PAF Officers Undergo Training On Israeli Air Defense System SPYDER

11 Maret 2021

SPYDER main components (image : Rafael)

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has started the training of its officers who will operate the soon to be delivered SPYDER (Surface-to-air PYthon and DERby) ground-based air defense system (GBADS) from Israeli Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.

According to report of Frances Mangosing in Inquirer.net, Lieutenant Colonel Generoso Bautista and Lieutenant Colonel Emerson Bermeo, the group commander and deputy group commander, respectively, of PAF’s 960th Air and Missile Defense Group led the opening of the training on March 1 at Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga.

According to the report, the training aims to provide PAF officers with “operational knowledge to produce capable missile system officers to lead in the performance of the air and missile defense system’s mission capabilities.”

PAF is set to receive three batteries of SPYDER GBADS with delivery expected to begin this year.

“SPYDER is a quick reaction, low level surface-to-air missile system designed to counter attacks by aerial threats,” Rafael says in SPYDER product webpage.

“SPYDER incorporates RAFAEL’s most advanced, proven performance air-to-air missiles: the I-Derby active radar (RF) missile and Python-5, a dual waveband Imaging Infra Red (IIR) missile,” Rafael explained.

(Mintfo)