Army activates aviation, air defense and missile units

October 3, 2019

The Philippine Army activated its aviation regiment, air defense and missile units in a ceremony in Nueva Ecija on Wednesday.

Army spokesman Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said the Army activated its Aviation  Regiment (Provisional) (AvnR (P), 2nd Multiple Launch Rocket System Battery (2MLRS Btry) and 1st Land-based Missile System Battery (1LBMS Btry) in a ceremony in Fort Magsaysay.

Zagala said Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Macairog Alberto led the activation and the assumption of command of the three units during the ceremony.

“The AvnR (P) will be commanded by Col. Jesus Rico Atencio while the 2MLRS Btry will be headed by Maj. Junel Uden and the 1LBMS Btry by Maj. Edgardo Ocampo,” he said.

Zagala said activation of these units “aims to strengthen the Army defense against current, emerging, and future threats.”

“These units will play a vital role in the Army’s fight against terrorism and the communist insurgency,” he said.

“The Army Aviation Battalion has been upgraded to the AvnR (P). It will be maintaining its current fleet of fixed-wing aircraft for special aviation mission while it develops its capabilities in armed reconnaissance, air assault and air medical evacuation by utilizing rotary wing aircraft. This new unit enables the Army forces to be agile, lethal and versatile,” said Zagala.

The 2MLRS Btry and the 1LBMS Btry under the Army Artillery Regiment (AAR) will help augment the troops' firepower in large scale armed confrontation for internal defense and security engagements, Zagala said.

“The activation of the two AAR regiment is in line with Army’s development of air defense units and missile units. The air defense units will protect the force against air threats while the missile units aims to deny areas of enemy approach as well as suppress their air capabilities,” he added.

Alberto said the Philippine Army’s plan to acquire air assets is part of its effort to improve its operational capability to support ground forces.

“We will be acquiring light attack helicopters, armed reconnaissance helicopters, and multi-purpose medium lift helicopters. Through the upgraded Army Aviation Regiment as an integral component of our combined arms operations, our Army will have the capability to conduct a better array of aviation operations to support ground forces and be more responsive in the archipelagic setting in the defense posture,” said Alberto.

“We put primacy on the activation of these units in order to continuously enhance our aviation and air defense capability as we operate with the intent to be a modern and well-equipped Army, to address fast-evolving threats and finish the insurgency at the soonest time possible,” he added.

Zagala said the multiple launch rocket system is in the pipeline while the acquisition of land based missile system is still in the planing stage.

"The multiple launch rocket systems is in the pipeline. If I'm not mistaken we will acquire that from South Korea. The land-based missile system is still in planning," he said.

Zagala said these units can be used to fight external and internal threats.  Robina Asido/DMS