Philippines may receive five more Beechcraft TC-90 maritime patrol aircraft from Japan
{loadposition bannertop}
{loadposition sidebarpub}
The Philippine Navy plans to inspect five retired TC-90 aircraft in Japan before the end of 2025, alongside ongoing discussions with Tokyo on a possible transfer of Abukuma-class destroyer escorts, to expand its maritime surveillance coverage.
In an interview with the Japan Times on November 26, 2025, Philippine Navy chief Vice Adm. Jose Ma Ambrosio Ezpeleta stated that they are seeking to acquire five additional retired Beechcraft TC-90s from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force to increase maritime surveillance, in parallel with ongoing talks on the potential transfer of used Abukuma-class destroyer escorts from Japan to the Philippines. He explained that before the end of the year, a joint visual inspection team from the Philippine Navy will travel to Japan to examine five TC-90s that have become available and determine whether they can be integrated into their existing TC-90 fleet.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
Japan initially planned to lease at least five Beechcraft TC-90 training aircraft to the Philippines for maritime patrols, and two aircraft were transferred free of charge in March 2017, followed by plans to transfer three more. (Picture source: Japanese Navy)
The five airframes, which the Japanese Navy primarily uses for pilot training, would be assessed by Philippine experts to see if they meet their operational requirements, who would then pass their recommendations to naval headquarters and the Department of Defense in Manila for a decision on whether to proceed with a second transfer. The aircraft will be inspected in detail to evaluate fatigue, systems, and the long-term viability of operating them within the constraints of Philippine naval aviation. If the evaluation is positive, detailed transfer negotiations with Tokyo could follow, potentially resulting in Japan’s second provision of TC-90s to the Philippines after an earlier batch of five units was delivered between 2017 and 2018 for maritime patrol missions. That first transfer, carried out under Tokyo’s official development assistance framework after 2014 revisions of export rules, marked both Japan’s initial transfer of military aircraft to another country and a significant relaxation of its previously strict approach to defense exports.
Ezpeleta underlined that the Philippines continues to face major gaps in maritime domain awareness across its 2.26 million square kilometer exclusive economic zone, with only about 30% of that area under continuous surveillance, making additional air assets a priority to enhance patrols. He noted that the inspection of the retired TC-90s is intended to determine whether their condition and remaining service life justify incorporation into the fleet as surveillance and patrol platforms in support of existing aircraft and surface vessels. Japan has already supplied Manila with air surveillance radar systems and is expected to deliver coastal surveillance radars under its official security assistance program, with these systems planned to support new forward operating bases extending Philippine monitoring capacity in the West Philippine Sea, to the country’s west, and toward its northern approaches. Among these forward positions is a new base at Mahatao in Batanes Province, located less than 200 km from Taiwan, which is being developed to host additional surveillance and response assets. Amid tensions with China, Tokyo and Manila are also discussing the possible provision of additional surveillance drones as part of the next Japanese assistance tranche, and Japanese authorities are backing up equipment transfers with training and intelligence sharing designed to help the Philippine Navy reduce blind spots in critical maritime corridors.
The Philippine Navy inspection team for the TC-90s will be the second group sent to Japan in 2025, following a delegation that traveled in August to examine the Japanese Navy’s six Abukuma-class destroyer escorts, all of which entered service between 1989 and 1993. Ezpeleta indicated that the navy would welcome at least three of these ships, explaining that such a number would allow one vessel to remain at sea on operations while a second undergoes maintenance and a third is assigned to training tasks, creating a basic rotation for sustained deployment. Philippine officials consider the Abukuma ships to be compatible with their operational requirements and see them as a way to reinforce anti-submarine warfare capabilities, which is why Ezpeleta expressed a preference that both the vessels and their associated weapon systems be transferred together as a package. When and how the transfer could be implemented remains unclear, including whether the ships would require extensive overhaul work before handover to the Philippine Navy, and Tokyo has yet to issue a formal offer. One factor is that Japanese authorities are still clarifying how to export complete secondhand military platforms within existing arms export regulations, while the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is moving to loosen restrictions on the export of lethal defense equipment to expand overseas sales, as Tokyo identifies Southeast Asia as a priority area for new defense partnerships.
The JMSDF’s TC-90s are part of a broader fleet of Beechcraft King Air aircraft that Japan has used for decades in training, liaison, and transport roles, with deliveries beginning in 1973 and eventually reaching a total of 40 C90 and C90A airframes. These aircraft include 34 TC-90 trainers, five LC-90 transports, and a single UC-90 configured for photographic aerial survey, with the TC-90s and UC-90 operated by the 202nd Naval Air Training Squadron at Tokushima Air Base and the LC-90s attached to various P-3 squadrons and Air Transport Squadron 61 as liaison aircraft. By late 2005, the TC-90 trainer fleet had accumulated 500,000 accident-free flying hours, reflecting its extensive use as a training platform. In the context of cooperation with Manila, Japan initially planned to lease at least five TC-90 aircraft to the Philippines for maritime patrols, and two aircraft were transferred free of charge in March 2017, followed by plans to transfer three more. From November 2016 to November 2017, six Philippine Navy pilots completed conversion training on the TC-90 at Tokushima Airport, and maintenance personnel have also been trained to sustain the aircraft in Philippine service, forming the basis for the present plan to integrate additional ex-JMSDF TC-90s into the navy’s inventory.
The TC-90, which still offers suitable endurance, low-level flight stability, and fuel efficiency despite its age, is a military adaptation of the Beechcraft King Air Model 90 with a cruise speed above 400 kilometers per hour, a range exceeding 2,400 kilometers depending on configuration, and two crew with up to seven passengers in military transport or liaison roles. Developed from the Queen Air airframe, the Beechcraft King Air family is divided into Model 90 and 100 series, and the latter T-tail Model 200 and 300 series, originally marketed as Super King Airs. Conceived as the Model 120 in 1961 and first flown in prototype form as the Model 87 in May 1963, the King Air entered service in 1964 and remained in continuous production from 1964 to 2021, with a total of about 3,370 aircraft built across all variants.
The Model 90 series evolved through the 65-90, 65-A90, B90, C90, E90, F90, C90A, C90B, C90GT, C90GTi, and C90GTx variants, incorporating successive improvements in engines, pressurization, airframe, and avionics, while later models added four-bladed propellers, Pro Line 21 glass cockpits, and winglets. A typical C90GTi measures about 10.82 m in length with a 15.32 m wingspan and 4.34 m height, has a maximum take-off weight of around 10,100 kg, and is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-135A turboprops rated at 550 shp, giving a maximum true airspeed of about 270 knots and a service ceiling of around 9,100 m.
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
{loadposition bannertop}
{loadposition sidebarpub}
The Philippine Navy plans to inspect five retired TC-90 aircraft in Japan before the end of 2025, alongside ongoing discussions with Tokyo on a possible transfer of Abukuma-class destroyer escorts, to expand its maritime surveillance coverage.
In an interview with the Japan Times on November 26, 2025, Philippine Navy chief Vice Adm. Jose Ma Ambrosio Ezpeleta stated that they are seeking to acquire five additional retired Beechcraft TC-90s from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force to increase maritime surveillance, in parallel with ongoing talks on the potential transfer of used Abukuma-class destroyer escorts from Japan to the Philippines. He explained that before the end of the year, a joint visual inspection team from the Philippine Navy will travel to Japan to examine five TC-90s that have become available and determine whether they can be integrated into their existing TC-90 fleet.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
Japan initially planned to lease at least five Beechcraft TC-90 training aircraft to the Philippines for maritime patrols, and two aircraft were transferred free of charge in March 2017, followed by plans to transfer three more. (Picture source: Japanese Navy)
The five airframes, which the Japanese Navy primarily uses for pilot training, would be assessed by Philippine experts to see if they meet their operational requirements, who would then pass their recommendations to naval headquarters and the Department of Defense in Manila for a decision on whether to proceed with a second transfer. The aircraft will be inspected in detail to evaluate fatigue, systems, and the long-term viability of operating them within the constraints of Philippine naval aviation. If the evaluation is positive, detailed transfer negotiations with Tokyo could follow, potentially resulting in Japan’s second provision of TC-90s to the Philippines after an earlier batch of five units was delivered between 2017 and 2018 for maritime patrol missions. That first transfer, carried out under Tokyo’s official development assistance framework after 2014 revisions of export rules, marked both Japan’s initial transfer of military aircraft to another country and a significant relaxation of its previously strict approach to defense exports.
Ezpeleta underlined that the Philippines continues to face major gaps in maritime domain awareness across its 2.26 million square kilometer exclusive economic zone, with only about 30% of that area under continuous surveillance, making additional air assets a priority to enhance patrols. He noted that the inspection of the retired TC-90s is intended to determine whether their condition and remaining service life justify incorporation into the fleet as surveillance and patrol platforms in support of existing aircraft and surface vessels. Japan has already supplied Manila with air surveillance radar systems and is expected to deliver coastal surveillance radars under its official security assistance program, with these systems planned to support new forward operating bases extending Philippine monitoring capacity in the West Philippine Sea, to the country’s west, and toward its northern approaches. Among these forward positions is a new base at Mahatao in Batanes Province, located less than 200 km from Taiwan, which is being developed to host additional surveillance and response assets. Amid tensions with China, Tokyo and Manila are also discussing the possible provision of additional surveillance drones as part of the next Japanese assistance tranche, and Japanese authorities are backing up equipment transfers with training and intelligence sharing designed to help the Philippine Navy reduce blind spots in critical maritime corridors.
The Philippine Navy inspection team for the TC-90s will be the second group sent to Japan in 2025, following a delegation that traveled in August to examine the Japanese Navy’s six Abukuma-class destroyer escorts, all of which entered service between 1989 and 1993. Ezpeleta indicated that the navy would welcome at least three of these ships, explaining that such a number would allow one vessel to remain at sea on operations while a second undergoes maintenance and a third is assigned to training tasks, creating a basic rotation for sustained deployment. Philippine officials consider the Abukuma ships to be compatible with their operational requirements and see them as a way to reinforce anti-submarine warfare capabilities, which is why Ezpeleta expressed a preference that both the vessels and their associated weapon systems be transferred together as a package. When and how the transfer could be implemented remains unclear, including whether the ships would require extensive overhaul work before handover to the Philippine Navy, and Tokyo has yet to issue a formal offer. One factor is that Japanese authorities are still clarifying how to export complete secondhand military platforms within existing arms export regulations, while the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is moving to loosen restrictions on the export of lethal defense equipment to expand overseas sales, as Tokyo identifies Southeast Asia as a priority area for new defense partnerships.
The JMSDF’s TC-90s are part of a broader fleet of Beechcraft King Air aircraft that Japan has used for decades in training, liaison, and transport roles, with deliveries beginning in 1973 and eventually reaching a total of 40 C90 and C90A airframes. These aircraft include 34 TC-90 trainers, five LC-90 transports, and a single UC-90 configured for photographic aerial survey, with the TC-90s and UC-90 operated by the 202nd Naval Air Training Squadron at Tokushima Air Base and the LC-90s attached to various P-3 squadrons and Air Transport Squadron 61 as liaison aircraft. By late 2005, the TC-90 trainer fleet had accumulated 500,000 accident-free flying hours, reflecting its extensive use as a training platform. In the context of cooperation with Manila, Japan initially planned to lease at least five TC-90 aircraft to the Philippines for maritime patrols, and two aircraft were transferred free of charge in March 2017, followed by plans to transfer three more. From November 2016 to November 2017, six Philippine Navy pilots completed conversion training on the TC-90 at Tokushima Airport, and maintenance personnel have also been trained to sustain the aircraft in Philippine service, forming the basis for the present plan to integrate additional ex-JMSDF TC-90s into the navy’s inventory.
The TC-90, which still offers suitable endurance, low-level flight stability, and fuel efficiency despite its age, is a military adaptation of the Beechcraft King Air Model 90 with a cruise speed above 400 kilometers per hour, a range exceeding 2,400 kilometers depending on configuration, and two crew with up to seven passengers in military transport or liaison roles. Developed from the Queen Air airframe, the Beechcraft King Air family is divided into Model 90 and 100 series, and the latter T-tail Model 200 and 300 series, originally marketed as Super King Airs. Conceived as the Model 120 in 1961 and first flown in prototype form as the Model 87 in May 1963, the King Air entered service in 1964 and remained in continuous production from 1964 to 2021, with a total of about 3,370 aircraft built across all variants.
The Model 90 series evolved through the 65-90, 65-A90, B90, C90, E90, F90, C90A, C90B, C90GT, C90GTi, and C90GTx variants, incorporating successive improvements in engines, pressurization, airframe, and avionics, while later models added four-bladed propellers, Pro Line 21 glass cockpits, and winglets. A typical C90GTi measures about 10.82 m in length with a 15.32 m wingspan and 4.34 m height, has a maximum take-off weight of around 10,100 kg, and is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-135A turboprops rated at 550 shp, giving a maximum true airspeed of about 270 knots and a service ceiling of around 9,100 m.
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
