Philippines, US to Hold Joint Air ExerciseThe US Air Force (USAF)and the Philippine Air Force (PAF) will hold an 18-day joint combined air exercise dubbed "Teak Piston 01-2" starting Thursday.The PAF said in a press statement Tuesday that 203 Filipino pilots and airmen and 200 US personnel from the USAF 353rd Special Operations Group will participate in the war games. The exercise will include actual interdiction of intruding aircraft, airborne operations by air assault troops and refueling techniques for C-130 Hercules transport planes and helicopters. The USAF will deploy three MH53 Chinook helicopters and two C- 130 planes while the PAF will use one F-5A/B Freedom fighter, one S-211 trainer jet aircraft, one C-130 aircraft and one B-205 Huey helicopter. The venue of the joint exercise will be at Clark Field and the Subic Bay, both in the northern Philippines. Manuel Natividad, assistant chief of air staff for training, said participating troops from both countries will also attend lectures on air operations and warfare. "Teak Piston 01-2" is the second Philippine-US joint combined military exercise since the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) was ratified by the Philippine Senate in May 1999. The air training exercise will be a prelude to the holding of Exercise Balikatan (shoulder to shoulder) 2001 to be held in the country in April and May this year. Last year the two countries resumed the Balikatan war games which were suspended in 1995 pending the ratification of the VFA by the Philippine Senate. |
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