Like many countries in the Indo-Pacific region, the Philippine military relies on imports from foreign industry for most of its equipment.
Malabon-based vehicle design and manufacturing firm Anos Research Manufacturing (ARM) is looking to fill a small portion of the army’s equipment inventory with an indigenous system – the Light Tactical Vehicle (LTV).
ARM, which is also the only manufacturer of fire trucks in the country, has proactively and funded the development of the Charlie Squad vehicle. It is designed to meet the multiple missions of the light tactical vehicle required by the military, including troop transport, logistics, reconnaissance, weapons delivery, command, ambulance and general utility missions.
In fact, LTVs typically form a major part of any military mobile transport fleet, traditionally used not only by the Army, but also in support of the Navy, Air Force and even law enforcement. Therefore, the adoption of LTVs produced in the Philippines will be a major project with significant local economic benefits and military support advantages. It may even offer potential export opportunities for the country itself.
Squad vehicle Charlie initially debuted this summer to Philippine military officials at Camp Aguinaldo. The audience included Defense Minister Delfin Lorenza.
Shown as a 4 X 4 all-wheel drive design with room for four, with an open bed at the rear. It weighs 2800kg and has a modular design typical of a modern LTV, designed to be configurable to address a range of roles.
It comes with a “2.8 to 3.0-liter turbodiesel engine” that delivers 187 horsepower. The suggested engine appears to be the Isuzu 4JJ3 engine, which is also used in the latest commercial D-Max and Mu-X. This, along with the use of other proven and available commercial vehicle components, provides significant maintenance and support advantages to the military in this field. A six-speed manual transmission and a high ground clearance of 235mm ensure maneuverability in the most difficult conditions.
Although shown in a light infantry/utility configuration without doors, canvas top and open rear cargo bed, the company made it clear that it can be designed in a variety of configurations. These include enclosed cabs and even Kevlar armor protection. The company continues to refine its design while continuing discussions with Philippine military officials.
Typically, after such an initial demonstration, the next step will be further government practical evaluations with additional pre-production version vehicles. So far, queries about possible arrangements for such assessments remain unanswered.
Stephen W. Miller
