The Philippine Army has formally inducted six FNSS Kunduz Armored Amphibious Earthmovers into service during a blessing ceremony, significantly enhancing the service’s combat engineering and force-projection capabilities across challenging terrain. Developed by Turkish defense contractor FNSS Savunma Sistemleri under a contract originally awarded in February 2020, the tracked platforms were delivered to the Philippines in August 2025. Locally designated as the Amfibik Zırhlı Muharebe İstihkam İş Makinesi (AZMİM) in Turkish service, the arrival of these specialized earthmovers addresses long-standing gap requirements in battlefield mobility and amphibious breaching for ground forces.
Designed to conduct high-threat engineering missions including route clearance, earthmoving, slope cutting, and riverbank fortification, the 19.5-tonne platform features a forward-mounted dozer blade, a center ballast chamber, and a rear-mounted powerpack. The Kunduz utilizes an aluminum armored hull that provides ballistic protection against small arms fire, armor-piercing rounds, and artillery shell splinters, alongside structural mine-blast resistance. To further enhance survivability in non-permissive environments, the platform integrates smoke grenade launchers, an automatic fire suppression system, and a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) defense system.
Mobility for the platform is provided by a Caterpillar diesel engine mated to an Allison fully automatic transmission, allowing the vehicle to attain a top road speed of 45 km/h (28 mph) with an operational range of 400 km. This speed enables the earthmover to keep pace with mechanized combat elements without requiring specialized heavy equipment transporters. Its advanced hydraulic suspension system allows the operator to dynamically adjust ground clearance and blade tilt during operations, while a central ballast system can ingest soil to increase digging efficiency and discharge it prior to transit.
Optimized for archipelagic operations, the two-person tracked vehicle is fully amphibious and propelled in water by twin rear-mounted water jets, achieving a maximum swimming speed of 8.6 km/h with 360° maneuverability in strong river currents. Secondary operational features include an integrated 15,000 kg capacity recovery winch, daylight and thermal night-vision camera systems, multi-purpose LED operator displays, and environmental control units. The integration of the Kunduz fleet underscores Manila’s ongoing modernization push to field balanced maneuver-support assets capable of operating across the country’s complex, waterlogged riverine and coastal environments.
