The Armed Forces of the Philippines formally received six (6) Armor Personnel Carrier (APC) M113 from FNSS Savunma Sistemleri representative, during a turnover ceremony held at the GHQ, AFP Grandstand, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on 25 January 2010.

History

The APC M113 and its derivatives are one of the most produced armored vehicles in the world. The design concept, as adapted by more than 40 countries, dates back in the 60s and is primarily used for troop/equipment carriers, command post, communication vehicles, and weapons carriers. The armored personnel carrier has a combat weight of 10.7 tons and can carry 13 soldiers including the driver and the gunner.

The current fleet of APC M113 in the Philippine Army was acquired in the late 1960s to the 70s. Due to continuous and extensive utilization in combat operations, fair wear and tear, as well as the relative application of new technology in the modern battlefield, performance, crew protection and adaptability became a serious problem. Likewise, maintenance and replacement/repair parts of the vehicle are now obsolete and hard to find because of technology development, thus, making it more expensive to maintain. Considerably, the thought of upgrading the current APCs would enhance its operational performance through the installation of the latest technology, lessen maintenance cost and extend its life cycle.

The project started as the APC M113 Upgrade Project under the Reprioritized Project List of CY 2000 with a budget of Php 150 million pesos. This is one of the first projects implemented by the AFP under the AFP Modernization Program.

Objective

The objective of acquiring an Upgraded APC M113 or its derivatives is basically to: improve the operational readiness through an increased equipment fill-up of the Army Light Armor Units; extend its life cycle for another 15 years and improve its capabilities and performance in terms of mobility, firepower, communication, survivability and maintainability. The acquired armored vehicles are expected to attain the following:

1. On Mobililty, it will have an enhanced capability to quickly and safely move in all types of trafficable terrain, improve maneuverability, range, load capacity, and braking capability.
2. On Survivability, the upgrade should offer protection of crew and passengers from hostile action and its effect to the vehicle whether natural or man-made.
3. On Maintainability, it is expected that the upgraded vehicles will be easy to maintain, repair and the spare parts should be made available for the next 15 years.

The members of the Project Management Team that worked hard to accomplish this project are:

BGEN ERNESTO P CUTIYOG AFP - Project Manager

MAJ RODERICK A BALBANERO (CAV) PA - Technical Officer

MAJ LAURO G OLIVEROS (CAV) PA - Logistics Officer

MAJ OMAR V OROZCO (CAV) PA - Technical Officer

FNSS Savunma Sistemleri, a Turkish company, won the bid at Php 139M for the delivery of six (6) units of Upgraded APC M113, Training and Warranty, Maintenance Tools and two (2) years spares. The project was implement in March 17, 2008.

On 01 December 2009, the Supplier finished the delivery of all items as agreed in the contract. Through the efforts and negotiations of the PMT it can be noted that FNSS Savunma Sistemleri donated several items to the AFP that amounted to US$ 245,000.00 or PhP 11M pesos. Significant among the donated items are six (6) complete and serviceable powerpacks and six (6) Mine Armor Kit Assembly.

As a result of this project, the LAD had a big boost to its operational capability and as force multiplier for the ground forces. Further, the six (6) donated powerpacks will enable LAD to resurrect another six (6) APCs that will make twelve (12) additional armored vehicles or an armor company for the Army.

With this accomplishment, the AFP Modernization Program Management Office will remain committed and doing our best to realize the projects towards a modernized armed forces.