Merkava-based AVLBs reach the Philippines
The Philippine Army is in receipt of two AVLBs based on a Merkava Mark IV tank chassis, following a contract with Elbit Systems. (Photo: Philippine Army)
A pair of new armoured vehicle-launched bridges (AVLB) arrived by ship in Batangas in the Philippines on 12 July, after completing a sea journey from Israel.
It was earlier thought that these tracked AVLBs might use Leopard 2 hulls, but, in a remarkable move, Elbit Systems has used the Merkava Mk IV tank hull as the basis for these Philippine AVLBs.
This is the first known export of Merkava hulls, though Shephard is aware of persistent rumours that Singapore may have covertly procured some Merkava MBTs for its army.
Original specifications for this combat engineering equipment listed by the Philippines
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
Read this Article
Get access to this article with a Free Basic Account
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 2 free stories per week
- Personalised news alerts
- Daily and weekly newsletters
Unlimited Access
Access to all our premium news as a Premium News 365 Member. Corporate subscriptions available.
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 14-day free trial (cancel at any time)
- Unlimited access to all published premium news
More from Land Warfare
-
Hensoldt to supply TRML-4D radars for Latvia and Slovenia as part of €100 million deal
The TRML-4D, based on the maritime TRS-4D radar, has been designed to provide similar scanning and surveillance capabilities to forces on land for air surveillance.
-
US commits billions more to Ukraine with a focus on air defence
The latest package takes the total contribution to $53.6 billion since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
-
Cockerill concludes purchase of Arquus
The purchase brings together the firepower of Cockerill, which includes a range of turrets and guns, and the vehicle line of Arquus, which includes light terrain, reconnaissance and armoured vehicles.