Under the $19.7 project, 44 M113A2 tracked armored personnel carriers will be fitted with Elbit’s Dragon 12.7mm RCWS and Combat NG BMS. Five additional APCs will receive Soltam Cardom 81mm mortar systems. In the context of a government-to-government (G2G) project undertaken by the Philippines’ Department of National Defense (DND) and Israel’s Ministry of Defense earlier this year, Elbit Systems will upgrade 49 M113A2 armored personnel carriers with remote controlled weapon stations (RCWS) and battlefield management systems (BMS).
The $19.7 project – officially referred to as the ‘Firepower Upgrade of EDA M113 Project under the Horizon 1 phase of the Revised AFP Modernization Program’ – was divided into two lots within a single project. Both lots were awarded last year to Elbit Systems Land & C4I, with the final contract between the DND and Elbit Systems signed in January 2018.
The first lot involves the upgrade of 44 M113A2 tracked armored personnel carriers by installing Elbit System’s Dragon 12.7mm Remote-Controlled Weapon Stations (RCWS) and Combat NG Battlefield Management System (BMS) into the vehicles. This lot also involves the acquisition of five Soltam Cardom 81mm mortar systems and the conversion of five of the Philippine Army’s M113A2 into Self Propelled Mortars. It is worth mentioning that the Philippine Army’s and Marine Corps’ Soltam M-71 155mm towed howitzers are also equipped with the Combat NG BMS. The Philippine Army is also showing interest in the larger Cardom 120mm mortars.
