1 month ago
28
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star
February 8, 2026 | 12:00am
A Philippine Air Force FA-50PH fighter jet flies alongside a US B-52 bomber during an air patrol over the Luzon Strait on February 4.
PAF PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Fighter jets of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) flew and trained side-by-side with B-52 bomber planes of the United States military in a five-day bilateral exercise over the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
In another display of the ironclad alliance, the Bilateral Bomber Air Patrol and Live Drop Exercise, held from Feb. 2 to 6, showed Philippine and US war planes working together to boost interoperability between the two forces.
PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Christina Basco said the patrol and training events with the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) happened at multiple locations, including the Colonel Ernesto Rabina Air Base (CERAB) in Tarlac City and over the WPS via the Luzon Strait, with support from the Special Operations Command Pacific (SOCPAC) and US Marine Corps Forces, Pacific (MARFORPAC).
Basco said the bilateral engagement featured a series of air activities conducted by the PAF and PACAF, including a live drop exercise at CERAB on Feb. 2, using a FA-50PH fighter aircraft and a B-52 bomber plane supported by joint planning and coordination elements from SOCPAC and MARFORPAC.
The exercise continued with an air defense scenario on Feb. 4 over the WPS focusing on airspace coordination, command-and-control integration and joint operational response.
On Feb. 6, Basco said the activity culminated in a joint bomber air patrol, again over the WPS and the Luzon Strait, highlighting combined mission planning, airspace coordination, and operational readiness among PAF, PACAF and supporting US forces.
“These activities enhanced bilateral interoperability, operational readiness and strategic cooperation through joint planning, coordination and execution in a realistic training environment,” she said.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines earlier announced that utilizing its latest sea and air assets, the military will continue to hold multiple naval and air exercises with treaty allies in the WPS in the next two months.
