The Philippine Army’s Artillery Regiment activated the 10th Field Artillery "Rolling Thunder" Battalion (155 SP) that will serve as the mother unit of the brand new 155mm self-propelled howitzers during the regiment’s 15th founding anniversary celebration in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija on June 22, 2022.
Army Inspector General Maj. Gen. Roy M. Galido, who represented Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Romeo S. Brawner, Jr., led the activation rites for 10FAB that will be led by Lt. Col. Chamberlain A. Esmino, a full-blooded cannoneer.
”This newly activated unit will surely contribute to our continuing victory in the conduct of combined arms operations,” Maj. Gen. Galido said in his speech on behalf of the Army Commanding General.
”As Artilyeros, let us not forget the characteristics that make you the best—speed and accuracy. Speed in providing the much-needed fire support to troops and accuracy in hitting only designated targets and avoiding collateral damage,” the Army Inspector General remarked.
It can be recalled that the Philippine Army received 12 howitzer units in December 2021 from Israeli defense company Elbit Systems. The ATMOS 155 mm howitzer system is a “shoot-and-scoot” weapon that can be rapidly deployed in rugged terrain. The weapon incorporates an “inertial navigation system” (INS)-based gun-laying method and an automatic loader. The self-propelled artillery pieces are procured under the Horizon 2 of the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Plan.