API Podcast Ep9: Exercise Balikatan 2026

Yeah.

Uh, in addition, Rodney, no, because, uh, aside from the unmanned aerial vehicle and the ultra-long endurance, uh, aerial vehicle of the U.S., they also deployed the surface drone-

Yeah.

Yung Rampage, no?

Mm-hmm.

Na to hunt down, uh, not only surface vessel but subsurface, mga submarine na-

Yeah

... pwedeng manda sa tabi-tabi.

So, may mga sensors itong ano, itong, uh, u- unmanned surface ve- vessel, no? So, they were also hunting submarines.

So aside from, uh, unmanned aerial and surface vessels, uh, there is a new development, no? Uh, because Japan is supposed to, uh, transfer to the Philippine Navy three, uh, Abukuma-class destroyer escort, no? Uh, soon, no? Because they are, uh, retiring these, uh, vessels and replace them with the Mogami-class frigates.

Uh, by the way, the Australians are getting the Mogami-class frigates-

Yeah

... and will be delivered in 2029, no? But, but, uh, the old, uh, destroyer escorts will be transferred to the Philippines.

Now, th- this is the new development.

Because in April, Japan changed its defense policy, no? Uh, in the past, they were not allowed to, uh, export lethal weapons, no? So walang missiles, walang torpedo, no electronic warfare gadgets, no? And, uh, the Japanese were only allowed to export, uh, platforms, no? That can be used for transportation, for search and rescue, and for humanitarian and disaster response.

But the, in April, uh, under the leadership of Shinjiro Koizumi, that's the second son of, uh, the former prime minister, he was able to convince, no, the Japanese government and the Japanese diet to change the policy to start exporting missiles and other, uh, lethal weapons, no? So in that case- What the Philippines will get, the three Abukuma destroyer escort, might have missiles, torpedoes-

Yeah

... and other armaments.

Not only that, they will also give us, uh, uh, five TC-90 surveillance aircraft and a possible submarine, the Soryu, Soryu, uh, old submarine, no, the diesel-electric submarine, because Japan is, uh, developing a new type of submarine, the Taigei, no? So this is a welcome development.

What do you think, uh, Rodney, uh, about this, uh, latest, uh, development from Japan?

Yeah.

Uh, kasi, i- uh, Japan, you, uh, their defense, uh, policies are still evolving, no? This is a recent development eh.

So, uh, you know, the US, they, they, uh, they, uh, give us the platforms like the ship no, yung katulad ng Hamilton class, pero we have to buy the, the guns-

Armaments

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