US warplanes sent to Philippines for military drill
The US is this week deploying 12 F/A-18 fighter jets to the Philippines to participate in an annual joint military drill.
 |
| US fighter jets (Photo: reuters) |
Philippine army spokesman Major Emmanuel Garcia said on Thursday that the presence of US warplanes is not connected to tensions on the Korean peninsula as these exercises were planned more than a year ago. 8,000 American and Filipino soldiers will attend this military exercise. In addition, the US will send an amphibious landing ship, the USS Tortuga, and 14 other military aircrafts including C-130 transports and helicopters. The Philippines will deploy 10 warplanes and 2 warships for the drill, which will take place from April 5th to 17th and include a mock battle and disaster response exercises.