Philippines to expand military drone fleet as South China Sea tensions rise

Philippines to expand military drone fleet as South China Sea tensions rise Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro has pitched a 6.3 per cent budget increase to fund the advanced drones and warships US defence ally the Philippines also planned to acquire additional guided-missile corvettes and other major defence assets to strengthen its external defence capabilities, Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told a budget hearing in the lower house of Congress. The armed forces currently operate a fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles that provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, Teodoro said. “As we mature on the cycle, then we can acquire more,” Teodoro said in pitching to lawmakers a 6.3 per cent increase in the defence ministry’s budget for 2027, from the 305.5 billion pesos (US$4.95 billion) spending plan approved for this year. Drone expansion is part of a proposed 50 billion pesos allocation for the Philippines’ modernisation programme next year, 25 per cent higher than that of the current budget.