Every war the Philippine Air Force has fought
Most of the Philippine Air Force’s fighting has been at home: against the Hukbalahap, the New People’s Army and Moro and Islamist armed groups in Mindanao, and in December 1989 against its own rebel officers. In the South China Sea, claimed in whole or in part by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines, its role is patrol and surveillance; a 2016 tribunal ruled largely in the Philippines’ favour, an award China does not recognise. Where a consolidated sortie or loss figure exists in the official record it is given here; where accounts disagree, the range is shown and the disagreement named. Blank cells are blank because no figure could be verified, not because the fighting was small.
From the P-26s of December 1941 to patrols over the South China Sea today.
| Conflicto | Años | Contra | Avión principal | Salidas | Avión perdido | |
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| Japanese invasion of the Philippinesthe Philippine Army Air Corps in December 1941Philippine Army Air Corps (inducted into the US Army Forces in the Far East) | 1941–1942 | Japón | P-26A, B-10B | — | — | |
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Fought Japanese air raids with a few obsolete P-26 fighters, then fought on the ground in Bataan. When the Philippine Army Air Corps was inducted into the US Army on 15 August 1941 it had, by Wikipedia’s count, 64 aircraft, among them 12 Boeing P-26A fighters and three Martin B-10B bombers. The US Army’s official history describes the P-26s as obsolete and only a handful serviceable. On 10 December 1941 Captain Jesús Villamor led the 6th Pursuit Squadron’s P-26s against a Japanese raid; the squadron was credited with four kills, two of them Villamor’s. On 12 December five P-26s met a much larger formation over Batangas; Villamor was credited again, and Lieutenant César Basa was killed. General MacArthur presented Villamor with the Distinguished Service Cross on 15 December; he received an oak leaf cluster for the second action and remains the only Filipino awarded it twice. The kill credits are American and Filipino claims; Japanese loss records for those days were not checked for this page. Resultado Bataan surrendered on 9 April 1942; surviving PAAC airmen became prisoners. The air arm was re-formed after liberation. Sources differ on how Basa died: Wikipedia’s Villamor article describes him as the first Filipino killed in aerial combat, its Philippine Army Air Corps article says he died in ground strafing. The kill claims are not matched against Japanese records.
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| Hukbalahap rebellionthe Huk campaignPhilippine Army Air Force, from 1947 Philippine Air Force | 1946–1954 | Hukbalahap (People’s Liberation Army) | P-51D | — | — | |
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Air support and transport for the army against the communist Hukbalahap insurgency. The PAF lists the Hukbalahap rebellion among its first engagements as an independent service. Its main combat aircraft of the period was the P-51D Mustang, in service from 1947 to 1959. The scale of the air effort, and the effect of strikes on civilians in Central Luzon, could not be documented from the sources reached for this page, so no figures are given. Resultado Not detailed in the sources reached. Only the engagement itself and the period aircraft are sourced; dates follow the conventional span of the rebellion. The aircraft types used against the Huks were not confirmed individually. |
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| United Nations Operation in the Congo (ONUC)the 9th Tactical Fighter Squadron at KaminaPhilippine Air Force | 1963 | — | Type not confirmed (fighters of the 9th Tactical Fighter Squadron) | — | — | |
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A fighter squadron served with the UN air component in the last phase of the Katanga secession. The 9th Tactical Fighter Squadron left for the Congo on 11 February 1963 and flew from Kamina Air Base as part of the UN operation, the first foreign deployment of the PAF. The UN lists the Philippines among the 30 countries that contributed military personnel to ONUC, which ran from July 1960 to June 1964. Resultado ONUC ended in June 1964. The aircraft type, numbers and return date were not confirmed in the sources reached.
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| Moro conflictMNLF, MILF, Abu Sayyaf and MautePhilippine Air Force | 1972– | Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), Abu Sayyaf and Maute group | F-5A, F-86, T-28y 6 más | — | — | |
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Close air support and airlift for the AFP against Moro separatist and later Islamist armed groups, including Zamboanga in 2013. In the 1970s the PAF was called on to give air support to the AFP’s campaign against the MNLF in central Mindanao, besides airlifting troops from Manila and Cebu. The conflict has run in phases since. In September 2013, when MNLF fighters tried to seize parts of Zamboanga City, the PAF’s airlift of reinforcements and supplies was, in its own account, central to the government’s response. On 26 January 2017 two FA-50s of the 7th Tactical Fighter Squadron flew the type’s first combat mission, against Abu Sayyaf and Maute positions at Butig, Lanao del Sur; Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told AP at least four militants were killed, while the military said it awaited validated results. Marawi is listed separately. Resultado Continuo. The start year is the conventional one for the MNLF war; the PAF’s aircraft losses across five decades are not compiled in the sources reached.
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| Communist insurgency (New People’s Army)counter-insurgency since 1969Philippine Air Force | 1969– | New People’s Army | OV-10, SF-260, FA-50PHy 3 más | — | 1 | |
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Close air support, reconnaissance and airlift against the New People’s Army. The New People’s Army, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, has fought the state since 1969, and its campaign is the longest the PAF has supported. The air force’s role is close air support, reconnaissance and moving troops. Its most recent fighter loss came in this war: on 4 March 2025 an FA-50 crashed on Mount Kalatungan in Bukidnon during a night mission supporting troops in contact with the NPA near Cabanglasan, killing Maj. Jude Salang-oy and 1st Lt. AJ Dadulla. It was the first FA-50 lost since delivery; the fleet was grounded, and the PAF later cleared it after finding no mechanical fault, according to Defense News. Resultado Continuo. Mission totals are PAF figures for all internal security operations and are not broken down by opponent.
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| December 1989 coup attemptrebel T-28s over ManilaPhilippine Air Force (loyal and rebel elements) | 1989 | Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM) and allied rebels | T-28, Sikorsky helicopters | — | — | |
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Rebel officers seized Villamor, Sangley and Mactan and used PAF T-28s and helicopters against the government; loyal forces recovered them. The most serious of the coup attempts against President Corazon Aquino began on 1 December 1989. Rebels of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement, led by Lt. Col. Gregorio Honasan, and officers loyal to Ferdinand Marcos took Villamor and Sangley in Manila and Mactan in Cebu. Rebel pilots flew T-28 Trojans and helicopters to dive-bomb Malacañang and attack Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo. President George H. W. Bush authorised US F-4 Phantoms from Clark to fly over the rebel bases and threaten to fire on any rebel aircraft that took off, which ended the rebel air campaign. The Davide Commission later investigated the attempts. Resultado The coup failed by 9 December 1989. Casualty figures are from Wikipedia’s summary of the Davide Commission and other sources; the number of aircraft involved was not confirmed.
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| Siege of MarawiMarawi 2017Philippine Air Force | 2017 | Maute group and Abu Sayyaf (Islamic State-aligned) | FA-50PH, SF-260, OV-10y 2 más | — | 0 | |
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Five months of close air support, bombing and airlift against Islamic State-aligned Maute and Abu Sayyaf fighters holding the city. On 23 May 2017 fighters of the Maute group and Isnilon Hapilon’s Abu Sayyaf faction seized parts of Marawi The PAF flew FA-50s, armed SF-260s, OV-10s and AW109 helicopters in support of ground troops fighting street by street. The air war had costs. On 31 May an SF-260 hit an army unit in close combat, killing 11 soldiers and wounding seven; later an FA-50 missed its target by about 250 metres, killing two soldiers and wounding 11, and the FA-50s were grounded pending investigation. Wikipedia’s summary of official figures gives 168 government troops killed (12 by friendly fire), 978 militants killed and 87 civilians dead; 3,152 buildings were destroyed and about 200,000 people displaced. How much of the destruction came from air strikes is not established in the sources reached. Resultado Government forces declared the siege over on 23 October 2017. All toll figures are government figures as summarised by Wikipedia; independent counts of civilian deaths and of damage caused by air strikes were not checked. The date of the FA-50 incident was not confirmed.
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| South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) patrolsmaritime air patrols and joint patrolsPhilippine Air Force | 2016– | — | FA-50PH, C-208, ATR 72MPy 1 más | 95 | 0 | |
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Maritime patrol, air surveillance and joint air patrols with the US in waters claimed by several states. The South China Sea is claimed in whole or part by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines. On 12 July 2016 a tribunal constituted under UNCLOS ruled, in the case the Philippines brought, in Manila’s favour on almost every count, according to the Council on Foreign Relations; China adopted a position of non-acceptance and non-participation and does not recognise the award. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan maintain their own claims, especially in the Spratlys. The PAF’s part is watching the Philippine EEZ, which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea: a Mitsubishi Electric long-range radar at Wallace Air Station was unveiled in December 2023, and PAF FA-50s have flown joint patrols with US aircraft since November 2023, including with a B-52H in February 2024. Inquirer reported two Chinese navy ships watching those drills. Resultado Continuo. Air incidents between Chinese and Philippine aircraft reported in 2024–2025 are not included because they could not be checked against a primary source for this page.
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Cada cifra, verificada
- Philippine Air Force: The Philippine Air Force (2010–2016)Official history page: SF-260 buys 2010–2011, W-3A Sokol 2012, C-295, Bell 412EP, AW109E, first two FA-50PH on 28 November 2015, Zamboanga 2013, Yolanda.
- US Army Center of Military History: The Fall of the Philippines, chapter VLouis Morton’s official history: only a handful of obsolete P-26s operational in December 1941.
- Inquirer: Marcos lauds PAF on 78th anniversary, vows steadfast backing (1 July 2025)78th anniversary at Villamor on 1 July 2025; 95 maritime patrol flights and 1,034 patrol flying hours in the year.
- United Nations: Republic of the Congo – ONUC facts and figuresPhilippines among ONUC troop contributors; mission July 1960 to June 1964.
- Inquirer: Bombs drop on terror groups’ lair (28 January 2017)First FA-50 combat mission, Butig, Lanao del Sur, 26 January 2017, 7th Tactical Fighter Squadron.
- Inquirer: Probers release report on 2 military crashes (3 September 2021)S-70i crash at Capas, Tarlac, 23 June 2021 (six killed); C-130 crash in Sulu, 4 July 2021 (53 dead).
- Defense News: Philippines orders 12 more FA-50 combat jets from South Korea (5 June 2025)About USD 700 million; delivery around 2030; multirole fighter programme still undecided.
- Inquirer: PAF grounds FA-50 fleet after fatal Bukidnon crash (6 March 2025)FA-50 lost on 4 March 2025 during a night support mission; two pilots killed; first loss of the type; 11 remain.
- Inquirer: PH, US Air Force conduct next phase of 3rd joint patrol (19 February 2024)Three FA-50s with a USAF B-52H; first joint patrol November 2023.
- Inquirer: PAF unveils newest air surveillance system near West Philippine Sea (20 December 2023)Mitsubishi Electric radar at Wallace Air Station; three fixed and one mobile radar for PHP 5.5 billion.
- Permanent Court of Arbitration: The South China Sea Arbitration (Philippines v. China)Award of 12 July 2016; China’s stated position of non-acceptance and non-participation.
- Council on Foreign Relations: Territorial disputes in the South China SeaClaimants: China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines; China refuses the tribunal’s authority.
Figures verified 2026-09-30. Back to the Philippine Air Force.