Two F/A-50 "Fighting Eagles" from South Korea have arrived in the Philippines

Two F/A-50 light combat aircraft have arrived in the country as part of the Philippine Air Force's efforts to modernize it's fleet.

The two jets landed on the Clark Airbase in Angeles City, Pampanga on Saturday (November 28,2015).

These were flown by South Korean pilots and escorted by the Philippine Air Force's S-211 subsonic trainers upon entry into the country's airspace.

FA-50 Light Combat Aircraft being escorted by PAF's S211 Trainers

The two high-end supersonic trainer and lightweight fighter aircraft are the first of the PAF's 12 newly ordered jets from South Korea.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the F/A-50 has a top speed of mach 1.5, which is faster than the speed of sound. 

“We are glad that we are finally back to the supersonic age." Sec. Gazmin said.

The jets were bought by the Philippine government for 18.9 billion pesos.

Early this year, Philippine Air Force sent three of its pilots to undergo a 6 1/2-month training in South Korea in operating the F/A-50.

One of them is Lt. Col. Rolanda Conrad Peña. 

“The training made us learn the system of the aircraft because it is a fly-by-wire aircraft, so it's really different compared to what we use to fly.” said Peña

South Korean pilots who flew the F/A-50s to the Philippines

These can carry out multi-role missions, such as patrolling Philippine territories and can be fitted with heat seeking and air-to-air missiles and light automatic cannons.

“Primarily, it is a lead-in fighter trainer. This is going to be a transition platform for us from flying the subsonic S-211 to the more advanced Multi-role fighters that we will be acquiring in the future.” Peña added

The rest of the F/A-50 light combat aircraft are scheduled to be delivered by batches and is targeted to be completed come 2017.

See also: Philippine Air force F/A-50 "Fighting Eagle" will be capable of conducting maritime strike missions