Philippine soldier modernisation is mixed bag, with both purchases and delays
MKU’s Netro NM-3000 is believed to be the type of monocular NVGs procured by the Philippine Army. (Gordon Arthur)
It often takes multiple tenders before the Philippines can obtain even the most basic of equipment, and this is the case with helmets and body armour.
The Philippine military is making progress in modernising and equipping its soldiers and marines, but essential projects like helmets and body armour remain outstanding.
On 22 November 2021, Indian firm MKU received a PHP182.1 million ($3.5 million) contract for night-fighting systems comprising 661 monoculars, 661 infrared aiming devices and 66 laser zeroing devices.
The monocular is presumed to be MKU’s Netro NM-3000, which delivers a similar performance to the A100 already obtained from Aselsan. The Turkish company delivered 4,464 A100 night vision goggles (NVG) from mid-2017, and then another 2,808 sets shortly after that.
This night-fighting equipment was purchased
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