PH Army gets extra firepower with truck-mounted howitzers

The Philippine Army (PA) has received a new fleet of self-propelled 155mm howitzers to increase its military capability against terrorism in Central Mindanao.

A total of eight (8) units of the 155mm Autonomous Truck Mounted Howitzer System (ATMOS) 2000 arrived last Saturday in Mindanao. According to Maj. Gen. Roy Galido, commander of the Army's 6^th Infantry Division (6ID), the 8 truck-mounted howitzers will be distributed to various units of the Join Task Force Central (JFTC) to support counter-terrorism operations.

“This new capability will be utilized against the terrorist groups who are now on the run because of our relentless focus on military operation,” said Galido.

With the ATMOS 2000 at their disposal, Galido added that they now serve as the biggest guns in the Army's arsenal. Combined with its automatic loading and digital firing control, it can accurately fire shells to a range of up to 41 kilometers.

“An advantage of ATMOS is that it offers high accuracy and shoot and scoot’ operation yet can operate on the existing road network and bridges found in the country,” added Galido.

The ATMOS artillery fleet was procured under Horizon 2 of the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Plan led by former Defense Chief Delfin Lorenzana, now the Chair of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA). They were acquired from Israel’s Elbit Systems in a USD 47-million contract (about PHP2.7 billion) signed in 2020.

The 12 units of the ATMOS arrived in the country last December 2021.