Fact checks about countries

FACT CHECK: The Philippines didn’t buy an MV-22 Osprey helicopter from the US

Rappler.com

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FACT CHECK: The Philippines didn’t buy an MV-22 Osprey helicopter from the US
There have been no official reports about Manila purchasing the American-made helicopters

The claim: The Philippines has purchased an MV-22 Osprey helicopter from the United States.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The claim was made in a YouTube video that currently has 3,208 views and 94 likes. 

The facts: As of writing, there have been no official announcements from the US embassy in the Philippines, Philippine Air Force, or Philippine Army regarding any acquisition of an MV-22 Osprey helicopter by the Philippines.  

V-22 Osprey profile: The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American-made military aircraft, manufactured by Bell Helicopter and Boeing Rotorcraft Systems. According to the websites of Bell Helicopter and Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, the aircraft was designed “to combine the vertical performance of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed-wing aircraft.”

The MV-22 is the primary V-22 variant that is used by the US Marine Corps. The MV-22 has been deployed to support troops in combat since October 2007

In 2013, the US deployed MV-22 Ospreys to the Philippines to “airlift relief supplies to Tacloban and other hard hit areas” affected by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).  

Acquisition by other countries: In 2015, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) purchased five Ospreys at a cost of $332 million. The first two of the five Ospreys were delivered to the US Marine Corps Station in Iwakuni, Japan on May 8, 2020. The United Press International reported that the two Ospreys were the first to be used by a foreign country.

According to a US military press release, Washington cleared the sale of eight MV-22 Ospreys and other related equipment to Indonesia for an estimated $8 billion, making Indonesia the second country outside the US to operate the Osprey aircrafts. 

Osprey presence in the Philippines: On April 10, 2023, the Osprey aircraft once again made its way into the Philippines. This time, the helicopter which carried American soldiers, landed in Basco, Batanes for a quick parachute diving practice, the Provincial Government of Batanes said in a post

Rappler has previously debunked claims regarding the acquisition of military assets such as helicopters, ships, and jets:

Katarina Ruflo/Rappler.com

Katarina Ruflo is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.

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