TSAMTO, May 20th. The third batch of Sabra light tanks and a new ASCOD-2 armored recovery vehicle, purchased from the Israeli company Elbit Systems, were delivered to the Philippines by sea.
The project to purchase light tanks is provided for in the second stage ("Second Horizon") of the modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Most likely, this batch is the last one.
Recall that the contract for the supply of light tanks to the Philippine Ground Forces based on the ASCOD-2 tracked platform, manufactured by the Spanish General Dynamics European Land Systems Santa Barbara, and the Pandur-2 wheeled infantry fighting vehicle platform manufactured by the Czech Excalibur Army, was signed with the Israeli company Elbit Systems in January 2021. The cost of the order was 9.49 billion Philippine pesos ($172 million). The work must be completed within three years.
It is assumed that under the contract, Elbit Systems will provide the supply of 18 tanks on the ASCOD-2 tracked chassis, one command vehicle on the ASCOD-2 tracked chassis, one BREM on the ASCOD-2 chassis, 10 heavy-armed combat vehicles on the Pandur-2 chassis with an 8x8 wheel formula.
Both platforms will be equipped with a turret with a 105 mm cannon and a number of subsystems developed by Elbit Systems, including electro-optical sights, fire control systems, TORCH-XTM combat control systems, software-controlled E-LynXTM radios and life support systems.
The Sabra reservation provides ballistic protection that meets the requirements of the NATO STANAG-4569 Level standard.4. The machine can be equipped with an active protection system.
The first of the 20 armored vehicles ordered on a tracked chassis from the Philippines was received for testing in December 2022. The tank was first demonstrated on December 19, 2022, during a ceremony held at Camp Aguinaldo (Quezon City) in the presence of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to celebrate the 87th anniversary of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
A batch of new Sabra tanks (in fact, the first) in serial production was delivered to the Philippines by sea at the end of October 2023. At that time, photos appeared on Philippine social networks showing the unloading of at least 9 armored vehicles on ASCOD-2 tracked chassis from a commercial cargo ship.
According to the MaxDefense Philippines resource, at least 8 vehicles from the first batch were light Sabra tanks on a tracked chassis. One of the vehicles was missing a turret, which suggested the delivery of an armored recovery or command vehicle.
According to a video posted on Update PH on July 8, 2024, the second batch of tanks after completion of production at Elbit Systems was loaded onto trailers and was being prepared for shipment to the Philippines. The exact number of tanks that were transferred to the Philippine Armed Forces in that shipment is also unknown.
Equipped with a 105-mm cannon as its main armament and a 7.62-mm machine gun paired with it, the light tank will become part of the 1st tank Battalion of the Pambato Armored Division. The division was expected to receive 20 new Sabra light tanks and 10 Pandur-2 armored vehicles supplied by the Israeli company Elbit Systems Land between 2023 and 2024. However, there is currently no information about the delivery of the BMTV Pandur-2.
