Fillipinerne/S.211

WAPJ 17/94 : Købte 18 SIAI-Marchetti S.211 fordelt mellem avanceret træningsrolle ved Fernando under 100th Training Wing/103rd Pilot Training Squadron og våbentræning ved Basa under 5th Fighter Wing/105th CCTS. Sidstnævnte tilgik dog 100th TW ved Fernando. De første 3 fly blev bygget i Italien, resten samlet i Filippinerne af PADC. Omfatter fly # 07007/007, 07010/810 og 07019/819.

AFM 10/96 : En SIAI S.211 jettræner fra 100th Training Wing/103rd Training Squadron styrtede ned i by syd for Manila 13/8/1996. Piloten og eleven ombord blev såret.

AFM 10/10 : En S-211 jettræner [024/09905] styrtede ned nær Santiago under en træningsflyving 19/7/2010. De to besætningsmedlemmer fra Air Defence Wing skød sig ud med katapultsæde.

Service History

First aircraft delivered in 1988.  Was originally to have numbered 36 aircraft but orders were cut short after a spate of much publicized accidents. Only about 7 aircraft out of 16 remaining are flyable (25 delivered).  A number remain in open storage as either parts sources or are awaiting funding for overhaul or parts like so many other PAF aircraft.  Three underwent overhauls in 2001 in the Philippines.  9 lost in accidents, though some must have been rebuilt.  The type has suffered more than most PAF aircraft from under funding and bad press.

Possibly the most unpopular aircraft in the Philippine press, though this is an unfair reputation.  Initially used as an advanced trainer by the 100th Training Wing, the type is now also shared with the 5th Fighter Wings Combat Crew Training squadron and the 7th TFS primarily to undertake jet conversion, strike training and reconnaissance missions .  Recently, it has been used to carry out visual reconnaissance missions over the Spratly Islands and over Mischief Reef  (while carrying two 270liter wing tanks to extend its range) . These missions were carried out at such a low level and with such frequency that the Chinese issued a diplomatic protest. 

The PAF has limited the S211s participation in COIN missions, preferring instead to use OV-10s or SF260s which are more appropriate due to their lower speed and longer loiter times.  It is also a reflection on how important the type is to the PAF - establishing and maintaining a training stream of pilots is a pre-requisite for maintaining a viable combat force. 

At least two however are always fitted out with hardpoints and carry the 12.7mm gun pod in the centerline.  A few have been fitted with drop tanks (2 x 270 liters) and have been sent on low level reconnaissance missions over Mischief Reef.  The flights were at such a low level that the Chinese filed a protest with the Philippine government. 

There is nothing inherently wrong with the type.  The problem lies in the PAF practice of under funding maintenance - of acquiring more units than it can adequately support at current financing levels.

Current Status

PAF S.211s have enjoyed relatively high availability rates in the past, though this number has now gone down considerably.  Mostly this is due to the fact that the PAF wants to maintain a constant training stream of pilots to combat units and also to maintain the proficiency of it fast jet pilots.  The PAF seems to have found a partial solution to its maintenance problems with regard to the S.211 at least - a number of units have gone through overhauls with Aerotech Industry Philippines.  This may account for the discrepancy in S.211 numbers since there are obviously more aircraft available than delivered - either new one's were delivered as attrition replacements or, most likely, airframes that had previously been written off were rebuilt and brought back into service.