US delivered $18 million worth of defense equipment to the Philippine Armed Forces, including TOW-2A wire-guided anti-tank missiles and Mark-82 general purpose bombs.
Philippine Armed Forces received $18 million worth of defense equipment from the United States at a ceremony held in the city of Manila. Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the equipment was officially delivered with a ceremony attended by Philippine Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsín Jr. and US National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien.
The delivery was part of a commitment of US President Donald Trump to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in April 2020 to support the city’s counter-terrorism efforts.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the equipment package contains precision-guided ammunition. However, the state-owned Philippine News Agency (PNA) announced that 100 TOW-2A wire guided anti-tank missiles, 12 Improved Target Acquisiton System (ITAS) and 24 Mark-82 general purpose bombs were among the items.
TOW-2A missile is wire-guided, fired from the launcher and optically tracked. In addition, Mark-82s were delivered with the relevant guidance kits to convert them into smart bombs.
Noting that the delivered equipment was donated by Washington, PNA, Philippine Armed Forces (AFP) Spokesperson Major General Edgard Arevalo said, “Smart ammunition with such abilities and precision will greatly assist AFP in saving the country from terrorist threats.”
