The Philippines announced on 30 June that it had selected the Armoured Wheeled Amphibious Vehicle (AWAV) from Thai company Chaiseri Defense to equip its peacekeeping operations battalion.
The notice of award issued the same day was worth PHP388.9 million (US$6.4 million). This contract will give the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) five amphibious vehicles plus integrated logistics support.
The new Philippine vehicles are all due to be delivered by 2027. These are the first 8×8 armoured vehicles to enter Philippine military service, after Elbit Systems failed to fulfil an earlier deal for Pandur II 8×8 vehicles fitted with a 105mm gun.
The contract is significant to Chaiseri too, since it marks the first export of the 23.2-tonne AWAV. The Royal Thai Marine Corps has procured 14 of these AWAVs under two separate contracts. Under the first THB448 million (US$12.6 million) contract announced on 3 August 2023, the initial batch of seven AWAVs entered service. In fact, the AWAVs have been used in the tensions along the Cambodian border.
After the Philippine tender for 8×8 armoured personnel carriers was issued earlier this year, Chaiseri submitted its bid on 11 June.
It is unclear what other platforms were competing in this tender, but Tata Advanced Systems Limited with its Kestrel 8×8 Wheeled Armored Platform (WhAP) was reportedly one of them. It is believed that Tata’s offer was significantly pricier than Chaiseri’s.
The tender called for a vehicle offering modest baseline protection of only STANAG 4569 Level 2. Nor did it require a remote weapon station, but just a mounted 12.7mm machine gun.
Chaiseri had previously competed for Philippine contracts with its First Win 4×4, so this marks its first vehicle export success in the Philippines. Nonetheless, Chaiseri has supplied tracks and rubber pads to the Philippines for platforms such as its M113s, however.
There is the potential for further AWAV sales to Manila too, since the PMC is reportedly interested in acquiring 8×8 amphibious vehicles that are cheaper and less bulky than the tracked KAAVs that it already operates.
The AWAV has a payload capacity of 2.5 tonnes and can carry up to 14 personnel (including a crew of three). It measures 9.2m long, 3.1m wide and 3m high. A 711hp engine gives it a top speed of 105km/h on land and 13km/h in water via twin waterjets. A 420-litre fuel tank permits a combat range of 800km.
Last November, Chaiseri unveiled its Guardian-T 8×8 mobile assault vehicle at the Defense & Security exhibition in Bangkok. This 23-tonne vehicle armed with a 105mm cannon is based on the monocoque chassis and hull of the AWAV.
At the time, Chaiseri told Asian Military Review that the Guardian-T would likely appeal to Southeast Asian customers such as Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
by Gordon Arthur
