Clearer military requirements could unlock UGV market growth
Western armies continue to test uncrewed ground vehicles, but wider procurement will depend on turning ambitions for autonomy into defined operational roles and funded requirements.
Philippine Army snaps up tactical vehicles from China
Although this photo shows a Dongfeng’s 4x4 EQ1093 variant in Chinese service, the Philippine Army has obtained the related EQ2082 6x6 type. (Gordon Arthur)
The Philippine military is buying tactical vehicles from China and Russia, a variance from recent contracts with South Korea.
On 15 July, the Philippine Army received around 70 tactical vehicles from China. It is believed that price was the main criteria for their selection, although a move to buy Chinese military equipment could be seen as politically sensitive given the tensions that exist in the South China Sea.
The vehicles, believed to have been obtained through Philippine Army annual operating funds (dating from FY2019) rather than the modernisation budget of the armed forces, included three types of Chinese-built platforms.
The Davao-based firm Jinyi Import and Export Trading Co won a public bidding effort in November 2020, and a notice
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