TOKYO: High-performance air defense radars manufactured by Japan's Mitsubishi Electric Corp. are now expected to be shipped to the Philippines, Japanese government sources said Thursday.

This will be the first case of Japanese-made defense equipment being exported under the country's new three principles on defense equipment transfer, adopted in 2014.

Improved versions of the FPS-3 fixed radar and the TPS-P14 mobile radar will be delivered to the Philippine government, according to the sources. The radars are used to detect and track missiles and aircraft.

Concerned about China's military buildup in the South China Sea, the Japanese government aims to help the Philippines enhance its surveillance capacity through the export of the radars.

The total value of orders for the Mitsubishi Electric radars is expected to be around 10 billion yen, or some 90 million dollars. The deal was initially seen to be completed by May, but negotiations are now stalled, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the sources said.

Japanese defense manufacturers have been falling behind foreign rivals, due to constraints imposed by the previous version of Japan's three principles on defense exports, as well as their lack of price competitiveness.

JIJI Press