Philippine Marines to acquire RPGs from Bulgaria, 81mm Mortars from Spain

Just before the year 2019 ended, the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) through the Philippine Navy (PN) has reached major milestones on two of its Horizon 2 phase modernization projects.

Both projects were intended to increase the firepower of marine units, while also replacing older assets with new, better models.

These projects are the Squad Rocket Launcher Light (SRLL) Acquisition Project, and the Mortar 81mm Acquisition Project.

Expal's M-98 81mm mortar system. Credits to original source of photo.

Bulgarian Rocket Propelled Grenades:

Before proceeding, readers are advised to read the resource page discussing the Squad Rocket Launcher Light Acquisition Project, which can be found on the link below courtesy of MaxDefense Philippines' extension, Philippine Defense Resource. This is for readers to understand the background and updates on the project prior to what is reported in this blog entry.

"Squad Rocket Launcher Light Acquisition Project of the Philippine Navy (Marines)"

The PMC is acquiring 40mm RPGs under the Squad Rocket Launcher Light acquisition project. Photo credits to original source.

The Squad Rocket Launcher Light acquisition intends for the Philippine Marines to acquire new Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) Launchers that will equip each active Marine rifle squad to increase their firepower to defeat light armor, structures, and even enemy troops.

While it was thought that the RPGs were supposed to replace the old and heavy M67 90mm recoilless rifle still in use as the corps' standard company heavy weapons, the intention of the RPG acquisition was to boost squad firepower beyond the standard rifle-mounted grenade launchers without relying too much on company heavy weapon units.

The M67 recoilless rifles will be replaced by a different weapon system under the Multi-Purpose Bunker Defeat Weapon Acquisition Project which MaxDefense already discussed in a separate blog posted last November 2019.

After being declared as the Sole Calculated and Responsive Bidder, Bulgaria's Arsenal JSCo. was declared as the winner of the Squad Rocket Launcher Light acquisition project and was given a Notice of Award (NOA) of the project on 22 December 2019.

Arsenal JSCo. is the same company the supplied and delivered the Philippine Army's RPGs, the Anti-Tank Grenade Launcher - Light (ATGL-L) under its Rocket Launcher Light (Phase 1) Acquisition Project. These are the same RPGs used by the Philippine Army during the Marawi Crisis in 2017, and are considered proven weapons.

It is expected that being Arsenal JSCo's only 40mm RPG product, the ATGL-L family would be again used by Arsenal for supply and delivery to the Philippine Marine Corps.

Spanish 81mm Mortar:
Another project that reached an important milestone before 2019 ended was the Mortar Acquisition Project Lot 2 - 81mm Mortar of the Philippine Navy (Marines). Before proceeding, readers are advised to read the resource page discussing the project, which can be found on the link below courtesy of  Philippine Defense Resource. This is for readers to understand the background and updates on the project prior to what is reported in this blog entry.

"Mortar Acquisition Project Lot 2 - 81mm Mortar of the Philippine Navy (Marines)"

The Mortar Acquisition Project of the Philippine Navy (Marines) intends to provide additional firepower to the Philippine Marine Corps by deploying additional mortar systems to each of the Marine Battalion Landing Teams. This includes 60mm (Lot 1), 81mm (Lot 2) and 120mm (Lot 3). So far only Lot 2 has been tendered out of the three lots.

While the PMC already operates older 81mm mortars, it appears that the plan was to increase the number of 81mm mortars to improve firepower delivery, while also replacing some older 81mm mortars that are deemed non-serviceable. It still remains to be seen if these older mortars could be repaired and brought back to service.

Originally three companies were interested in supplying the 81mm Mortar, which includes Israel's Elbit Systems, Spain's Expal Systems S.A, represented by Firepower Defense Extractors, and Austria's Hirtenberger Defense Systems represented by Hafid N' Erasmus Corp.

Based on our sources, Elbit offered the B499 81mm mortar, Expal Systems offered the M-98 81mm mortar, and Hirtenberger Defense Systems offered the Werfer M8 81mm mortar. All suppliers are required to also supply a compatible Ballistic Computer system, and Forward Observer systems.

After being declared as the Sole Calculated and Responsive Bidder, Spain's Expal Systems S.A. was declared as the winner of the Mortar Acquisition Project Lot 2 - 81mm Mortars, and was given a Notice of Award (NOA) of the project on 16 December 2019.

Reports of Anomaly on the 81mm Mortar Project:

It appears that there was an issue surrounding the project, since MaxDefense got news from sources that this is one of the project's requirements was said to have been fixed in favor of a certain product.

Apparently the issue stemmed out on the ballistic computer requirements, wherein the technical specifications was very specific and favoring Expal Systems' Ballistic Computer, while making sure that other bidders like Hirtenberger and Elbit Systems would be disqualified.

Despite highlighting this issue, the Department of National Defense Bids and Awards Committee (DND-BAC) proceeded with the tender as it is, forcing Hirtenberger Defense Systems and Elbit Systems to withdraw from joining.

The DND-BAC Chairman is the same person MaxDefense highlighted in a post in our Facebook page for disregarding the DND Senior Leadership's directive on the mode of acquisition of the Light Tank Acquisition Project as Government-to-Government (G2G) deal and instead pushing to have the project acquired through Public Bidding.

Awaiting for Contract and Notice to Proceed:

Take note that in both cases, the project Notice of Award were only provided, and not yet Signing of Contract. MaxDefense expects that Contract Signing and maybe even the Opening of Letter of Credit for both projects may occur within January 2020. And with both projects given only 360 calendar days for Opening of Letter of Credit to complete delivery of goods and services, MaxDefense expects that both the RPGs from Bulgaria and 81mm Mortars from Spain will be in the hands of the Philippine Marine Corps on or before February 2021.

Keep tabs on MaxDefense posts, or updates in our resource pages @ Philippine Defense Resource as we'll provide updates once the Contracts for both projects are signed.

Project Summary:

Squad Rocket Launcher Light Acquisition Project

Note: Edited as of 07 January 2020.

* End User: Philippine Navy (Philippine Marine Corps)

* Quantity: 702 units 40mm Rocket Launcher + associated accessories and ammunition

* Modernization Phase: Horizon 2 Phase of RAFPMP

* Project ABC: Php514,800,000.00

* Acquisition Mode: Public Bidding

* Source of Funding: GAA Funded

* SARO Release: TBA

* Winning Proponent: TBA

* Product for Delivery:
  - 702 nos. Arsenal ATGL 40mm Rocket Propelled Grenade Launchers
  - 702 sets of Bipod Assembly, Iron Sights, and Optical Sights
  - 14,040 rounds of 40mm HE Fragmentation Anti-Personnel Grenade
  - 8,424 rounds of 40mm HE Anti-Tank Grenade
  - 351 rounds of 40mm Thermobaric Grenade
  - 40 nos. of Cal. 7.62x39mm Training Launcher
  - 21,061 rounds of 7.62x39mm Tracer Practice Ammo
  - Assorted accessories, tools, and others.
  - Integrated Logistics Support package

* Contract Price: TBA

* First post by MaxDefense: June 2019 (see MD's AFP Modernization Program List)

* MaxDefense Searching Hashtag: #PNSRLLAcquisition #PMCSRLLAcquisition

* Status: Notice of Award released in favor of Bulgaria's Arsenal JSCo. Contract Signing and Notice to Proceed expected by made and released by February 2020.


Mortar Acquisition Project Lot 2 - 81mm Mortar

Note: Edited as of 03 August 2019.

* End User: Philippine Navy (Philippine Marine Corps)

* Quantity: 30 nos. 81mm Mortar + associated accessories

* Modernization Phase: Horizon 2 Phase of RAFPMP

* Project ABC: Php185,891,600.00

* Acquisition Mode: Public Bidding

* Source of Funding: GAA Funded

* SARO Release: TBA

* Winning Proponent: TBA

* Product for Delivery:  
  - 30 nos. Expal M-98 81mm Mortar
  - 40 sets Ballistic Computer
  - 8 sets Forward Observer System

* Contract Price: Php175,705,638.49

* First post by MaxDefense: June 2019 (see MD's AFP Modernization Program List)

* MaxDefense Searching Hashtag: #PN81MortarAcquisition #PMC81MortarAcquisition


* Status: Notice of Award in favor of Expal Systems S.A.as of 16 December 2019. Contract Signing and Notice to Proceed expected to be made and released by February 2020.

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First post and edit: 08 January 2020
Copyright MaxDefense Philippines

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Philippine Marines Tendering for 16 New Fibreglass Speedboats

The Philippine Navy (PN), through the Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC), released an Invitation to Bid (ITB) for 16 units of brand new Glass-Reinforced Plastic (Fibreglass) Speedboats for the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC), with an ABC of Php340,632,603.36. A Pre-Bid Conference is scheduled on 25 October 2018, while the the Submission and Opening of Bids is scheduled on 23 November 2018.

The awarded proponent should deliver the first batch of 8 units within 90 days from Notice to Procure (NTP), and the next batch of 8 units within 90 days from due date of the first batch. This means this procurement is a quick one.

The PMC requirement also appears to be larger than the US Marine Corps' Special Operations Craft-Riverine (SOC-R), which is 10 meters long, has more weapon mounts, but can carry the same number of crew and troops, but is slower. Photo taken from Wikipedia.

The French-made Seawolf ERF-1 Styx actually has similar attributes to the Philippine Marine Corps requirement, although the PMC requires a longer, probably larger and faster boat than this. Photo taken from H I Sutton "Covert Shores" website.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS SUMMARY:
Based on the technical specifications, the speedboats should have the following features:

* Length: 11 to 12 meters
* Breadth: at least 3 meters
* Draft: between 0.70 to 1.10 meters
* Cruising Speed: at least 35 knots
* Maximum Speed: at least 45 knots
* Acceleration from 0 to cruising speed: not more than 30 seconds
* Capacity: 4 crew members, and space for 2 Marine Fire Teams of 4 troops each;
* Payload: not less than 6,800 lbs
* Survivability: Full function at Sea State 2, Survive at Sea State 3;
* Weapon Mounts: 1 forward, 2 aft, with universal adaptor to allow mounting of either .50 caliber heavy machine gun, M60 7.62mm general purpose machine gun, of 40mm automatic grenade launcher;
* Radar: 36 nautical miles range
* Communications: Marine VHF, should be compatible with existing MILCOMM Harris Falcon III Vehicle/Base VHF Radio System (RF-7800V-V51X)
* Boat Trailer: included, 16,000 lbs GVWR minimum rating.

The Philippine Marines is expected to provide the weapons itself, as the proponents are only required to supply the platform itself without any weapons.

The sample diagram provided by the Philippine Navy in the Bid Documents. 

Based on the specs, the PMC's requirement is actually similar to the boats used by the US Marine Corps including the Special Operations Craft - Riverine (SOC-R) and the Small Unit Riverine Craft (SURC), although the design of the PMC's requirement appears to be similar on how the SURC is utilised by the US Marines. Currently the PMC itself has 6 units of the SURC provided by the US government in 2013, and were made by SAFE Boats USA.

MARSOG normally use the boats for riverine and coastal patrol, assault, interdiction, and insertion/extraction. The boats also provide fire support when needed utilizing the heavy machine gun and Grenade launchers for assault troops.

The PMC currently has 6 SURC boats provided by the US government a few years ago. The new boats are expected to be utilized in the same manner as the SURC by the PMC's MARSOG. Photo taken from US Naval Insitute (USNI) website.

And based on the ABC, it also appears that each boat will be worth less than Php21.289 million, which is cheaper than the American-made boats. Instead of relying on US grants, it would be more practical for the PMC to acquire their own locally-made, locally-designed boats. This is not just to allow the PMC access to other equipment that can be provided by US grants or assistance, but also allow the PN or PMC to own a design of their own that they can acquire and build anytime, while also helping the local boat-building industry.

The need for more boats for the Philippine Marines Assault Boat Battalion, which MaxDefense expects to be the actual end user, has to do with the increased operational requirements especially in the southern corridors of the country. In fact, the first batch of 8 boats were specified to be delivered in the PMC's base in Zamboanga City, where the newly opened Rio Hondo Fleet-Marine Station was actually designed to house MARSOG boats.

The screengrab from the Invitation to Bid for the project from PITC. Photo screengrab taken from Bid Documents of the project.

As always, MaxDefense expects the usual proponents to be interested, including Propmech Corporation, and Pacficfortia Marine Technologies, among others, to provide their bids for the project. It should be remembered that Propmech just recently won a contract to build 10 Fast Boats which are also made of fibreglass and is almost at the same price range as this new requirement.
MaxDefense will provide updates on this new project, and despite being a minor project that is probably not even considered part of the Horizon 2 phase of the RAFPMP, it would be considered an important project to monitor from awarding to delivery.

Summary:

1. Glass Reinforced Plastic Watercraft acquisition project

End User: Philippine Marine Corps (Assault Boat Battalion)
Modernization Phase: Special Project
ABC: Php340,632,603.36
SARO Release: to be updated
Winning Proponent: None yet, still in procurement phase
Contract Price: N/A

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Year Ender for 2014: A Summary of Updates of Philippine Navy Acquisition Projects

MaxDefense would like to end the year 2014 with a Summary of Updates of Acquisition Projects of the Philippine Navy, which also includes major items for the Philippine Marine Corps. Most of these were previously discussed in older MaxDefense blog entries or in recent postings in the MaxDefense Facebook page. This blog entry may also serve as a guide for future monitoring of the said projects, as this would be easily accessed unlike those in the FB pages.


1. Delivery of 2 Armed AW-109 Naval Helicopters
The last two of a total of five ordered AW-109 Power naval helicopters from AgustaWestland was reportedly delivered to the Philippine Navy on December 29, 2014, and are expected to be commissioned to active duty on January 16, 2015. These two units are expected to complement the two Gregorio del Pilar-class frigates while the three unarmed versions are expected to be land based until more helicopter-capable navy ships become available.

A photo of one of the new AW-109 Power naval helicopters being tested in Italy in October 2014.
Photo copyright owned by Fabrizio Capenti - Malpensa Spotters Group, taken from Airliners.net.

These helicopters differ from the earlier three units for being armed variants, with external loading capability that could enable the helicopter to carry different weapons systems ranging from gun pods, rocket launchers, and although still officially unconfirmed, can also be fitted to carry a torpedo. There were also previous indications that the helicopters are fitted with Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) systems which the earlier three helicopters do not have.

With the PN beginning to fully understand the capabilities of the helicopters, it is expected that further orders might be fulfilled to fully replace the ageing BO-105.


2. Updates on the Strategic Sealift Vessels (aka Landing Platform Dock)
The contract to build two Strategic Sealift Vessels (SSV), which is the project name to acquire Landing Platform Docks for the Philippine Navy, has been awarded to PT PAL of Indonesia and signed mid this year. And according to PT PAL and Philippine Navy press statements, the lead ship will be started within the 1st quarter of 2015 and will be delivered to the Philippine Navy on the 2nd quarter of 2016, while the second ship will be delivered by 2nd quarter of 2017. 

The scale model above is not yet the final design, and MaxDefense confirmed through its PN sources that there are changes in the helicopter deck and hangar design.

According to MaxDefense's PN sources, the final design of the ship has already been confirmed although minor details are still being finalized. It would be a derivative of PT PAL's own Banjarmasin-class LPD for the Indonesian Navy, and will have a mount for a 76mm forward main gun, remote weapons systems in the 20 to 30mm class similar to the Mk.38 Mod.2 being procured for other PN ships, mounts for Man-Portable Air Defense System (MANPADS) in the Mistral-Simbad class, and for 50-caliber heavy machine guns. The weapons will be separately procured by the Philippine Navy and it is still being determined if these weapons can be installed fully or partially by the time the ships are delivered.

MaxDefense is expecting more news of this project within the early part of 2015.



3. Updates on the New Frigate Acquisition Project:
The Philippine Navy recently confirmed that the new frigate acquisition project is still on the move, with all six interested bidders that passed the 1st stage bidding process still up in the running. The pre-bid conference for the 2nd stage bidding is scheduled on January 8, 2015, and bidding will be held probably before the end of February 2015. The PN expects the awarding and contract signing for the frigate contract within the 1st half of 2015 as they are trying to avoid further delaying the project.

Hyundai Heavy Industries offered the HDF-300 multipurpose frigate design, which is where the ROKN's Incheon-class frigate was based.

During the ADAS 2014, HHI confirmed that they are indeed offering a design based on their HDF-3000 multipurpose frigate which the South Korean Incheon-class was derived, while Navantia is offering a design based on their Avante series. Indian and French press releases regarding their participation (Garden Reach and STX France, respectively) in the project indicated their offers will have a displacement of more than 3,000 tons displacement and a length of more than 105 meters. STX France also previously indicated that they are offering a design based on their New Generation Surveillance Frigate.

As the pre-bid conference is scheduled within a few days, MaxDefense is also expecting more news regarding this project very soon.



4. Updates on the Anti-Submarine Helicopter Acquisition Project:
With AgustaWestland named as the only bidder that complied with the requirements of the Anti-Submarine Helicopter Acquisition project's 1st stage bidding, it is expected that the project will be moving on faster as the DND and PN would only need to deal with 1 bidder. Although they have passed through the 1st stage bidding, AgustaWestland still needs to comply to the requirements set for the project.

The chances for an awarding of the contract for 2 Anti-Submarine Helicopters to AgustaWestland is now high as they are the only complying bidder. AgustaWestland is offering its new AW159 Wildcat ASW helicopter.

The PN expects the award and signing of contract for this project to be completed within the 1st half of 2015, and will be paired closely to the PN's frigate acquisition project due to capabilities that require the helicopters and frigates to work closely with each other. 



5. Updates on the Missile-Equipped Multi-Purpose Assault Craft (MPAC):
Re-bidding for this project will be initiated this coming 2015, and there are reportedly some changes in the terms of reference of the project. It is expected that the same bidders as last time will be submitting their interest for this project.

One of the PN's MPACs, delivered as part of the 2nd batch of 3 units acquired a few years ago.
The PN's current requirement is for such to have short-range anti-surface missiles and a remote weapons station.
Photo taken from Interaksyon.com.

It is expected that these MPACs will be physically larger than the two current sub-classes being used by the Philippine Navy, although it would be retaining most of its performance attributes. 



6. Commissioning of 3 Naval Tankers provided by PNOC:
Originally intended to be commissioned this year, the Philippine Navy has rescheduled the entry of 3 tankers, all still unnamed, after some reworks on the ships that will enable them to do replenishment at sea missions in support of the fleet. These are former oil tankers of the Philippine National Oil Company that were given to the Philippine Navy this year.

No exact schedule yet on when these ships will enter naval service.



7. Hand-over of a Pohang-class Corvette and LCU from South Korea:
According to previous reports from Korean media, the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) will decommission several ships in their fleet before the end of the year, including the Ulsan-class frigate ROKS Ulsan, a couple of Pohang-class corvettes, and several patrol killer gunboats. Among those is ROKS Gyeongju (PCC-758), which is speculated to be the ship to be handed-over to the Philippine Navy. 

The ROKS Gyeongju (PCC-758), which was reportedly the unit to be provided to the Philippine Navy.

It is expected that the deal for transfer of the ship to the PN will be similar to what the Colombians had when they got some ships from the Korean government this year. Refurbishing will be done in Korea, and will be paid for by the Philippine government, before the ship can be sent to the Philippines for commissioning. There are already preparations being made by the PN for people to be sent to Korea, although information regarding this has been tight lately.

Aside from the Pohang-class corvette, there are also reports that a retired LCU of the Mulgae-class, will also be included, which was discussed previously in a MaxDefense blog entry. No new information though regarding development on this acquisition.

An example of a Mulgae-class LCU from South Korea.

8. Possible Offers of More Korean Excess Defense Articles for the Philippine Navy:
In relation to the availability of excess Pohang and Ulsan class warships, there are strong speculations that the Korean government has been pushing hard for the Philippine Navy and Department of National Defense to choose a Korean shipbuilder to win the new frigate acquisition project, and other Korean defense manufacturers like Samsung Techwin, Samsung Thales, Hyundai Rotem, Doosan, and LIG Nex1 in other defense acquisition projects. 

ROKS Chongju (FF-961), an example of an Ulsan-class frigate from South Korea.

The offer was said to include conditional offers to transfer more Pohang-class corvettes, and probably a couple of Ulsan-class frigates. Although this is not limited to the Koreans, with other bidders reportedly having similar conditional offers as well. According to MaxDefense's PN sources, the Navy is indeed very much interested in acquiring several of the both classes as it also pushes to retire more of its ex-World War 2 assets.



9. Acquisition of 8 Amphibious Assault Vehicles:
The tender for the acquisition of 8 units of AAVs resulted to only Samsung Techwin submitting a bid, with an offer for their AAV7 armored vehicle. These vehicles will be embedded with the SSV that the PN acquired (please see #2 above).

Samsung Techwin's AAV7 is a licensed copy of the original AAV7 / LVTP-7 built by BAE Systems.

Post qualifications have reportedly been completed although there were no confirmation if Samsung Techwin was able to comply with the requirements. It is expected that an award for this project will be made early next year, as the 2-stage bidding process was also cut short with the entry of only 1 bidder. It is expected that the PMC will acquire more AAVs as the PN acquires more SSV and other amphibious naval ships to support Marine operations.



10. Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon (SMAW) for the Marine Corps:
The Philippine Navy confirmed recently that they have started evaluating the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) requirement for Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon (SMAW) to replace the ageing and heavy recoilless rifles still used by the service. 

An old catalog of the SMAW, as marketed by the now defunct McDonnel Douglas Astronautics Company.

As discussed before in MaxDefense, this project has been in the pipeline for more than 2 years now, and it is curious to know why the PN only started the evaluation of this project recently. It is unclear yet if the PMC is interested in the original SMAW weapon used by the US Marines, or is still looking for a different model from other sources. It is interesting to note that the Philippine Army went separate ways on the decision to replace old recoilless rifles, with the Army choosing the RPG-7USA made by American arms company Airtronic.



10. 155mm Towed Howitzers for the Philippine Marine Corps:
Previously reported as a joint Philippine Army-Philippine Marine Corps project, and was reported won by Israeli company Elbit Systems Land and C4I, recent press releases by the Philippine Navy indicated that the project will again undergo a rebidding for still unknown reasons. 

The Elbit Systems Athos 155mm towed howitzer, which was initially selected as a winner for a joint PA-PMC 155mm towed howitzer acquisition project. The PN confirmed recently that a rebidding will take place soon.

If another bidding is to proceed, it is expected that this will happen within the 1st quarter of 2015, although it is still unclear if this will still be a joint acquisition with the Philippine Army. It appears also that the PMC is interested in acquiring support systems for the artillery system, including targeting radar and fire control computer systems.




Aside from those listed above, there are still many other projects under the Philippine Navy that are not discussed anymore, but will be given coverage in future MaxDefense blog entries as more information becomes available for public consumption.



Although 2014 has not been a very good year for the AFP Modernization due to several delays encountered due to questions on the source of funding, especially with the legislative moves questioning the legality of Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) and usage of the Malampaya Trust Fund, the AFP and DND were able to use the time to allow most of the projects to move quickly as issues are being cleared by early 2015. 

MaxDefense wishes the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Department of National Defense, and all MaxDefense blogs and Facebook page readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Prosperous New Year!! Wishing a faster-paced modernization program and additional support and budget from the national government to broader up the program further!

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Israeli Firm Confirmed Winner for Force Protection Equipment for the Philippine Army and Marine Corps

After post qualification was done by the Philippines' Department of National Defense, it was determined that a joint venture between Israeli protective equipment manufacturer Achidatex Nazareth Elite and Filipino shipbuilder Colorado Shipyard Corp. won the tender for the Force Protection Equipment Acquisition Project for the Philippine Army and Philippine Marine Corps. A Notice of Award was provided to the joint venture last July 28, 2014, with Colorado Shipyard being the local proponent on behalf of the Israeli manufacturer.

Aside from Achidatex Nazareth Elite, other participants of the bidding were Serbian company UM-Merkata DOO, MKU Private Limited of India, and Korean conglomerate Kolon Global Corp.

Only a few Philippine Army and Philippine Marine Corps units wear complete personal protective gear of at least a Kevlar helmet and bullet proof vest even in frontline duties. The Force Protection Equipment will try to change that with regards to bullet proof vests.

The Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) for this project is Php 1,763,200,00.00, and the amount submitted by the joint venture was at around Php 1.4 billion. 44,080 body armors were required by the DND, and the Invitation to Bid was issued on February 2013. Delivery was stated by the DND to be 365 days from the opening of Letter of Credit. So far, a formal contract signing between the DND and the joint venture has not yet been made, but it is expected that the initial batch of protection vests will be delivered to the AFP by around 3rd quarter of 2015.

Each Force Protection Equipment (as named by the DND and AFP) is said to weigh between 5.8-6.8 kilograms each, with consideration to the standard body structure of a typical Filipino soldier. 

Achidatex has several bullet proof vest designs in its product line, including the AC-331D design seen above.

This is actually the second attempt by the DND to bid out the requirement. The first attempt was done last 2012 and the lowest bid was made by UM-Merkata DOO, although they failed the post qualification inspections and according to MaxDefense sources, the PA and PMC also slightly revised the specifications that were used in the latest bidding.

For this specific tender, Korean company Kolon Global Corporation was originally declared the lowest bidder, whose submitted bid amount was at only around Php 894,000,000.00. But they failed the post-bid qualifications after the DND found that the vests offered by Kolon was non-compliant, specifically the ballistic protection plate was shorter than required by the Technical Specifications. Kolon believes their product was compliant as their plate was curved and the DND inspection team measured using a straight line method from end to end of the plate, and no following the length of the arc, thus the measurement was by somewhere between 1 to 2 centimeters. There were concerns from Kolon Global that the DND BAC was favoring certain companies for the project.

Philippine Army troopers during the Zamboanga City siege of 2013. No helmets, no bullet proof vest. This increases the number of injuries and casualties during firefights.

Achidatex Nazareth Elite is a company under the DFNS Group, which specializes in protective equipment and services. Achidatex specializes in personal, vehicle, and building protection systems, and produces their own armoring systems although the entire DFNS Group may provide all the necessary ancillary items included in the product.

It is not yet confirmed though on what is the actual participation of the  local shipbuilder Colorado Shipyard Corp. with regards to this project. Aside from their affiliate company Philippine Rigid Construction Corp., MaxDefense has not yet confirmed if they have started expanding their business into other businesses aside from shipyard and construction. 

Although this project is already late and should have been given one of the top priorities of the AFP Modernization Program, its award to Achidatex represents and important step towards modernizing the basic infantry of the PA and PMC together with the acquisition of new combat boots (which is still pending after the failure of the new locally made Kubar combat boots), more Kevlar helmets, tactical vests and communications equipment, new assault rifles, and heavier infantry weapons. 




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U P D A T E S :
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September 3, 2015:

It was reported on July 2015 that the Philippine Army has yet to receive the first batch of 20,000 force protection equipment from the joint venture of Achidatex Nazareth Elite of Israel, and Colorado Shipyard of the Philippines. The original deadline should have been on the first week of March 2015, but the DND approved a requested 120 days extension which expired on 29th June 2015.

After more than 2 months, the DND has still not made any decision on the matter, since the joint venture still failed to deliver. Normally, the DND should have already taken action by now by announcing the issue to the press, and start preparation for contract termination. But until now MaxDefense has not receive any information of a move to terminate the contract.

So why is it taking too long to terminate the contract and award it to the next lowest calculated bidder, when other projects were very fast in doing such move?

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July 12, 2016:

MaxDefense received an update regarding the Acquisition of Force Protection Equipment which was previously awarded to the Achidatex Nazareth Elite - Colorado Shipyard Joint Venture. This project is part of the AFP Modernization Program funded under RA 7898.

Sources confirmed that Achidatex Nazareth Elite and Colorado Shipyard cannot deliver the body armour vests due to lack of funding to manufacture 44,000+ vests, resulting to a fall-out between the two companies. 

While it was previously mentioned as a cancelled project due to the failure of the joint venture to deliver the products within the specified timeframe, it appears that the project is currently under arbitration and wil take some time before a decision can be made.

Meanwhile, the DND has awarded a contract to supply another project covering 3,480 body armour vests, previously awarded to Um Merkata DOO but was declared a bid failure by the DND after declaring that the vests from Um Merkata DOO did not meet the specified requirements of the Philippine Army.

For this project, MKU Pvt. Ltd. of India was declared the new winner, and will supply the 3,480 body armour vests to the Philippine Army.

MKU was actually also among the bidders for the project that Achidatex Nazareth Elite-Colorado Shipyard JV wn, but was not actually the next lowest bidder. They appear to still be interested to take the job when the DND decided to look for a replacement for Achidatex-Colorado JV if the arbitration goes in the DND's favour.

No timeline was provided, but this is certainly good news after more than a year of delay.

MKU Pvt. Ltd. of India was declared the new winner to supply Force Protection Body Armour Vests to the Philippine Army and Philippine Marine Corps.
Photo taken from MKU's website.

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Military Convoys in Metro Manila - Not a Coup preparation but probably something better

An unannounced rumble of Army and Marine convoys of fully armed troops in military lorrys backed by a couple of armored vehicles along the main thoroughfares of Metro Manila last Tuesday until Thursday, July 29 to 31 2014, gave some jitters to a curious but weary public. An earlier announcement by former navy officer and now Senator Antonio Trillanes III of reports of an emerging plans for a coup d'etat against the administration of President Benigno Aquino III has been publicly circulating for days, and the convoy's appearance strengthened speculations from the public that the senator might be telling the truth.

A V-150 armored vehicle from the Philippine Army's Mechanized Infantry Division as seen along EDSA together with other military vehicles. Take note of the lorry in the background carrying what appears to be crates that are usually used for ammunitions. Photo taken from GMA News website.

The AFP was quick to dismiss the rumors even before the convoy rolled the city streets, saying that the AFP will not be involved im such actions. The AFP also announced that the recent sight of military convoys in the capital was just a normal logistical movements from Northern Luzon Command in Tarlac City and Southern Luzon Command in Lucena City, to military installations in Metro Manila. The Philippine Army's spokesman also confirmed that the convoy carried weapons and ammunition to Fort Bonifacio in Taguig. Eyewitness accounts said that the trucks were loaded with crates, possibly a cargo of arms and ammunition. But MaxDefense have reasons to believe that aside from a possible logistics run, there might be something else

A Philippine Army V-150 armored vehicle (foreground), and Kia KM450 utility truck (background) are among the vehicles in convoys seen along Metro Manila streets recently.
Photo taken from European Pressphoto Agency website.

This V-300 Fire Support Vehicle from the Philippine Marine Corps was also part of one of the convoys seen recently in Metro Manila.
Photo taken from European Pressphoto Agency website.

Some reports and eyewitness accounts spotted a joint Army - Marine convoy headed to the port area in Manila last July 31, and came out with cargo inside shipping containers and headed back to AFP Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. The AFP did not elaborate the said logistics run, but MaxDefense believes that the convoy picked-up a delivery of weapons or ammunition from the port area.

The joint Army-Marines convoy spotted in the Tondo district near the port area.
Photo taken from GMA News website.

MaxDefense have reasons to believe that the cargo was actually the first batch of Remington R4 carbine for the Philippine Army, wherein the first batch were expected to arrive by August 2014. The AFP and the DND has been vocal on this specific program of the AFP Modernization, and transporting a large yield of high powered firearms is a good reason for a need for such a large armed escort force from the military. It might also be possible that the convoys from NOLCOM and SOLCOM will also be carrying back the new rifles to their respective command headquarters when they head back within a few days, to distribute the rifles to line units. MaxDefense covered the acquisition of the Remington R4 as the next new rifle of the Philippine Army in a separate blog entry.

The Remington R4, their version of the M4 series carbine, was ordered by the AFP recently, with the first batch of deliveries from a total of more than 63,000 rifles expected to arrive on August 2014. Photo taken from Remington Defense website. 

MaxDefense is still confirming the results of the said logistics run, although it is expected that if the MaxDefense opinion in this blog entry is correct, the AFP and DND will happily announce it formally to the public very soon.

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UPDATES:
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August 4, 2014:
Philstar just confirmed what MaxDefense thought of the quick runs by the army and marines to the Manila port area. The first major shipment of Remington R4 (M4) carbines were delivered to the AFP.

The Remington R4, their version of the M4 carbine, as shown to the media by the AFP.
Photo taken from the Philippine Army c/o Philstar.com.

It is worth noting that based on the photo above, the rifle comes with a Picatinny rail for future mounting of rifle accessories, rail covers to protect the rails, a cleaning kit, and a rifle sling. MaxDefense suggests for the Army's investment on higher quality ammunition magazines, and gradual acquisition of optical sights to aid the Army's riflemen to improve their aiming time and accuracy when firing compared to the standard iron sights.

Aside from Philstar, Rappler has also confirmed the rifle deliveries and the use of heavy armed escorts in its latest news reports.

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