Philippine Coast Guard bolsters surveillance with turboprop planes from U.S.
FORUM Staff
The United States will transfer three turboprop planes equipped for maritime domain awareness operations to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the latest initiative by the longtime allies to bolster Manila’s intelligence collection.
Increasing tensions in the South China Sea, a vital global trade route, are pushing the Philippines to modernize its defenses after years of focusing on internal security.
The King Air 350 Extended Range turboprops provide greater operational range and faster response times, which also can enhance PCG core missions such as responding to maritime emergencies, the agency noted.
Two of the planes will undergo hardware and software modifications for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions under a $39 million contract with U.S.-based Technology Service Corp., the U.S. Naval Institute reported. The deal also includes surveillance and operational training.
In signing the transfer agreement in February 2026, Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan, then PCG commandant, and John Noh, U.S. assistant secretary of war for Indo-Pacific security affairs, discussed broader U.S. support for upgrading PCG capabilities, especially maritime domain awareness in the West Philippine and South China seas.
“The meeting reinforced the coast guard-to-coast guard dimension of the U.S.-Philippine alliance and the shared commitment to a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific,” the PCG stated.
The new planes can carry 15 passengers and have a range of nearly 5,000 kilometers, with a top speed of 560 kilometers per hour and a maximum altitude of 11,000 meters. They will enhance an aerial surveillance fleet that includes Cessna turboprops transferred from the U.S. and initially deployed on counterinsurgency missions. The PCG fleet also includes uncrewed aircraft.
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The PCG also has received U.S. Coast Guard 26-meter Marine Protector-class patrol boats and will take possession of larger former U.S. Coast Guard ships, including a 64-meter Reliance-class cutter. The Philippine military acquired four autonomous sea vessels from the U.S. in June 2026 to boost monitoring of maritime threats.
The U.S. State Department announced in July 2026 that it will help fund expansion of a PCG pier in Palawan province to bolster “maritime law enforcement presence and sustain operations in the South China Sea.” The pier places more PCG vessels closer to the Spratly Islands, a flash point in the resource-rich sea.
