Philippines received last batch of KAAV-7A1 amphibious assault vehicles from South Korea

One of the first batch of KAAV-7A1 during Exercise DAGIT-PA 03 19. Photo c/o Rappler.

The Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) received the last four (4) units of KAAV-7A1 amphibious assault vehicles ordered from South Korea’s Hanwha Defense.

Filipino defense page MaxDefense Philippines confirmed that the vehicles arrived in the last week of August 2019, and were immediately prepared for final tests and inspection in preparation of formal acceptance by September 2019.

The Philippines’ Department of National Defense (DND) ordered eight (8) KAAV-7A1 amphibious assault vehicles from Hanwha Defense  in 2016 under a PHP2.423 billion (US$55.5 million) contract on behalf of the Philippine Navy (PN), which is the service branch in which the PMC is attached.

The initial batch of four (4) units were delivered by Hanwha Defense to the PMC on May 2019, and were formally accepted into service on June 2019. 

The first batch of vehicles conducted their first military exercise in the ongoing Joint Military Exercises of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) dubbed Exercise DAGIT-PA 03 19, with the vehicles launched from the PN’s Tarlac-class landing platform dock. It is expected that all 8 KAAV-7A1 amphibious assault vehicles will be used in the upcoming PH-US Joint Military Exercise KAMANDAG 04 2019 which is scheduled in October 2019.

The KAAV-7A1 are Korean license-built copies of the BAE Systems AAV-7A1 amphibious assault vehicle used by the US Marine Corps and other marine forces. It is equipped with a manned turret with a 12.7mm heavy machine gun and 40mm automatic grenade launcher.



[1] Inquirer.net
[2] MaxDefense Philippines
[3] PTV News