We Filipinos always find something to be proud of. This shows our unrelenting support for homegrown innovations and even talents that show the world what we can do. Now, Anos Research Manufacturing (ARM) is adding another item to the list of proudly Philippine-made products with the Charlie Squad Vehicle.
Charlie Squad Vehicle
The Charlie Squad Vehicle is a light military truck prototype that was recently showcased by the Philippine automotive company in Camp Aguinaldo. Thanks to its modular platform, the truck can be fitted with various equipment for military operations including a mobile rocket launcher, a gun turret, and a communication radio.
Moreover, the Charlie Squad Vehicle can be turned into a fire truck, a type of vehicle that ARM is known to design from the get-go. To do that, the truck is installed with a 150-gallon water tank with an Anos fire pump. Other configurations presented include Logistics, Mobile Water Filtration, and Emergency Medical Services.
The truck showcased its capabilities in Camp Aguinaldo
Powering the light military truck is a 3.0-liter turbodiesel engine capable of generating 187 horsepower and 450 Nm of torque. If the powertrain sounds familiar, the Isuzu D-Max also gets the same displacement and power figures. The two also share a similar wheelbase at 3,125 mm, with a 5mm ground clearance difference.
However, there is no official statement to confirm that Charlie is based on the Japanese pickup. What we do know is that the model has a 6-speed manual transmission and a 4WD system for tackling challenging off-road terrains.
A proudly Philippine-made military vehicle
One can only hope that this Philippine-made military prototype will receive the support it needs from the government so that it can enter service. For those who fancy the Charlie Squad Vehicle, ARM said that it is also planning to offer a civilian version of the vehicle for commercial use. But as of this writing, no pricing has been disclosed.
Get to know more about various types of vehicles at Philkotse.com.