By Robina Asido

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) is set to receive its second mobile radar from Japan before the end of the month, a military spokesperson said Tuesday.

In a press briefing in Manila, Col. Maria Consuelo Castillo, Philippine Air Force spokesperson confirmed that the formal transfer of the mobile radar acquired from Mitsubishi Electric Corp. (MELCO) will be witnessed by an official from Japan's defense ministry next week.

"This is a mobile radar and we are expecting to accept and bless this coming April 29 at the general headquarters (in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City)," she said.

"Yes, that's the plan, actually whoever is visiting is the one to join the secretary of national defense in the acceptance, turnover and blessing ceremony of the mobile radar," she added referring to the official from Japan's defense ministry.

Castillo said the mobile radar is the second unit of the Air Surveillance Radar Systems (ASRS) that will be transferred to the Philippine Air Force, after the first which is a fixed radar located at Wallace Air Station in San Fernando, La Union was formally accepted and blessed in December 2023.

"This mobile radar is one of the four radar we acquired from Japan, specifically from Melco thru government to government procurement... This is part of our developing capabilities to be able to monitor maritime activities in our areas of concern," she said.

The project that is amounting to a total of P5,500,000,000 covers the delivery of four Air Surveillance Radar Systems, consisting of three FPS-3ME fixed and one TPS-P14ME mobile radar platforms. DMS