A brand new Cessna-208B (C-208B) Grand Caravan EX Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) Aircraft has been added to the Philippine Air Force’s fleet after its formal acceptance, turn-over, and blessing on September 19, 2023 at Clark Air Base, Mabalacat, Pampanga with Secretary of National Defense, Gilberto Teodoro Jr. as the Guest of Honor.
During the ceremony, Sec Teodoro formally received the documents of the newly delivered C-208B from the Chief of Joint U.S. Military Assistance Group (JUSMAG)-Philippines, Col Edward R Evans, US Army.
The SND then turned-over the documents to the Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Gen Romeo S Brawner Jr PA, who in turn handed same to the Commanding General, PAF, LtGen Stephen P Parreño PAF.
Also present during the significant event were Assistant Secretary for Logistics, Acquisitions & SRDP, Asec Joselito B Ramos, and Commander, Northern Luzon Command, AFP (COMNOLCOM), LtGen Fernyl G Buca PAF among others.
The said aircraft will be utilized in support of internal security operations, territorial defense, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) specifically in the conduct of rapid damage assessment and needs analysis (RDANA) during times of calamities and disasters. The C-208B will also be significant in counterterrorism and law enforcement efforts.
Beefing up capacity with the brand new Cessna Aircraft, the PAF has now three of this kind of aircraft in its inventory with the first two delivered and formally turned-over last August 2017. All of these were acquired as grants from the US Government.
(PAF)