Military Assets’ ‘Game Changer’ 155 Howitzers arrives in GenSan; 8 for JTFC
CAMP SIONGCO, Awang, DOS, Maguindanao – Eight (8) of the newest self-propelled 155mm Autonomous Truck Mounted Howitzer System (ATMOS 2000) arrived in Makar Port, General Santos City on September 29, 2022.
According to 6th Infantry (Kampilan) Division and Joint Task Force Commander Major General Roy M Galido, eight ( 8 ) 155mm howitzers will be given to Joint Task Force Central to support counter-terrorist operations. “This new capability will be utilized against the terrorist groups who are now on the run because of our relentless focus military operations” Maj. Gen. Galido stated.
Such military assets sailed from Naval Base Heracleo Alano, Sangley Point, Cavite City on Saturday morning, September 24, 2022 after the send-off ceremony led by the Department of National Defense (DND) Officer-in-Charge Senior Undersecretary Jose C. Faustino, Jr.
USec Faustino Jr. called these military assets and latest military war equipment as a ‘game-changer’ that will surely strengthen the forces of the Armed Forces of the Philippines especially in internal security operations in suppressing the enemies of the state.
Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Galido said “ATMOS is the biggest gun in the Army Arsenal today. With automatic loading and a digital fire control, it can deliver accurate fires to a range of up to 41 kilometers, this can definitely be a ‘game-changer’ in supporting and intensifying even further our focused military operations particularly in Central and South-Central Mindanao”.
He also emphasized that this will be an advantage in the suppression of insurgency and terrorism. “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. They are able to deploy even in rugged terrain while being able to respond to mission demands more quickly than towed howitzers” Maj. Gen. Galido added.
The ATMOS artillery pieces were procured under the Horizon 2 of the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Plan. These were acquired from Israel’s Elbit Systems in a US$47 million contract signed in 2020. Thus, the Army is continuously modernizing in order to be more effective in protecting the people and securing the state. The guns are organized into three batteries of four guns each. It was assigned to the 10th Field Artillery Battalion “Rolling Thunder” which was activated in June 2022.