As reported by the Asian Military Review on November 3, 2023, Japan has successfully transferred the initial air surveillance radar system manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (MELCO) to the Philippines. The contract for this air surveillance radar system includes three fixed long-range radar systems and one mobile radar system, which was approved by the then-Philippine Defense Department.
Valued at approximately US$103.5 million, the contract is a government-to-government transaction and is provisioned for under the Philippine armed forces’ Horizon 2 Air Surveillance Radar System acquisition project. The first air surveillance radar system was delivered to the Philippine Air Force (PAF) in October, and MELCO is currently manufacturing the three remaining radar systems, with the exact delivery timeline undisclosed.
This defense contract is significant for Japan, as it represents the country’s first major defense export success since it relaxed its strict postwar policies on arms transfers. While the specific radar type was not specified in the announcement, it has been previously reported that the fixed sites might receive the improved version of MELCO’s J/FPS-3 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and the mobile J/TPS-P14 radar.