CAS Aircraft to be Armed with Precision Guided Munitions

The DND is planning to acquire six CAS aircraft and will be armed with precision guided munitions (photo : missionreadyat-6)

MANILA (PNA) -- In line with its efforts to make its close air support (CAS) aircraft more capable, the Department of National Defense (DND) has said the plane will be armed with precision guided munitions, a kind of weaponry that can be guided by lasers to its targets.


In a supplemental bid bulletin posted on the DND website, it said this capability must be present in the designs which will be submitted by prospective bidders to the P4.9-billion CAS aircraft project.

Bid opening and submission for the CAS project has been reset to Oct. 3 from the original date of Aug. 11.

In connection with this, DND Special Bids and Awards Committee-1 chair Undersecretary Fernando Manalo said that a second pre-bid conference will be held this coming Sept. 15.

This will be held at the DND Bidding and Awards Committee Conference Room, DND Building, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

Bid opening and submission will also take place at the same place.

The DND is planning to acquire six CAS aircraft to replace or beef up the Philippine Air Force's existing Rockwell OV-10 "Bronco" turboprop attack planes.

CAS refers to the capability to provide air support to infantry and naval units in contact with the enemy.

Funding for this weapon system will be sourced from the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Modernization Program.

Manalo earlier said that the contract includes integrated logistic support system.

Winning bidders must be able to deliver the aircraft within 540 calendar days from contract effectivity.

Participants in the DND's CAS project must have completed a similar program within the last 10 years.

Manalo added that the CAS aircraft must be used by the countries offering and manufacturing them.

(PNA)