The Philippines is accelerating efforts to secure five additional TC-90 maritime patrol aircraft from Japan as Manila races to strengthen its maritime domain awareness amid a sharp rise in tensions with China in the volatile South China Sea.
The initiative comes at a moment when Chinese maritime forces have stepped up incursions and coercive operations in the West Philippine Sea, particularly near strategic flashpoints such as Scarborough Shoal and Second Thomas Shoal. These incidents have underscored longstanding gaps in the Philippines’ surveillance capacity across its vast 2.2-million-square-kilometre exclusive economic zone (EEZ), where persistent monitoring remains a major challenge.
Philippine Navy chief Vice Adm. Jose Ma. Ambrosio Ezpeleta confirmed the move during a recent briefing, announcing that a joint Philippine-Japanese inspection team will travel to Japan before the end of 2025 to assess the condition of the retired aircraft Tokyo is offering. The inspection will determine whether the aircraft can be transferred through Japan’s defence-cooperation mechanisms or under grant assistance, a pathway Manila increasingly relies on amid budgetary constraints.
The potential aircraft deal sits within a broader expansion of defence cooperation between Japan and the Philippines—one of the fastest-growing security partnerships in the Indo-Pacific. Discussions now include the possible transfer of decommissioned destroyer escorts, coastal surveillance radars, and additional maritime domain awareness equipment.
This rapidly strengthening partnership is rooted in a decades-long evolution in bilateral ties. From post-war economic cooperation to the establishment of a strategic partnership in 2011, Manila and Tokyo have accelerated defence collaboration in response to China’s increasingly assertive maritime activities. Japan’s Official Development Assistance, which exceeded USD 13 billion in 2024, has made the Philippines Tokyo’s top aid recipient, transforming infrastructure, governance capacity, and disaster resilience.
Defence cooperation intensified significantly under former leaders Benigno Aquino III and Shinzo Abe, culminating in the signing of the 2016 defence equipment transfer agreement. This enabled the lease—and eventual donation—of the first five TC-90 aircraft, marking Japan’s historic entry into post-war defence equipment transfers.
These aircraft immediately became integral to the Philippine Navy’s operations, conducting routine patrols, maritime interdiction missions, and disaster response flights across typhoon-affected regions.
Under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., bilateral defence cooperation has surged even further, aligning Manila with Tokyo’s push for a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific. The entry into force of the Japan-Philippines Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) in July 2025 was a major milestone, allowing both countries to deploy troops to each other’s territory, conduct joint exercises, and streamline logistics.
Analysts describe the RAA as a “deterrence accelerator,” amplifying collective defence readiness and enabling advanced joint operations. It also integrates seamlessly with the expanding Japan-Philippines-United States (JAPHUS) trilateral framework, which has already conducted high-profile Maritime Cooperative Activity patrols in contested waters.
Japan’s Official Security Assistance (OSA) program—providing non-lethal defence equipment to key partners—positions the Philippines as a priority recipient. The OSA is expected to play a critical role in enabling the potential TC-90 transfer.
During the November 2025 briefing, Vice Adm. Ezpeleta emphasized the urgency of acquiring the additional aircraft. “We still have significant gaps in our maritime domain awareness, and these platforms are essential in stepping up our patrols,” he said.
The inspection team will evaluate the TC-90s’ structural integrity, avionics, remaining flight hours, and compatibility with Philippine maintenance infrastructure. If approved, the aircraft could be transferred at minimal cost—crucial for a country whose 2025 defence budget, at PHP 256 billion (USD 4.44 billion), remains insufficient to meet expanding operational demands.
The interest in acquiring more TC-90s is linked to Manila’s parallel pursuit of at least three Abukuma-class destroyer escorts recently retired by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). These 2,000-ton vessels would significantly enhance Philippine anti-submarine warfare capacity and deterrence posture.
Japan is also preparing to supply new coastal surveillance radars, including systems earmarked for the strategically critical Mahatao installation in Batanes—overlooking the Taiwan Strait and northern maritime approaches.
Taken together, these developments reflect a comprehensive bilateral strategy to create a layered surveillance network combining aircraft, ships, and land-based sensors.
Derived from the reliable Beechcraft King Air 90 series, the TC-90 has earned a strong reputation in both JMSDF and AFP service. Powered by twin Pratt & Whitney PT6A-21 engines, the aircraft reaches a maximum speed of 223 knots and offers a range of approximately 1,321 nautical miles—ideal for patrols across distant maritime zones.
Its short-takeoff capability allows operations from a variety of Philippine airfields, including remote or austere locations. The TC-90’s modular interior accommodates up to nine personnel plus the pilot and can support a range of mission-specific payloads, including search radars, electro-optical systems, and electronic intelligence sensors.
Although unarmed, the aircraft excels in illegal fishing suppression, anti-smuggling missions, search and rescue, and monitoring foreign naval movements—crucial tasks in the increasingly contested West Philippine Sea.
The Philippine Navy’s five TC-90s have logged extensive hours since 2017, flying missions around Pag-asa Island, Sabina Shoal, Reed Bank, and other high-tension locations. With Japanese support in avionics upgrades and maintenance, these aircraft could remain operational well into the 2030s.
Compared with larger platforms such as the P-3C or P-8A Poseidon, the TC-90 is cost-efficient, making it an ideal asset within the AFP’s Horizon 3 modernization framework.
Acquiring additional TC-90s carries strategic consequences far beyond the Philippines. Manila would be able to more effectively assert its sovereign rights under the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling, which invalidated China’s expansive “nine-dash line.”
More aircraft mean more frequent patrols, stronger evidentiary documentation of incursions, and greater deterrence against China’s coast guard and maritime militia, which have engaged in multiple dangerous maneuvers against Philippine vessels in 2025.
For Japan, providing defence equipment to the Philippines aligns with its 2022 National Security Strategy, which emphasizes proactive partnerships to uphold regional stability. It also allows Tokyo to strengthen the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” vision without violating constitutional restrictions on offensive military action.
Unsurprisingly, Chinese state media has condemned these developments, accusing Japan of “orchestrating confrontation” and “militarizing Southeast Asia”—a response analysts say reflects Beijing’s unease over growing trilateral cooperation.
The reinforcement of Japan-Philippines ties could also spur deeper coordination with Australia, South Korea, and India, contributing to a multilayered regional security architecture.
Despite broad optimism, integrating additional TC-90s into Philippine service will require addressing maintenance capacity, pilot training, and long-term logistics. Past challenges in absorbing donated or acquired equipment underscore the need for comprehensive planning.
Domestic political debates could also complicate matters, as discussions continue over the implications of foreign troop access under the RAA.
Looking ahead, successful integration of the TC-90s could pave the way for more advanced cooperation—potentially including co-production of patrol vessels, surveillance systems, or long-range radar technology. Japan has already signalled openness to expanding defence exports to the Philippines in line with its evolving security doctrine.
For Manila, these aircraft represent more than an incremental capability upgrade—they are central to long-term efforts to protect natural resources, secure sea lanes, and uphold international law.
As joint inspection teams prepare to travel to Japan, regional observers are watching closely. The outcome of these negotiations may shape future defence cooperation models across the Indo-Pacific, reinforcing deterrence and strengthening the region’s ability to counter destabilizing actions in one of the world’s most contested maritime theatres.
