Manila (PNA) - "The first six units of the upgraded AFVs are arriving by June 18," Lt. Col. Noel Detoyato, PA spokesperson, told the Philippines News Agency.
This lot will be followed by 18 other units and four more by July or August, he said.
Fourteen of the M-113s will be 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 will be supplied by Israeli defense manufacturer Elbit Systems Ltd.
The contract, which is worth PhP882 million, was signed on June 22, 2014.
Upgrades include installation of 25mm unmanned turrets, 12.7mm remote controlled weapon stations (RCWS) and fire control systems (FCS) for 90mm turrets.
The PA operates around 343 AFVs (armored fighting vehicles) and APCs (armored personnel carriers).
Around 85 percent of these AFVs are on green status (fully mission capable), another 10 percent on yellow status (undergoing repair) and five percent on red (beyond repair)
About 150 of these are the United Kingdom-built GKN "Simba," with the remaining AFVs consisting of United States-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 companion for deployment with regular units.
(PNA)
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