The Western Mindanao Commandโs Joint Task Force Central received new artillery assets on September 30, 2022. The new assets will be operated by the 10th Field Artillery Battalion of the Army Artillery Regiment based at Camp Lucero, Carmen, Cotabato.
According to Maj. Gen. Roy Galido, Commander of Joint Task Force Central, the newly acquired weapon system arrived at General Santos City onboard a Navy Vessel yesterday, September 29. He also said that Senior Undersecretary Jose Faustino, Jr. of the Department of National Defense, and Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner, Jr., Commanding General of the Philippine Army spearheaded the send-off ceremony for the howitzer system on September 21. The weapon system is composed of two batteries with four howitzers each.
The Autonomous Truck-Mounted Howitzer System (ATMOS) 155mm/52 caliber self-propelled artillery pieces were procured under the Horizon 2 of the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Plan. The Philippine Army received the howitzer units from the Israeli defense company, Elbit Systems, in December 2021.
Lt. Gen. Alfredo Rosario, Jr., Commander of Western Mindanao Command, said that the ATMOS 155 mm howitzer system is a โshoot-and-scootโ weapon that can be rapidly deployed in rugged terrain. The weapon incorporates an โinertial navigation systemโ (INS)-based gun-laying method and an automatic loader. It has a maximum range of 40 kilometers depending on the ammunition, with a fire rate of eight rounds per minute for stationary indirect fire operation, and six rounds in 110 seconds for โshoot-and-scootโ configuration.
Lt. Gen. Rosario, Jr. further stated that the acquisition of these assets will significantly contribute to the peace, security, and development efforts of the government in the Southwestern Philippines. (VICTOR BALDEMOR)
