Pinoy troops practice use of Javelin missiles

JAVELIN ANTI-TANK LIVE FIRE EXERCISE / APRIL 13, 2023 United States Army, Philippine Army and Philippine Marine Corps, execute and apply skills during the Javelin Anti-Tank Weapon System Live Fire Exercise at Fort Magsaysay, Palayan City, Nueva Ecija on April 13, 2023. The Javelin Anti-Tank live fire exercise simulates actual combat scenarios, allowing Philippine soldiers to learn tactical skills, accuracy and confidence in using tthe anti-tank weapon which could be an integral part of the Philippine Army’s future arsenal. The activity is part of Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEE) Traing for Salaknib 2023 (SN23) Phase 1 and be executed during Balikatan 38 (BK38) timeline. INQUIRER PHOTO / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

Filipino troopers, under instruction from US soldiers, practiced for the first time the use of state-of-the-art Javelin antitank missiles that have proven their effectiveness in wars in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria and lately Ukraine.

At the continuation of the largest-ever PH-US “Balikatan” exercises, one soldier each from the US Army, Philippine Army and US Marines took turns firing the portable missile system at cars that served as targets at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.

The exercise was meant for troops to apply lessons gleaned from lectures conducted last month as part of the Salaknib exercise, the largest joint exercise between the Philippine and US armies, where they trained together for the “defense of the archipelago” against “foreign aggressors.”

“We are seeing in the Ukraine and Russia conflict the use of these modern weapons. And if you saw some of the footage of the conflict in Ukraine, I’m sure you saw the effectivity of the Javelin weapon in taking out tanks,” Army chief Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. told reporters.

JAVELIN ANTI-TANK LIVE FIRE EXERCISE / APRIL 13, 2023 United States Army, Philippine Army and Philippine Marine Corps, execute and apply skills during the Javelin Anti-Tank Weapon System Live Fire Exercise at Fort Magsaysay, Palayan City, Nueva Ecija on April 13, 2023. The Javelin Anti-Tank live fire exercise simulates actual combat scenarios, allowing Philippine soldiers to learn tactical skills, accuracy and confidence in using tthe anti-tank weapon which could be an integral part of the Philippine Army’s future arsenal. The activity is part of Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEE) Traing for Salaknib 2023 (SN23) Phase 1 and be executed during Balikatan 38 (BK38) timeline. INQUIRER PHOTO / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

He said the Army plans to acquire the high-end weapon system in the future and it will be included in the Horizon 3 of the military’s modernization program.

“We want to also bring that capability to the Philippine Army in order for us to be able to bolster our defensive posture,” he said.

The FGM-148 Javelin missile system, made by US arms manufacturers Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, has an effective range of 2.5 kilometers.

Brawner said the training was not directed against any adversary but a preparation for any threats that may arise in the future.

“All the scenarios that we are doing here in the exercise are not specifically targeting at any adversary … but we want to prepare for all kinds of threats that could come to our country, whether it be man-made or natural,” he said.

The start of the three-week Balikatan on Tuesday follows a three-day Chinese military drills around self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory.

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