Thursday, July 23, 2015

Upgraded APCs to be fitted with remote-controlled .50 caliber machine guns

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 24): Upgraded APCs to be fitted with remote-controlled .50 caliber machine guns

The six upgraded armored personnel carriers (APCs), which were delivered from Israel last month, will be fitted and armed with remote-controlled .50 machine guns.

"The six M-113s are now at the headquarters of the Mechanized Division (in Camp O'Donnell, Capas, Tarlac). They are now ready for the installation of their guns which are now being processed for release," Mechanized Division spokesperson Major Filemon I. Tan Jr. told the PNA on Friday.

Tan expects commissioning of the APCs to take place this coming Sept. 11, which is the Mechanized Division's eighth founding anniversary.

The six APCs were transported to Tarlac last July 8.They will be followed by 18 other units and four more by August.

Fourteen of the M-113s have been configured as fire support vehicles, four as infantry fighting vehicles, six as armored personnel carriers, and another four as armored recovery units.

The M-113s were supplied by Israeli defense manufacturer Elbit Systems Ltd.

The contract, which was worth PhP882 million, was signed on June 22, 2014.

Upgrades included installation of 25mm unmanned turrets, 12.7mm (.50 caliber machine guns) remote-controlled weapon stations (RCWS) and fire control systems (FCS) for 90mm turrets.

The Philippine Army operates around 343 AFVs (armored fighting vehicles) and APCs.

Around 85 percent of these AFVs are on green status (fully mission capable) while another 10 percent are on yellow status (undergoing repair) and five percent are on red (beyond repair).

At least 150 of these are the United Kingdom-built GKN "Simba," with the remaining AFVs consisting of US-designed V-150 and V-200 APCs, M-113s, Turkish made ACV-300s and British Scorpion CVRTs.

These vehicles give the PA its armor capability and are organized into a 14-vehicle mechanized infantry companies for deployment with regular units.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=785803

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