‘Philippine Air Force no more all air, no force’

[MyLittlePony 340]

CLARK, Pampanga—The joke about the Philippine Air Force (PAF) is that it is “all air and no force”—and that hurts.

But that may soon be over.

Saying better times are at hand, the PAF’s new commanding general, Maj. Gen. Lauro Catalino dela Cruz, on Friday attended the blessing of four of eight Polish multi-role helicopters worth P2.8 billion which the Philippines received as part of its modernization program.

The new W-3 Sokol (Falcon) helicopters will be used for combat support as well as disaster relief missions, Dela Cruz said in turnover ceremonies at the former US Clark Air Base in Pampanga province.

Dela Cruz said the acquisition of the new sophisticated machines gave a “glimpse of many more changes to come.”

‘Thing of the past’

From being the best in Southeast Asia after World War II until the 1960s, the PAF saw its squadrons of fighter jets become obsolete without being replaced despite modernization plans.

The PAF deeply felt its decline when the last of its F5 “Blue Diamond” fighter jets was officially decommissioned in 2005, leaving the military incapable of intercepting intruders in the country’s airspace. Meanwhile, the number of accidents involving refurbished planes and helicopters piled up.

“The lack of equipment has always been our handicap. But despite that, we never let our guard down and instead focused on our strength, the talent of our people,” Dela Cruz said at brief ceremonies at Air Force City. “Sometimes the joke hurts that we only have air and no force.”

“But eventually this will be a thing of the past,” he added. “We can now see a horizon of better times, the beginning of an Air Force that is adequately equipped and skilled.”

Morale boosters

The guests, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Jessie Dellosa, poured champagne on the helicopters’ noses during the ceremonies.

The new “Sokol” combat utility helicopters are expected to take some of the load off the military’s workhorse, the refurbished Vietnam War-era UH-1H “Huey” utility helicopters.

Used for transporting troops and cargo, the new helicopters are considered crucial for the emergency medical evacuation of ground troops in combat operations and for search and rescue missions during disasters.

Dela Cruz said the arrival of the new helicopters was a big morale booster.

“I know many of our fellow soldiers in the Philippine Army and the Marines will be very happy with the improved capability of their Air Force,” Dela Cruz said.

Demonstration ride

Maj. Randy Buena, group leader of six military pilots who have flown the new helicopters for test flights, said they were “amazed” at what the machines could do.

“It’s a beautiful aircraft,” Buena said before members of the media were given a demonstration ride on two of the helicopters.

This reporter was in a group of nine media members who, with two pilots and two crew members, flew for 40 minutes from Air Force City base through Crow Valley up to the crater of Mt. Pinatubo and back.

Unlike a ride in the single-engine Huey, the ride in the Sokol was smooth throughout despite the turbulence outside.

The pilots demonstrated the chopper could go on auto-pilot and showed off manuevers.

According to the briefer, the Sokols are equipped with the latest navigation and avionics systems that allow them to operate in all weather conditions day and night.

Credible defense

The PAF currently has 40 UH-1H helicopters, 18 MG-520 helicopter gunships, two Italian S211 jets with three undergoing repairs, plus about a dozen tuboprop OV-10 attack and observation planes, spokesperson Lt. Col. Miguel Ernesto Okol said. One C-130 transport aircraft is in service and two are undergoing repairs expected to be completed this year, he added.

The Philippines has been fighting a decades-long communist insurgency, al-Qaida-linked terrorists with military assistance largely from the United States, its longtime ally, and rarely acquires arms and equipment from other countries.

Manila last year said it would seek 12 F-16 fighter jets from Washington amid its simmering territorial dispute in the West Philippine (South China) Sea with Beijing. Washington has provided a Coast Guard cutter to the Philippines and agreed to send another one this year.

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said the Philippines wanted to build “a minimum credible defense posture and the US has expressed their willingness to help us.” With a report from AP

[spookyturtle 9,465]

They need some of these.

[luckytxn 2,264]

Angeles City used to be rocking.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

[MyLittlePony 340]

They need some of these.

Yep i was there at that same airshow.

[Pooky 3,784]

They're not getting F-22s - and neither is anyone else. Plus, the USAF aren't getting any more.

And calling the Sokol W-3 "new, sophisticated machines" is a little bit of a stretch. Mind you, they are cheap.

[Kang 22]

Angeles City used to be rocking.

Them Korean tourists are still rocking the place....

But then, Olongapo seemed to be the favorite

[MyLittlePony 340]

They cant handle the F-22 if they had a chance.

[Pooky 3,784]

They cant handle the F-22 if they had a chance.

It is a bit tough to fly one when the on-board oxygen system doesn't work properly.

[luckytxn 2,264]

It is a bit tough to fly one when the on-board oxygen system doesn't work properly.

Thought they fixed that problem.

Them Korean tourists are still rocking the place....

But then, Olongapo seemed to be the favorite

Go Korea.

[Pooky 3,784]

Thought they fixed that problem.

Not quite ...

F-22 crash prompts lawsuit by pilot's widow



By: DAVE MAJUMDAR WASHINGTON DC 10:26 13 Mar 2012 Source: Flight International

The wife of deceased US Air Force F-22 Raptor pilot Captain Jeff "Bong" Haney is suing contractors Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Pratt and Whitney and Honeywell in connection with the 16 November 2010 crash that took his life.

The complaint was filed on 5 March 2012 in a court in Cook County, Illinois, by Michael Demetrio, a lawyer representing Anna Haney. The lawsuit seeks compensation, which would be chosen by the court, for Haney and her two daughters Ava and Stella Rose under the Wrongful Death Act.

Prime contractor Lockheed is responsible for the overall production of the Raptor, but Boeing as a major sub-contractor integrated the aircraft's life-support system. Honeywell builds the on-board oxygen generating system (OBOGS) and environmental control systems (ECS). Meanwhile Pratt and Whitney makes the F119 engine and associated bleed-air system-which supplies the entire life-support apparatus with oxygen.

The lawsuit alleges that the contractors designed and built the F-22 Raptor with defective life-support systems including the OBOGS, ECS and bleed air system. The suit also alleges that system was built without adequate backup safety measures or proper sensors to warn the pilot if there is a problem.

Moreover, the plaintiff alleges that the oxygen supplied to the operator is often contaminated with harmful chemicals via the aircraft OBOGS, ECS and engine bleed air system. Sometimes the system doesn't supply enough oxygen when needed, nor does it have an automatic backup in case of a failure, the lawsuit says.

Particularly, the suit notes that the manually operated backup oxygen bottle is placed in a difficult to reach spot behind the pilot and that the bleed air system is a single point of failure.

The Haney's lawsuit alleges that the contractors knowingly supplied the air force with a defective aircraft-intentionally jeopardizing the lives of aircrew.

In a statement, Lockheed expressed sympathy for Haney's family, but said it didn't agree with the allegations.

"The loss of the pilot and aircraft in November 2010 was a tragic event and we sympathize with the family for their loss," Lockheed says. "We are aware that a complaint that makes a variety of claims associated with the accident has been filed with the court in Cook County. We do not agree with those allegations and we will respond to them through the appropriate legal process."

Boeing officials say they cannot comment on pending litigation. Pratt and Whitney say that it has not yet received any notice of pending legal actions and that it is "inappropriate" to comment until it receives notification.

Honeywell, meanwhile, says its product is not responsible.

"The US Air Force conducted a thorough aircraft accident investigation regarding the F-22A crash near Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska in accordance with standard flight safety procedures," Honeywell says. "The report concluded that Honeywell's on-board oxygen generation system was not the cause of the November 2010 F-22 crash."

Last year, a USAF accident investigation board held Haney responsible for the crash because he failed to activate the emergency oxygen system when his F-22's oxygen system was automatically shutdown due a still-unexplained malfunction of the jets bleed air system.

Accident board president Brig Gen James Browne states in that report: "I find the cause of the mishap was the [mishap pilot's] failure to recognise and initiate a timely dive recovery due to channelised attention, breakdown of visual scan and unrecognised spatial disorientation."

Later on 6 March, USAF chief of staff General Norton Schwartz seemed to backtrack.

"We did not assign blame to the pilot," Schwartz told the US Congress on 6 March. He acknowledged that the aircraft's bleed air intakes - from which the jet's oxygen is derived - had shut down, depriving Haney of oxygen, and that this was a contributing factor.

However, Congressman Jim Moran countered: "The accident board blamed him."

The sequence that led to Haney's crash began when his F-22 experienced a still-unexplained oxygen leak in the engine bay. As a precaution, a fire suppression system automatically closed the bleed air valves that feed compressed air to the OBOGS.

As a result, Haney was forced to activate the emergency oxygen supply. However, he struggled to reach the pull-up ring while unable to breathe. At the same time, he may have inadvertently put the aircraft into a steep dive.

The onboard data recorder showed that Haney attempted a violent pull-up manoeuvre less than 3sec before impact, but it was already too late and the F-22 crashed in a remote Alaska valley.

[Click here to read the full text of the lawsuit.]

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