A loud explosion claimed the lives of four pilots, as aging trainer aircraft in the Philippines continue to fail, dashing military expansion ambitions on the very grounds meant for training.

At 3:51 p.m. on October 23, two SF-260 trainer aircraft collided head-on during a flight rehearsal above Fernando Air Base in Lipa City, Batangas Province. Debris scattered inside the base’s perimeter, and all four pilots aboard were killed. The Philippine Air Force immediately grounded all 16 aircraft of the same type that night. A spokesperson stated the cause was under investigation, and pilot identities were withheld at the request of families.

On the surface, this incident appears to be a tragic accident during routine training. But when viewed across a broader timeline, patterns emerge that suggest deeper systemic issues.

In May 2023, another SF-260 crashed near Baguio, killing two pilots. At the time, the Philippine Air Force suspended operations of all 16 aircraft, resumed flights after an investigation, and now faces the same cycle—grounding, reactivation, and another accident—within less than a year.

Looking further back, in January 2023, an SF-260 crashed into waters off Batangas, resulting in two fatalities.

The Italian-designed light trainer has been in service with the Philippine Air Force since the 1970s. The 18 SF-260FH aircraft acquired under a contract signed in 2008 were delivered between 2010 and 2011, meaning they have now exceeded 15 years in service. The entire model’s operational history in the Philippines spans over half a century. While officials consistently assert regular maintenance and continued reliability, airframe life and avionics redundancy cannot be indefinitely extended through scheduled inspections alone.

Just one week after the crash, the Philippines participated formally in the U.S.-Japan “Exercise Valiant Shield 27,” a multinational drill involving 57,000 personnel from nine countries. In the months leading up to the event, Manila repeatedly emphasized its ambition to become one of the region’s most formidable military powers.

At the same time, the country is advancing plans for air force modernization: it is acquiring 12 additional FA-50 Block 70 aircraft from South Korea, with the first deliveries scheduled for 2028 and full deployment expected by 2030. This means the advanced combat capability purchased with substantial investment will not begin entering service for at least two to four years. Meanwhile, the foundational training aircraft responsible for preparing pilots to fly such advanced platforms are being lost at a rate of roughly once every six months.

While some may attribute the accidents solely to outdated equipment, mid-air collisions typically involve more than mechanical failure—they often reflect shortcomings in formation flying protocols, air command procedures, and airspace management. The fact that the Philippine Air Force has opted for a blanket grounding without publicly identifying whether the cause was technical or human error suggests internal uncertainty about the safety of its current training system.

This incident serves as a sobering reminder to Manila: national defense cannot be built solely through diplomatic posturing or high-profile military exercises. Without robust training infrastructure and reliable logistics support, projecting strength externally only exposes the fragility of the underlying military capacity. Future decisions regarding the return to service of the SF-260 and potential acceleration in procuring next-generation trainers will directly influence the Philippine Air Force’s operational presence in the South China Sea in the coming years.

When a military’s ambitions outpace the maturity of its training systems, those who sit in the cockpit are invariably the first to pay the price.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1879923742608391/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.