U.S.-funded Project Expanding Drone and Fighter Capacity at Philippine Air Base

Efforts are underway to expand U.S. aircraft and drone capacity at a Philippine air base used by Washington to monitor the South China Sea and assist Manila’s defensive needs, USNI News has learned. The Airbus commercial satellite imagery, publicly shared on Google Earth, shows a clearing has been made at the northwest end of Basa Air Base that matches plans previously published on project solicitation documents detailing the project. These construction efforts were initially approved in 2023 through a joint U.S.-Philippine military board to enhance American forces training in-country or using the base for contingency operations. Contracted in 2024 for