Philippine Army's Light Tank and Wheeled APC projects awarded to Israel's Elbit Systems

With the Philippines looking at reopening itself to business despite COVID-19 pandemic still ongoing, it looks like the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP are doing the same now.

As the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) confirming the release of funding for the initial 15% of the total project costs of the Light Tank and Wheeled Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) Acquisition Projects of the Philippine Army (PA), we now believe its time to announce the results of both projects.

The Sabrah light tank using the GDELS ASCOD 2 tracked armored vehicle platform. Photo from Elbit Systems.

And the Winner is:

To those following MaxDefense for a long time, they already know our style of doing things, of how we drop bits and pieces of information everywhere, bring in related information as clues, give info on what's happening around the world that may affect certain projects, and push our community members to look for them and think for themselves.

And so far, MaxDefense is happy that more people are understanding our way of bringing in information. 

Not surprising, many of our community members guessed who the winners are for both the Light Tank and Wheeled APC APC Acquisition Projects.

And yes, MaxDefense Philippines can finally confirm that the winner for both projects is none other than Elbit Systems Land & C4I of Israel, working closely with the Israeli Ministry of Defense, which received the Notice of Award (NOA) for the projects a few months ago.

Elbit Systems was working with General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) and Excalibur Army/Czechoslovak Group to offer the Sabrah Light Tank family using the ASCOD 2 tracked armored vehicle and the Pandur II 8x8 wheeled armored vehicle are platforms.

Also, Elbit Systems was working with IVECO Defense Vehicles for the Wheeled APC project, which offered to use the Guarani 6x6 wheeled APC. 

The Sabrah Light Tanks using the GDELS ASOCD 2 tracked, and GDELS-Excalibur Army Pandur II 8x8 wheeled armored vehicles as platforms (top), and the IVECO Guarani, all offered by Elbit Systems Land & C4I to the Philippine Army. Top photo from Elbit Systems, above photo from IVECO.

What Happened in the past few months:

MaxDefense previously mentioned in past posts and blogs, as well as in our extension Philippine Defense Resource, that as as October 2019, the Department of National Defense (DND) already released a Acquisition Decision Memorandum (ADM) that points to the Light Tank and Wheeled APC Projects to be acquired through Government-to-Government (G2G) process.

This was later affirmed in April 2020 with the PA and DND finally confirming that the project would be undertaken with the Israeli Ministry of Defense's International Defense Cooperation Directorate (MOD-SIBAT). So far, IMOD-SIBAT has assigned only Elbit Systems as their proponent.

The DND was already preparing the details and terms for the project's contract when the Philippine government decided to stop international travel and close the country due to COVID-19 pandemic. 

This delayed the entire process since both the Light Tank and Wheeled APC projects were among those affected by the realignment and diversion of funding as covered by Republic Act 11469, or the Bayanihan to Heal and One Act.

The Light Tank's 1st MYCA allocation worth Php1,422,649,800.00 provided under GAA FY2019, and the Wheeled APC's 1st and 2nd MYCA allocations worth Php339,780,000.00 and Php792,820,000.00 as provided by GAA FY2019 and FY2020, respectively were among those included in the fund diversions/

But not all was lost. Due to the realignment, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the DND revised its funding plan for FY2020, by identifying which projects from the original GAA FY2019 and FY2020 are the most important. Among those considered important were the Light Tank and Wheeled APC projects. This allowed both projects to be re-assigned with funding of what remained of the GAA FY2019 and FY2020 funds.

Thus, the 1st MYCA for the Light Tank worth Php1,422,649,800.00 and the 1st MYCA for the Wheeled APC worth Php339,780,000.00 were restored. They only adjusted the project's delivery schedule which is now to be completed by 2022 instead of 2021. The 3rd and final MYCA allocations for both projects were also moved to be funded under FY2022. This revision was approved by the DND and national government on May 2020, and paved the way to continue with the finalization of both projects.

As early as August 2020, MaxDefense already received confirmation that the DND has released Notices of Awards (NOA) for both projects to Elbit Systems Land & C4I, which also represented their partners in the project.

When Elbit Systems formally included the Sabrah Light Tank family into their portfolio as posted on their website since last August 2020, it was actually a heads-up that something positive already happened. The information was also confirmed by MaxDefense sources who were familiar with the project.

And since the Wheeled APC would be closely tied to the Light Tank Project, it was expected that it would also be reaching the same milestone.

With the funding allocation for both projects already released, its only a matter of time for both project to proceed further.

How the Projects were Won?

Honestly, these 2 projects are one of the tightest competitions in the AFP Modernization Program due to it not undergoing public tender, which means decision making from the Philippine Army and DND are based on other factors aside from price.

In this case, Elbit Systems' best selling point was the inclusion of Battlefield Management System, Command & Control, Fire Control, and Communication systems that are common and compatible, or to be compatible with existing and future networked systems that the PA and the AFP are introducing. And obviously, Elbit's competitors in both projects cannot offer subsystems that are compatible to what the AFP will be using.

The installation of the Elbit Torch-X battlefield management system, the Combat NG command and control system, and the E-LynX software defined radios on the Sabrah ASCOD 2, Sabrah Pandur II, and the Guarani vehicles would allow seamless networked connectivity to each other and to other units using the same systems.

While Hanwha Defense did offer to install a Korean-made BMS into its Light Tank and Wheeled APC offers, it does not work with the Israeli BMS and communications system already in use or ordered by the Philippine Army and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Both the Torch-X battlefield management system (top) and the E-LynX software defined MANET radio (above) would be installed on the Sabrah tanks and Guarani wheeled APCs.

Another selling point is the non-usage of Belgian-made turrets and guns, due to the ongoing arms export restrictions made by the Wallonia regional government of Belgium against the Philippines. Since Elbit's competitors on the Light Tank  Project, Hanwha Defense-Otokar JV and PT Pindad, using John Cockerill's C3105 turret and 105mm guns made in Belgium, it is expected that there are chances of delays or problems that may happen should the Light Tank project be awarded to the losing proponents.

Sabrah's turret was made by Elbit Systems with assistance from the Israel Defense Force's Ordnance Corps MANTAK (the same designer of the Merkava tank's turret), replacing an earlier proposal that used the Oto Melara Hitfact turret. The changes were made due to the requirement for an autoloading system, a better firing arc for the gun, and lower cost.

The Sabrah's turret was made by Elbit Systems with assistance from the Israel Defense Force's Ordnance Corps MANTAK, the same team that designed and built the Merkava tank's turret. Photo taken from Elbit Systems.

Other factors also were considered, including the lack of users of PT Pindad's Harimau tank, and better performance by the winning products over their competitors, although those mentioned above are said to be the main reasons.

Why Guarani 6x6 for Wheeled APC, and not Pandur II 6x6?

Another main point that many of our readers have been asking, is why did Elbit Systems offered to use the IVECO Guarani 6x6 for its Wheeled APC offer, rather than use the GDELS/Excalibur Army Pandur II 6x6?

Commonality should have been a factor in deciding to go with Pandur II 6x6 since it shares a lot of parts and traits as the Pandur II 8x8 that Elbit offered for the Wheeled Tank component of the Light Tank project.

According to Army sources, it was the Philippine Army's Technical Working Group who actually decided to go for the IVECO Guarani, as Elbit Systems offered both the Guarani 6x6 and Pandur II 6x6 for the project. But it appears that Pandur II was more expensive than the Guarani, since Guarani benefits from cheaper Brazilian labour and steel compared to the Pandur II which is produced in the Czech Republic.

The Pandur II 6x6 wheeled armored vehicle, which is also among those offered to the Philippine Army. Credits to original source of the photo.

Also, if Elbit Systems offered to use IVECO's Italian-made SuperAV 8x8 wheeled armored vehicle for the Wheeled Tank component of the Light Tank project, it would also be more expensive than the Pandur II 8x8, thus the decision to stick with Pandur II 8x8.

Honestly, this is one of the flaws in the Philippine defense procurement, as it makes more sense for the Philippine Army to have chosen the Pandur II 6x6 if cost is the only issue.

The Guarani's 8x8 variant, called the SuperAV, was said to be more expensive than the Pandur II 8x8 as it was built in Italy by IVECO's main production line rather than in Brazil. 

The Future:

It remains to be seen if a Contract was already signed between Elbit Systems Land & C4I and the Department of National Defense, but the recent release of funding for both projects only means that this could be coming, or might have already been done since a contract can be signed with or without the funding allocation released by the DBM in favor of the DND. What MaxDefense can confirm through, is that there is no Notice to Proceed (NTP) yet, since the funds were only released last 21 October 2020.

The release of NOA favoring Elbit Systems is another milestone reached by the DND and the Philippine Army in implementing the Horizon 2 phase of the Revised AFP Modernization Program. This also means that the only project meant for the Philippine Army's Armor Division is the M113 Firepower Upgrade Project, which MaxDefense Philippines discussed in a blog entry back in April 2019.

Since the Philippine Army originally requested for 144 Light Tanks and 114 Wheeled APCs in its original Horizon 2 Phase Proposal submitted in 2017, it remains to be seen if the Philippine Army will pursue the acquisition of 116 more light tanks and 86 more wheeled APCs under the Horizon 3 phase of the RAFPMP, which runs from 2023 to 2027.

Anyway, MaxDefense Philippines would like to congratulate the Philippine Army, the Department of National Defense, Elbit Systems, General Dynamics European Land Systems, Excalibur Army / Czechoslovak Group, IVECO Defense Vehicles, and their local agents for pushing these 2 projects forward.

Project Summary:

Light Tank Acquisition Project:

Note: Edited as of 23 October 2020.

* End User: Philippine Army (Armor Division)

* Quantity: 18 tracked and 10 wheeled tanks, 1 armored command vehicle, 1 armored recovery vehicle.

* Modernization Phase: Horizon 2 Phase Priority Projects of RAFPMP

* Project ABC: Php9,484,332,000.00

* Acquisition Mode: Government-to-Government (G2G) Procurement with Israeli government

* Source of Funding: GAA Funds through AFP Modernization Program Trust Fund, to be paid via Multi-Year Obligatory Allocations (MYOA).

* SARO Release: SARO-BMB-D-20-0017126 dated 15 October 2020, released 21 October 2020, worth Php1,422,649,800.00 for 15% initial payment.

* Winning Proponent: Elbit Systems Land

* Product for Delivery: 
    - 18 Sabrah ASCOD 2 tracked tanks
    - 10 Sabrah Pandur II 8x8 wheeled tanks
    - 1 ASCOD 2 Armored Command Vehicle 
    - 1 ASCOD 2 Armored Recovery Vehicle
    - All tanks to be equipped with Elbit turret and 105mm gun, E-LynX SDR, Torch-X BMS
    - Unspecified amount of 105mm tank gun ammunition

* Contract Price: US$172,220,000.00 (approx. Php9,484,332,000.00), excluding exchange rate differentials.

* Residual Price: Php930,831,000.00, to be used to cover for any exchange rate differential.

* First post by MaxDefense: 15 November 2015

* MaxDefense Searching Hashtag: #PALightTankAcquisition

* Status: Notice of Award (NOA) released in favor of Elbit Systems Land & C4I on 3rd quarter 2020. Contract and Notice to Proceed (NTP) pending, expected to be released before end of 2020.

Wheeled Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) Acquisition Project:

Note: Edited as of 23 October 2020.

* End User: Philippine Army (Armor Division)

* Quantity: 28 units

* Modernization Phase: Horizon 2 Priority Projects of RAFPMP

* Project ABC: Php2,265,200,000.00

* Acquisition Mode: Government-to-Government (G2G) Procurement with Israeli Ministry of Defense.

* Source of Funding: General Appropriations Act (GAA) starting FY2020

* SARO Release: SARO-BMB-D-20-0017340 worth Php339,780,000.00 (15% initial payment) dated 19 October 2020, released 21 October 2020.

* Winning Proponent: Elbit Systems Land

* Product for Delivery: 
    - 28 units of IVECO Guarani wheeled 6x6 Armored Personnel Carriers (APC) 
    - Mounted with a manned turret armed with a 12.7mm heavy machine gun and 40mm automatic grenade launcher
    - Options to alternatively equip with remote-controlled weapon station (RCWS) with a 12.7mm heavy machine gun.
    - Equipped with Elbit Torch-X BMS, E-LynX SDR

* Contract Price: Php2,265,200,000.00

* Residual Price: Php0.00

* First post by MaxDefense: 15 November 2015

* MaxDefense Searching Hashtag: #PAWheeledAPCAcquisition

* Status: Notice of Award (NOA) released in favor of Elbit Systems Land on 3rd quarter 2020. Contract and Notice to Proceed (NTP) pending, expected to be released before end of 2020.

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First edit and release: 23 October 2020
Copyright MaxDefense Philippines

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Philippine Army to receive 12 more upgraded M113A2 with Elbit 12.7mm RCWS this June

As part of the Department of National Defense's (DND) deal with Israel's Elbit Systems Land & C4I, the Philippine Army's Mechanized Infantry Division (MID) would be receiving another batch of upgraded M113A2 tracked armored personnel carriers (APC) this June 2019, fitted with the Elbit Systems 12.7mm overhead remote controlled weapon stations (ORCWS).

12 newly rehabilitated and upgraded M113A2 tracked APCs equipped with Elbit's 12.7mm ORCWS. Photo shared exclusively to MaxDefense by a source.

The deal is part of the Philippine Army's M113 Firepower Upgrade Project, which is a Horizon 1 Phase 2nd List Project of the Revised AFP Modernization Program. The projects aims to deliver the upgrade for 44 M113A2 tracked armored personnel carriers that include installation of the Elbit Systems 12.7mm ORCWS and other systems, and conversion of 5 M113A2 to armored mortar carriers and installation of the Soltam Cardom 81mm Recoil Mortar System.

More details can be found on an earlier blog entry posted specifically for this project, which can be accessed through the link below:

"Elbit Systems Wins Contract to Upgrade Philippine Army M113A2 with RCWS and Mortars" - first posted on 14 June 2018

For this batch for delivery this June 2019, twelve (12) units are programmed. These are former US Army M113A2 tracked APCs that underwent rehabilitation works with the Mechanized Infantry Division's maintenance battalion, and were modified to allow the installation of Elbit Systems' 12.7mm ORCWS on the commander's hatch, replacing the manually-operated armored open mount usually found on standard PA M113s.

M113A2s armed with the 12.7mm ORCWS will be undergoing Technical Inspection and Acceptance Tests prior to handover to the Philippine Army. Photo exclusively shared by a MaxDefense source.

Aside from up-arming, these vehicles were also installed with Elbit Systems' Combat NG Battlefield Management System (BMS) allowing them to be integrated into a network with other similarly-equipped units of the Philippine Army.

While the electronic and mechanical systems like the weapon mounts and computers were all imported from Elbit Systems, the rehabilitation and modifications of the M113s, as well as the installation works of the RCWS and computer systems were all made by the Mechanized Infantry Division with technical assistance provided by Elbit Systems. This means the MID now has the know-how and capability to not just install, but also conduct maintenance works of these complicated systems.

Originally, Elbit Systems was supposed to deliver 17 units for the first batch, but the Philippine Army requested for an initial 5 units to be delivered earlier in April 2019 to allow the vehicles to be deployed to Jolo, Sulu before the 2019 Mid Term Elections last May.

The examples above are the first batch of M113A2s that received the new 12.7mm ORCWS and vehicle upgrades. They were set to Sulu last May 2019 to provide security during the 2019 Mid Term Elections. Photo shared to MaxDefense by a community member who wish to remain anonymous.

.

The vehicles underwent the Technical Inspection and Acceptance Tests a few days ago. Once they are rated by the project's Technical Inspection and Acceptance Committee (TIAC) as passed, the vehicles will then be prepared for official hand-over to the Mechanized Infantry Division.

This would mark the delivery of a total of 17 upgraded vehicles with the 12.7mm ORCWS under this M113 Firepower Upgrade Project.

In total, the Philippine Army already has 11 units of M113A2 tracked armored personnel carriers equipped with a 12.7mm RCWS system (if one would include the delivery made by Elbit Systems in a separate project in 2016), and the delivery of 12 more will make the total go up to 23 units.

The difference between the M113A2 tracked APCs that received upgrades to install 12.7mm RCWS:
Left photo shows those delivered by Elbit Systems in 2016 using a ex-Belgian Army M113A2+ and an earlier model variant of Elbit's 12.7mm ORCWS. The right shows a US-made M113A2 equipped with the latest variant of Elbit's 12.7mm ORCWS. Photo provided by a community member based on photos from other sources.

MaxDefense was informed that aside from the 12 units for delivery this June, another batch of upgraded M113s are scheduled for acceptance tests and hand-over this coming July 2019, and it would include some of the converted Armored Mortar Carriers armed with the Soltam Cardom 81mm Recoil Mortar System.

Rehabilitation, upgrade and installation works were all done in MID's facility in Camp O'Donnell in Tarlac, allowing MID to gain experience in the process. Photo shared exclusively to MaxDefense by a source form the PA.

More updates will be coming in probably by July once the next batch of deliveries are ready. Meanwhile, our readers can also access our resource portal for this project which can be found on the link below:

"M113 Firepower Upgrade Project (Horizon 1) of the Philippine Army" - continuous updates ongoing.


Project Summary:


M113 Firepower Upgrade Project

Note: Edited as of 22 June 2019.

* End User: Philippine Army (Mechanized Infantry Division)

* Quantity: to upgrade 49 M113 tracked APCs.

* Modernization Phase: Horizon 1 2nd List Projects of RAFPMP

* Project ABC: Php1,051,650,000.00

* Acquisition Mode: Government-to-Government (G2G) Procurement with the Israel Ministry of Defense-SIBAT

* Source of Funding: GAA Funds through AFP Modernization Program Trust Fund, to be paid via Multi-Year Obligatory Allocations (MYOA).

* SARO Release: SARO-BMB-D-17-0022354 dated 28 November 2017 worth Php1,051,650,000.00 (full amount), released 29 November 2017.

* Winning Proponent: Elbit Systems Land & C4I (Israel)

* Product for Delivery:
    - Modification of 49 M113A2 tracked APCs to accommodate upgrade
    - Upgrade of 44 M113A2 with installation of Elbit Systems 12.7mm ORCWS and other systems
    - Upgrade of 5 M113A2 with conversion to Armored Mortar Carrier with the Soltam Cardom 81mm Recoil Mortar System

* Contract Price: Php1,051,650,000.00

* First post by MaxDefense: 31 October 2016

* MaxDefense Searching Hashtag: #PAM113FirepowerUpgrade

* Status: Delivery ongoing, 1st batch of 5 units delivered April 2019, 2nd batch of 12 units for delivery June 2019.

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First edit and release: 22 June 2019
Copyright MaxDefense Philippines

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Philippine Army receives first batch of upgraded M113A2 RCWS-equipped APC from Elbit Systems

Before everything, MaxDefense would like to thank its community member, Gobi Castle and in part by Buenabe June for raising this to our attention after raising it in our partner page, Philippine Defense Discussions @ Facebook.

On 11 May 2019, GMA News' reporter Raffy Tima posted a report and an accompanying video from his Twitter account on the deployment of additional Philippine Army (PA) assets in Jolo, Sulu to beef up security before the upcoming Mid-Term Elections this coming Monday 13 May 2019.

Cropped from GMA's Raffy Tima's video, showing one of the Philippine Army's M113A2 APC with RCWS disembarking on its own from the Philippine Navy's Bacolod City-class LSV BRP Bacolod City (LS-550).

The video shows one of five M113A2 armored personnel carriers equipped with a 12.7mm machine gun on a remote controlled weapon station (RCWS) as it disembarks from the Philippine Navy Bacolod City-class logistics support vessel BRP Bacolod City (LS-550) . A corresponding photo was also posted by GMA News as profile photo of their report in their Facebook page.

The said photo shows that there are slight differences with the Philippine Army's existing fleet of RCWS-armed M113A2 APCs, and the units that arrived in Jolo.

Upon closer inspection, and upon checking with our sources, it was confirmed that the Philippine Army is indeed in possession of additional M113A2 APCs with RCWS.



Overview:

In 2017, the Department of National Defense (DND) awarded a contract worth Php1.051 billion with Israel's Elbit Systems Land & C4I for the M113 APC Firepower Upgrade Project of the Philippine Army. 

This project involves the upgrade of 44 units of existing M113A2 armored personnel carriers of the Mechanized Infantry Division by equipping them with a new Remote Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS), and converting 5 existing M113A2 APCs to Armored Mortar Carriers. Both upgrades will include installation of battlefield computers connected to a networked system as part of the PA's C4ISTAR system.

Information received by MaxDefense is that Elbit will supply the already proven Dragon Overhead Remote Controlled Weapon Station (ORCWS) mounted with a 12.7mm heavy machine gun, which already proved its worth during the Battle of Marawi in 2017, and in other skirmishes on operations against terrorists groups.

More information can be read from MaxDefense's previous, more comprehensive blog regarding the project which can be found on the link below:

"Elbit Systems Wins Contract to Upgrade Philippine Army M113A2 with RCWS and Mortars" - first posted on 14 June 2018


Elbit Systems will deliver the RCWS to the Philippines, and installation and modifications on the existing M113A2 platforms will be done in the Philippines by a combined team from Elbit Systems and Philippine Army's Mechanized Infantry Division.

This set-up allows the MID's own maintenance personnel to be familiar with the installation and the entire RCWS system, enabling them to properly identify and conduct maintenance works without relying on Elbit's personnel.



Initial Delivery Confirmed:

MaxDefense previously mentioned in our past blog entry that Elbit Systems will deliver a first batch of around 19 vehicles by February 2019.

But this appears to have been moved, and on March 2019, MaxDefense received information that only 17 will be delivered starting April 2019. Originally some of the vehicles were supposed to be demonstrated to Pres. Duterte during the Philippine Army's anniversary in March 2019, but the plan was shelved.

With the photo of the M113A2 with RCWS in Jolo coming out and observations made by community members, we double-checked our sources just now.

It appears that Elbit Systems was able to deliver the first five (5) units of upgraded M113A2 with Dragon 12.7mm ORCWS only on the last week of April 2019, which were formally accepted by the Mechanized Infantry Division.

The M113A2 APCs with RCWS delivered by the Philippine Navy to Jolo, all five units feature the same new Elbit Dragon ORCWS mounts. The raised mount can also be seen at this angle.
Photo shared by a MaxDefense contributor who wish to remain anonymous.

Twelve (12) other units, which were part of the 17 units for first batch delivery, will be handed-over to the Mechanized Infantry Division this coming June 2019.

Elbit Systems will deliver the rest of the 27 units with RCWS in 2 more batches, with all expected to be delivered to the PA MID before the end of 2019.

Observations:

Among those observed in the units that were deployed to Jolo was the positioning of the RCWS. Viewed from the front, the RCWS is position in the center where the cupola is located. The position is different on those delivered by Elbit Systems a few years ago, which are located on the right side of the armored vehicle.

Here is a side-by-side photo showing the (left) ex-Belgian M113A2+ APC armed with the Elbit Dragon ORCWS, and (right) the ex-US Army M113A2 APC armed with the updated Elbit Dragon OCRWS. It is apparent here that the ex-Belgian vehicles have their RCWS off-center to the right, while the ex-US Army vehicles have the RCWS in a more centered position. Side by side photo posted by Buenabe June in Philippine Defense Discussion @ Facebook page, using screengrab from Raffy Tima's Twitter video.

This is due to the position of cupola in the different M113s in service with the Philippine Army. The ones delivered by Elbit Systems a few years ago were former Belgian Land Component (Belgian Army) M113A2 vehicles, wherein the cupolas are located off-center towards the right of the vehicle based on Belgium's requirements, to allow for an extra Commander's cupola just behind the driver's hatch. 

The current M113A2s being upgrade by Elbit Systems are former US Army models, whose cupolas are centered vis-a-vis the vehicle's width, as they do not have the extra Commander's cupola found on Belgian examples.

The position of RCWS in the 2 different M113A2 vehicles are apparent in these photos, with the top photo showing the ex-US Army variant with the RCWS in the center, and the ex-Belgian variant with the RCWS on the right side. The ex-US Army example doesn't have an extra Commander's hatch behind the driver's hatch, while the ex-Belgian model has an extra Commander's hatch found just behind the driver's hatch. Top photo from Raffy Tima's video, while bottom photo taken from the late John Chua's collection.

Another observation was that the RCWS delivered then and now look different.

Upon checking with our sources, it appears that the RCWS delivered by Elbit Systems to the Philippine Army this year are updated models of the Dragon ORCWS, which uses a different body with improvements over the older variant.

The newer Dragon ORCWS variant does not have an ammunition chute, and were raised further from the vehicle by using a longer "neck", raising the gun's elevation several centimeters higher than the older variant.

The new variant are also painted olive drab, while the older RCWS are painted in black.

Based on our sources, the newer RCWS also uses a better, updated camera with better video and photo resolutions than the previous model, which means clearer videos for feeding the gun operator and connection to the information sharing network.

The ex-Belgian M113A2+ armored vehicles supplied by Elbit Systems also have smoke grenade launchers in the front end of the vehicle, whule ex-US Army M113A2 used for the current RCWS upgrade do not have them. It is also clear that Elbit's upgrade did not include the installation of smoke grenade launchers on these vehicles.

Only ex-US Army variants are among the 44 units being upgraded by Elbit Systems in the current project.

Another comparison photo showing: an ex-US Army M113A2 without a smoke grenade launcher and ex-Belgian M113A2+  with a smoke grenade launcher system (top), the ex-Belgian M113A2+ with RCWS and smoke grenade launchers (middle), and the ex-US Army M113A2 upon their presentation after arriving from the US a few years ago (bottom). The one in Jolo does not have a smoke grenade launching system, and are definitely among the ex-US Army units upgraded by Elbit recently. Photo shared and posted by Buenabe June in Philippine Defense Discussions @ Facebook.

Summary:


M113 APC Firepower Upgrade Project of the Philippine Army
End User: Philippine Army (Mechanized Infantry Division)

Quantity:   * Lot 1 - Supply and Installation of 12.7mm RCWS (44 nos.)
                   * Lot 2 - Upgrade to Armored Mortar Carrier (5 nos)


Modernization Phase: RA 10349 Revised AFP Modernization Program HORIZON 1 (2nd List)

Project ABC: Php1,051,650,000.00

Acquisition Mode: Negotiated Procurement (Government-to-Government) between Philippines DND and Israel Ministry of Defense
SARO Release: SARO-BMB-D-17-0022354, released 29 November 2017

Winning Proponent: Elbit Systems Land & C4I (Israel)

Contract Price: Php1,051,650,000.00

First post by MaxDefense: 31 July 2017




Additional Information for Curious Readers:

It was discussed above that former Belgian Land Component M113A2 armored vehicles have the weapon cupola on the right side of the vehicle due to the presence of an extra Commander's hatch behind the driver's hatch.

So why is it that in the ex-Belgian M113A+ vehicles converted by Elbit Systems into Infantry Fighting Vehicles by installing the Elbit UT25 unmanned turret with 25mm gun, the turret is at the center of the vehicle vis-a-vis the width?

It can be answered by the photo below.

Modifications were made on the M113A2+ roof to allow Elbit to install the UT25 unmanned turret at the center of the vehicle rather than on the original cupola's position at the right side. This also allowed them to remove the Commander's hatch behind the driver's hatch. The steel plating can be seen just below the unmanned turret, which replaced the roof section that was cut during the upgrade works.
Photo taken from the late John Chua's collection.

It shows that there appears to be a modification done by Elbit Systems on the M113A2+ armored vehicle, wherein they cut the vehicle's roof section and replaced it with a new plating that allowed for the turret to be installed at the center and removing the extra Commander's hatch in the process.

Upon checking with our sources, the said modification was confirmed too.

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Philippine Army Proceeds with M113 Mortar Carrier Project, Signs Contract with Elbit for 120mm Self Propelled Mortars

As early as late 2017, MaxDefense Philippines has been posting about this upcoming project, and now it has finally finalized and formalized.

Another milestone has been reached by the Philippines' Department of National Defense (DND), as MaxDefense sources confirmed that the DND just recently signed a contract with Israel's Elbit Systems Land and C4I (Elbit) to implement the Philippine Army's M113 Armored Mortar Carrier acquisition project.

This project is part of the Horizon 2 phase of the Revised AFP Modernization Program, which is the phase covering the years 2018 to 2022.

Based on our records, this project appears to be the first Horizon 2 phase project of the Philippine Army (PA) that reached the contract signing stage, since almost all other projects of the PA are only in the negotiation stage at best, while other are not yet even in the pre-procurement phase.

The Philippine Army ordered 15 Soltam Cardom 120mm Recoil Mortar System, installed on refurbished M113A2 tracked armored vehicles from Elbit Systems Land and C4I of Israel.
Credits to the original source of the photo.

The Contract:

The Approved Budget for Contract (ABC) approved for the DND and allocated to the Philippine Army for the project as approved as part of the Horizon 2 phase is Php1,094,570,175.00. As of the contract signing, this is equivalent to around US$21 million.

The project is a Government-to-Government (G2G) deal between the Philippines and Israel, with the DND's ad-hoc committee approving the procurement mode in July 2018, and with Israel supporting Elbit Systems Land & C4I as the preferred contractor. Since it is a G2G deal, it is expected that the overall cost of the project is almost equal, or equal to the ABC, as the deal was negotiated based on that amount, without looking too much on the Philippine pesos' exchange rate.

This deal goes to show the strong commitment between the Philippines and Israel to further strengthen its defense relations, as Israel is already among the biggest market for defense and security related products for the Philippine government in the past 5 years.


This project was already in the pipeline for a few years, and was originally proposed for implementation as part of the Philippine Army's 2018 Priority Projects as part of plans to equip the planned Brigade Combat Teams. Although MaxDefense doesn't have the exact dates, it appears that the Senior Leaders of the AFP approved this project only in early 2018.

It is also surprising that this project was able to finalize into a contract before other Philippine Army projects that were in considered priority even before Horizon 2 started in January 2018.



The Elbit Systems Soltam Cardom Self-Propelled Mortar system:

As part of the contract, Elbit System will supply 15 Armoured Mortar Carriers to the Philippine Army's Mechanised Infantry Division.

The main project is Elbit's Soltam Cardom 120mm vehicle-mounted Recoil Mortar System, which is also known in Israel as the Soltam Keshet.

The Cardom is available in both 81mm and 120mm variant, and is fully computerized, autonomous, and was designed to be mounted on light or medium armoured vehicles like the M113. Take note that the Philippine Army also has an upcoming delivery of 5 Soltam Cardom 81mm RMS for installation of their existing M113A2 tracked armored vehicles.

The 120mm Cardom has a range of 7,000 meters, has a maximum rate of fire of 16 rounds per minute, and can be used in "shoot and scoot" manner to have the element of surprise and avoid enemy counter fire. It can be operated by only 2 crewmen, although it is said to be easier with a 4-man crew.

It can use a variety of ammunition of 120mm NATO standard, and is in operation with the Israel Defense Force, US Army, and several other countries.

The Soltam Cardom 120mm recoil mortar system, as displayed during the ADAS 2018 defense exhibition in Manila last September 2018.
Photo credited to a MaxDefense commuunity member who wish to remain anonymous.

Compared to the US Army's M113-based M1064 mortar carrier and the Styker-based model called the M1129, the upcoming Philippine models with be using the computer-controlled Cardom instead of the manually-operated M120/RMS6L 120mm mortar (which is also based on Soltam's K6 120mm infantry mortar). This allows for faster operations and less stress on the mortar crew due to automation.




Another part of the deal is the platform where the Cardom mortars will be installed. Elbit Systems will also deliver 15 refurbished and upgraded M113A2 tracked armored vehicles. 

No mention was made on where the vehicles would be sourced, but MaxDefense believes that it would be from Israel. Elbit owns the Belgian armored vehicle maintenance company and reseller Sabiex, and already supplied refurbished and upgraded low-mileage M113A2 armored vehicles to Elbit Systems for export to the Philippines. But it appears that Belgium's strict arms export control to the Philippines is still in effect due to their concerns on Pres. Rodrigo Duterte's administration being involved in state-sponsored extra judicial killings and human rights violations. Thus it is unlikely that they will again be the source of M113s supplied by Elbit.

Being armored mortar carriers, the M113s to receive the Cardom mortars will have a wide roof opening to allow the safe and effective use of the mortar system.

The Philippine Army is expected to not have any trouble accepting the M113s as it is already a long time user of the type.

An upgraded M113 tracked armored personnel carrier from Sabiex of Belgium. Apparently this specific vehicle was among those delivered by Elbit Systems to the Philippine Army in an earlier contract. Elbit Systems is once again supplying 15 refurbished M113A2 tracked armored vehicles as the platform for the Soltam Cardom 120mm RMS.
Photo taken from Sabiex's website.

Another part of the deal is the inclusion of the Elbit Systems Combat NG Battlefield Management System, which is already in use with the Philippine Army.

The Combat NG is a command, control, communications and intelligence (C3I) system designed to improve artillery and air defense unit's ability to engage targets by improving its target engagement speed and accuracy, provide up to date and real time situational awareness, and provide coordination capability with other forces.
 

Elbit's Combat NG system utilized together with the a self-propelled mortar system. Elbit's contract with the Philippines is to combine the Combat NG with the Soltam Cardom 120mm RMS units to enhance their C3I capability.
Photo taken from Elbit's website.

And lastly, and this was unexpected, is that Elbit Systems will also provide conversion 120mm barrels for the 5 earlier Soltam Cardom 81mm autonomous recoil mortar systems the Philippine Army ordered in January 2018. As mentioned earlier, the 5 units of Soltam Cardom 81mm mortars are part of the Philippine Army's M113 Firepower Upgrade project that also includes the supply of 44 remote controlled weapon systems (RCWS) for the Philippine Army's fleet of M113A2 armored vehicles and are scheduled to be delivered this year (MaxDefense will discuss this again in a separate blog entry).

This would allow the Philippine Army to standardize its entire self-propelled artillery fleet to the 120mm NATO standard, and increasing the firepower of the upcoming mortars due to the 120mm mortar's longer range and heavier warhead.


It is still a question though if the Philippine Army will make use of Elbit's LG2MK 120mm smart mortar round, which was featured by Elbit Systems in last year's ADAS 2018 defense expo in Manila. This allows the Cardom mortar system to fire precision munitions and obtain a first shot hit, which improves accuracy and sure kill hit, reduces collateral damage, munition wastage, and u necessary firepower when required. The munition also works well with the Combat NG system as well as other artillery spotting systems of the Philippine Army.

The LG2MK smart 120mm mortar munition from Elbit Systems. While acquisition of the said mortar round type is not included in the Philippine Army's acquisition of Soltam Cardom 120mm mortars, it remains to be seen if the PA will acquire them separately for its requirements in the future. It is highly probable that the PA would obtain a few for testing and evaluation purposes.
Photo taken by a MaxDefense community member who wish to remain anonymous.

Expected Deployment:

These new M113-based 120mm Self Propelled Mortars (SPM) are expected to be operated by the Philippine Army's Mechanized Infanry Division, which can actually form up to 5 platoons or sections of 4 SPM firing units each. At least most of the MID's Mechanized Infantry Divisions would have an SPM platoon once deliveries are completed.

MaxDefense believes that priority would be made to provide at least 1 platoon to be attached with the new 6th Mechanized Infantry "Salaknib"  Battalion, which is the attached Mechanized unit to the newly formed 1st Brigade Combat Team.

The introduction of the Soltam Cardom mortar system allows Mechanized units to have its own quick-moving short range artillery support anytime without relying on heavy artillery howitzers. This is in addition to the 81mm and 60mm infantry mortars assigned to mechanized infantry units. 

In other foreign armies, 120mm mortar with smart and standard munitions actually replaced the 105mm towed howitzer, like in the case of the Singapore Army. 

The Cardom 120mm (aka Keshet) in action with the Israel Defense Forces.
Photo taken from Britmodeller.com.

What's Next:

With the contract already signed, it is now a matter of time before the Opening of the Letter of Credit (LOC) takes place, which is the actual go-signal for Elbit Systems to proceed with the contracted job as it confirms financial backing and guarantees by legitimate financial institutions.

And while no date was provided to MaxDefense, based on our monitoring of AFP projects and contracts made, MaxDefense's opinion is that deliveries may be completed by 3rd quarter of 2020, or even earlier.

And like the M113 Firepower Upgrade, MaxDefense believes that the Mechanized Infantry Division may have a share of work on installing the mortar systems to the M113 platform, which allows them to understand how the process works and improve their skills especially in doing maintenance work.


Expect more of this project in the near future, as MaxDefense would definitely get updates from our sources as this progresses forward.

Congratulations to the Philippine Army's Technical Working Group on the M113 Armored Mortar Carrier acquisition project, the PA's MID and PA leadership for successfully reaching this milestone.

Project Summary:

M113 Armored Mortar Carrier Upgrade Project

Note: Edited as of 16 June 2019:

* End User: Philippine Army (Mechanized Infantry Division)

* Quantity: 15 units

* Modernization Phase: Horizon 2 phase Priority Projects of RAFPMP

* Project ABC: Php1,094,570,175.00

* Acquisition Mode: Government-to-Government (G2G) deal with Israeli Government

* Source of Funding: GAA Funds through AFP Modernization Program Trust Fund, to be paid via Multi-Year Obligation Authority (MYOA)

* SARO Release: 
    - SARO-BMB-D-19-003824 dated 22 May 2019 worth Php5,399,625,000.00 (Full amount), released 23 May 2019

* Winning Proponent: Elbit Systems Ltd. (Israel)

* Product for Delivery: 
    - 15 units refurbished ex-Israel Defense Forces M113A2 tracked armored personnel carriers, upgraded to receive recoil mortar systems;
    - 15 units Soltam Cardom 120mm Recoil Mortar Systems;
    - 15 units Elbit Systems Combat NG Battlefield Management Systems
    - 5 units 120mm conversion barrels for Soltam Cardom 81mm RMS delivered in an earlier contract.
    
* Contract Price: Php1,094,570,175.00

* First post by MaxDefense: 31 October 2016

* Searching Hashtag: #PAM113AMCUpgrade

* Status: Contract signed, NTP released. Awaiting delivery.

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