Defense Equipment from Israel Arrives; Australia to Deliver Next Month

Israel has finally delivered the first six of the 28 upgraded M113 armored personnel carriers ordered by the Department of National Defense (DND). The said equipment are now at the Mechanized Infantry Division (MID), Camp O’Donnell, Capas, Tarlac, the Philippine Army (PA) said on Thursday.

Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Noel Detoyato said, the vehicles arrived on Wednesday after leaving its Manila-holding area.

“Six APCs are already at MID headquarters in Tarlac. Other attachments and armaments will be installed in within 15 days,” he added.

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

The contract, which is worth Php882 million, was signed last June 22, 2014.

The M113 is a fully tracked armored personnel carrier that was first developed by Food Machinery Corp (FMC). The vehicle was first fielded by the United States Army’s mechanized infantry units in Vietnam in April 1962.

The M113 was the most widely used armored vehicle of the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War, earning the nickname ‘Green Dragon’ by the Viet Cong as it was used to break through heavy thickets in the midst of the jungle to attack and overrun enemy positions, but largely known as an APC and ACAV (armored cavalry assault vehicle) by the allied forces.

Israel Defense Force still operates around 6,000 units of M113 APC, and the units being transferred to the Philippines will be equipped with more advanced weaponry.

Meanwhile, the two transport ships to be donated by Australia to the Philippines will be commissioned into service on July 23.

Navy chief Vice Adm. Jesus Millan said the two landing craft heavy (LCH) would be commissioned in Australia while the vessels’ christening would be held in the Philippines.

“I will travel to Australia on July 20. The schedule of the turnover is on July 23,” Millan told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo on Friday.

“Hopefully, the ships will arrive in the first week of August,” he added.

One of the ships will be named BRP Ivatan after an indigenous group in Batanes while the other will be called BRP Batak after a tribe in Palawan. The two former vessels of the Royal Australian Navy used to be known as HMAS Tarakan and Brunei.

The Philippines, amidst ongoing tension on South China Sea is rushing to upgrade its military with modern technology, and the arrival of the armored vehicles from Israel is just a part of the upgrade.

The Missile Defense System deal with Israel is currently on hold, but DND said earlier that the project was not scrapped, contrary to the false report that surfaced earlier. The deal is still active and could be renegotiated anytime.

Sources: Philstar.com, Angmalaya.net / Carla Gamboa /

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