The AFP Vice Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Rodolfo C Garcia formally received from Anthony Michael Prebble, FNSS Representative, the latest addition to the armor assets inventory of the AFP, the Armored Recovery Vehicle (ARV), during a turnover ceremony held at the GHQ, AFP Grandstand, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on 04 February 2004. The acquisition of the ARV is part of the capability building initiatives of the Armed Forces as outlined in its Modernization Program.

          The Armored Recovery Vehicle is an armored, all terrain, amphibious, air transportable and highly maneuverable vehicle. It is fitted with a hydraulic crane mounted to the vehicle top plate and a recovery winch mounted inside the vehicle that facilitates the recovery and towing of both armored and transport vehicles during actual combat and under enemy fire. It is equipped with a pintle-mounted .50 caliber heavy machine gun and a bank of electrically operated smoke grenade launchers for its self-protection. In addition to these features, the ARV has air conditioning and Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) protection system.

          This vehicle will greatly enhance the maintenance capability of the Light Armor Brigade of the Philippine Army. The ARV has a crane that has the ability to lift a variety of loads such as replacement power pack assemblies, turrets and ammunition pallets.

          Aside from the battlefield, the vehicle can be used in disaster relief operations in times of calamities. Since it can carry and lift heavy equipment, it can be also used in lifting damage electrical posts, towing of damaged transport vehicle and even lifting of collapsed houses or part of collapsed building during rescue operations.

          The acquisition of this vehicle will surely boost the morale of the soldiers in the field. It will hasten repairs of damaged armored vehicles, which are considered force multipliers in combat. The lesser repair time of damaged armored assets the greater the edge our government soldiers shall have over the enemies of the state.

          The ARV contract was initiated in 2002 between the AFP and FNSS, when the latter won the bid for this Php 55,757,968 project. FNSS is a Turkish based joint venture company between Nurol Group of Turkey and the USA based United Defense LP, which is a leading manufacturer and supplier of armored combat vehicles and weapons systems for the Turkish and Allied Forces like United Arab Emirates and Malaysia to name a few.

          The turnover rites in Camp Aguinaldo were also witnessed by His Excellency Tanju Sumer, Turkish Ambassador to the Philippines and other high ranking officials of the AFP. The ceremony is the culmination of the second modernization project of the AFP. It can be recalled that last March 2003, a total of 402 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW), worth Php 117,432,000 were delivered to the Philippine Army and the Philippine Marines as the first major breakthrough of the AFP Modernization Program.