PA to Get 28 Upgraded M-113s

21 Maret 2015

Some upgraded M-113 will arrive May and July (photo : Militaryphotos) 

(PNA) - Some 28 upgraded M-113 "Bradley" armored fighting vehicles will arrive this coming May and July intended for the Philippine Army (PA).

This was confirmed by PA spokesman Lt. Col. Noel Detoyato in a text message to the PNA.

"Eighteen will be delivered by May 11 and the remaining 10 will handed over (by the supplier) on July 11," he added.

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

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

The contract, which is worth Php882 million, was signed last June 22.

Upgrades include installation of 25 mm unmanned turrets, 12.7 mm remote controlled weapon stations (RCWS) and fire control systems (FCS) for 90 mm turrets.

The PA 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)

Some 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-113 "Bradley", 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 companion for deployment with regular units.

(PNA)