Cheyenne Suarez

Fighter jet maker expects US gov't to make F-16 sale offer to PH soon

Article (news)

Andrea Taguines

ABS-CBN News

<div><br/></div><div><em>A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon flies over Afghanistan, March 17, 2020. The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a compact, multi-role fighter aircraft that delivers war-winning airpower to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Matthew Lotz</em></div><div><br/></div><p>American defense contractor Lockheed Martin is optimistic that the U.S. government will soon move forward with a formal offer for the proposed $5.58-billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines.</p><p>Back in April, the US approved the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/4/1/us-approves-5-58-b-sale-of-f-16-fighter-jets-to-philippines-0705">possible sale of 20 F-16 jets</a> and related equipment to its treaty ally, the Philippines, amid rising tensions in the West Philippine Sea. But in a recent interview with Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, he said he has yet to receive a formal offer.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b6SiS9kB0KU?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>In a press briefing in Taguig City, Lockheed Martin clarified that while it will be providing the F-16 Block 70 jets, discussions are being done on a government-to-government level.</p><p>“The F-16 offering is what’s called an FMS or Foreign Military Sale… So as far as very specific timing, that’s really up to the US government when they want to make that offer. But we do believe it’s going to be in the near future,” said Aimee Burnett, Lockheed Martin’s Vice President for Integrated Fighter Group Business Development.</p><p>The company touted its offerings to be the total package, as it not only includes the F-16 jets, but also industrial development and tech transfer aspects such as in-country maintenance, repair and overhaul capacity which, it said, supports the Philippines’ self-reliant defense posture.</p><p>Jess Koloini, Lockheed Martin’s International Business Development Director, also said they plan to establish an innovation center, similar to what they’ve done in the United Arab Emirates.</p><p>“That innovation center was a hub for a number of workforce development programs— aerospace engineering, space fundamentals training, internship programs, robotics competitions. So we’re looking to bring that exact concept here to the Philippines,” she said.</p><p>“These programs increase jobs, they upskill workforce in countries all around the world. And really what they’re about is developing indigenous talent that stays and work in host countries that we’re investing in,” she added.</p><p>These perks are meant to sweeten the deal for the Philippine government, which Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said is still <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/5/30/no-funds-yet-to-buy-f-16-fighter-jets-ph-ambassador-1807">looking for funds</a> to buy the F-16 jets.</p><p>An analyst believes negotiations might still be going on behind the scenes.</p><p>“Ni ne-negotiate pa siguro natin sa US government kung pwede nila siguro gawing mas soft &#x27;yung deal in terms of credit, siguro may loan dyan,” said Richard Heydarian, a senior lecturer at the University of the Philippines Asian Center.</p><p>Despite the hefty price tag, Heydarian believes there should be a sense of urgency for the Philippines to improve its defensive capability as China ups the ante in the West Philippine Sea with more hostile acts against Philippine forces, and even civilian missions and local fishermen.</p><p>“As they say, weakness invites aggression so we have to deal with the gaps we have in our defensive capability,” he said.</p><p>“Let’s be honest, tayo basically ang leader ng ASEAN because no one in ASEAN dares to stand up to China. Even Vietnam has been quiet in recent years… Whether we like it or not, there’s going to be more tensions here, there could be war in Taiwan, there could be war in the West Philippine Sea, there could be more conflicts down the road so this is the least we can do,” he said.</p><p>Heydarian also acknowledged how this weapons sale could be a stepping stone for the Philippines to develop its own defense industry.</p><p>“We don’t want to rely on the Americans forever. We want to be able to defend our own territory and sovereign rights on our own terms and with minimal reliance on others,” he said.</p><p>Meanwhile, former US Air Force F-16 fighter pilot Monessa “Siren” Balzhiser, the first Filipino-American to achieve the feat, also attended the event and vouched for the jet’s wide range, which she said would greatly help the Philippines’ maritime patrols.</p><p>“The range that the F-16 can do with the conformal fuel tanks that it has, it provides almost 240 kilometers of extra combat radius… That aspect in itself, with the Block 70, is key to be able to support the entire area of the Philippine sovereign area without a tanker,” she said.</p>

<p>American defense contractor Lockheed Martin is optimistic that the U.S. government will soon move forward with a formal offer for the proposed $5.58-billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines.</p>

American defense contractor Lockheed Martin is optimistic that the U.S. government will soon move forward with a formal offer for the proposed $5.58-billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines.