The Philippine Army is set to procure equipment from Aselsan of Turkey to meet a long-standing requirement for helmet-mounted/weapon-mounted monocular night vision devices, weapon-mounted infrared aiming devices and laser zeroing devices.
A notice to proceed was issued by the Philippines in July and first deliveries could commence in the second quarter of 2017. Most devices will be delivered to the army’s Special Operations Command (SOCOM).
With its offer of PHP712.069 million ($15.4 million), Aselsan was declared the lowest bidder back in January for this project seeking 4,464 sets of night vision devices. The Turkish bid came in considerably lower than the approved budget of PHP1.116 billion.
Aselsan is represented by local company System Nomics Philippines for this deal.
Deliveries should be completed in late 2017 or early 2018, depending on when the letter of credit is issued. All equipment is due to be delivered within six months of contract signature.
It is unclear what particular products Aselsan offered to the Philippine Army, but the company does make the A100 monocular that weighs 320g and offers a 40º field of view and 1x magnification.
The night vision requirement dates back to March 2015 and major players such as Nightline, Exelis (now Harris Corporation) and Elbit Systems are believed to have put in bids.
These new systems will allow Philippine soldiers to fight more effectively at night and in low-light conditions. Special forces personnel previously told Shephard that terrorist groups such as Abu Sayyaf are often better equipped than government forces in terms of weapons and night vision goggles.
Older night vision equipment currently used by SOCOM (e.g. the AN/PVS-7 as pictured above) is likely to be passed down to regular infantry units once the new devices are inducted.
The Philippines has previously acquired military equipment from Turkey, most notably in the form of a limited number of FNSS ACV 15 tracked vehicles in APC and recovery configurations.
https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/landwarfareintl/philippines-chooses-turkish-nvgs/
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