterparts from the 14th Fighter Squadron of the United States Air Force (USAF) took part in a Cope Thunder training that focused on defensive and offensive counter-air operations.
During the simulation exercise, Castillo said skilled fighter jet pilots from both air forces showcased their expertise in executing both defensive and offensive counter-air drills.
These were done with the PAF using four FA-50PHs and the USAF using six F-16s flying over the intensive military training areas in Luzon.
"The whole goal was to teach them how we do our briefing, execution, and debriefs so that we can increase our interoperability throughout the region, as well as build a relationship with their pilots on the ground," USAF fighter pilot Capt. Frank Martin said.
Meanwhile, Capt. Ferdinand Jose of the PAF said these exercises enable the forces to simulate multiple threats, react effectively as a coalition, and prepare themselves for any possible contingency.
He added that "air power is critical in modern warfare, and these training exercises are vital in improving the forces' readiness and interoperability."
The original Cope Thunder Exercise was a multilateral Air Force event between the United States and its allied countries.
It was first held in 1976 and continued annually in the Philippines until its discontinuation after the Mount Pinatubo eruption in 1990.
The multilateral exercise was then moved to Alaska and was dubbed "Red Flag Alaska."
Relatedly, in 2016, the Philippine-US Air Forces started its bilateral exercises in 2016, dubbed BACE-P or Bilateral Air Contingent Exercises-Philippines.
For this year, the BACE-P was named Cope Thunder 23-1, thus essentially reviving the Cope Thunder Exercises after more than three decades.
(PNA)