The Philippine Army received the first batch of the armored personnel carriers (APCs) from the United States on Wednesday evening, the US Embassy said on Thursday.
There were 77 units transferred as part of the 114 units expected. The second shipment of 37 units is scheduled on December 14, and the rest will be delivered later this month.
The additional APCs will boost the 343 armored assets in the Army inventory. They will undergo tests before deployment and will also be equipped with heavy machine guns.
The vehicles were acquired through the Excess Defense Article program of the US. Under this program, military equipment from the US will be transferred without cost to allied countries.
“The transfer is a result of a formal request made by the AFP to assist in their defense modernization efforts,” the US Embassy said.
The transfer of the armored vehicles was shouldered by the Philippine government.
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