(News Feature) Plans are afoot to arm refurbished APCs with 25mm automatic cannons

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 4): (News Feature) Plans are afoot to arm refurbished APCs with 25mm automatic cannons

The Mechanized Infantry Division (MID) is looking at the possibility of installing 25mmm automatic cannons to some of its newly-refurbished M-113A2 armored personnel carriers (APCs) of which 114 were formally accepted for service Thursday.

"We are looking the reconfiguration of some of the APCs into armored infantry fighting vehicles (AIFVs), meaning that their .50 caliber machineguns will be replace with 25mm automatic cannons, so they can be use for internal security and territorial defense operations," MID head Major Gen. Edgar Gonzales said in Filipino.

The 25mm automatic cannon is much lethal, longer range and has more killing power than the .50 caliber machineguns.

It also have anti-aircraft applications.

He declined to give specifics on how many of the 114 APCs will be converted into AIFVs as this is dependent on the available budget.

But should the AIFV conversion push through, Gonzales said there was a need for the vehicles' existing 212 horsepower engine to be replaced with a 265 horsepower to allow it to handle the additional weight of the 25mm weapons.

The MID chief said these vehicles have an amphibious capability allowing them to operate at the Linguasan Marsh in Central Mindanao and other similar areas.

The first 77 units were shipped last Dec. 9 while the remaining 37 units were delivered on Dec. 14.

"These equipment will be brought down the line to complete the Table of Equipment (TOE) (of all MID battalions)and will enhance our speed (of deployment) and our personnel protection," Army spokesperson Col. Benjamin Hao earlier said.

These refurbished APCs were acquired through the US Excess Defense Articles (EDA) program.

The MID has five mechanized battalion with the theoretical TOE of 36 armored vehicles each.

The EDA Program grants excess US military equipment, without cost, to qualified allied countries.

The transfer was a result of a formal request made by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to assist in their defense modernization efforts.

The M-113A2 was developed to provide a survivable and reliable light tracked vehicle that allows for troops to be brought forward under armor for dismounted operations.

Commissioning of these vehicles will greatly boost the numbers of the 343 armored vehicle-strong MID.

The AFP virtually got these additional armored assets for free saved for the shipping costs which amounted to Php 67.5 million and refitting of .50 caliber machine guns to the APCs.

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