Asian Defence News1

Philippine Army Getting 4 Vehicle Mounted Mine Detectors

Armtrac, an explosive ordnance disposal company based in Cambridgeshire in Eastern England, has announced that it was awarded contract to supply 4 Vehicle Mounted Mine Detector (VMMD) to the Philippine Army.

“Following an MOU and Special Implementing Arrangement (SIA) signed at Government level, the Bid was awarded on 5 January 2021 and contract signed in April 2021 for 4 x VMMDs for delivery in 2021/22,” Armtrac said.It noted that the VMMD, based on the Armtrac 100-350 Mk2, “provides the capability to accommodate two operators within the armoured cabin to operate a vegetation cutter on the rear robotic arm to clear high vegetation on roadsides and a detector on the front robotic arm to detect the IEDs together with a paint marker to indicate the position.”

“A small excavator bucket, fitted to the rear robotic arm in place of the vegetation cutter, allows some excavation of earth for exposure of buried EO,” it added.

The Royal Thai Army has Converted the H145 Helos into Air Ambulance

Army commander Has approved guidelines for the use of aircraft of the Royal Thai Army to support missions to return air medical lines during normal times and in the field by improving and modifying the 4 units of H145 light general-purpose helicopter aircraft that were originally used for general administrative operations to be developed the ability to be an ambulance helicopter.

Lieutenant Colonel Nuchrawee Jamjamrat, Assistant Spokesperson for the Royal Thai Army, said that H145 is a standard aircraft that is suitable to be adapted to Helicopters for emergency medical services search and rescue Due to its small size, mobility and can be equipped with medical accessories such as defibrillator with wireless patient monitoring, ventilator, sputum suction, bag with emergency resuscitation equipment, medication control, intravenous solution and rescue stretcher for patient transport.

Expected to be completed by the end of 2021, the Army will divide into each region to be used to help people for the repatriation of air medical lines.According to the information in the procurement documents released by the Army on its website. This project uses a budget of 53.2 million baht to renovate 4 of the Army's H145 by installing a floor to support medical equipment oxygen tank with stand medical equipment storage cabinet sit-ly and fold-out emergency wheelchairs and medical equipment racks.

On the other side The Royal Thai Army has prepared a plan to supply 10 biosafety detection vehicles and 5 mobile diagnostic laboratory vehicles with necessary medical equipment to the Military Medical Science Research Institute and hospitals under the Royal Thai Army in every region to support the proactive search for infected people in areas where the outbreak is found to public screening forces and personnel at risk groups.