 |
| The Seal of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), original Image from Wikimedia Commons |
I was able to attend the Static Display of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) which was part of their 88th Anniversary Celebrations at Camp Aguinaldo. I almost wasn’t able to get in at first at (I think it was) Gate 5 because the Guards there didn’t know that the Event was open to the Public. So I had to explain to them that it said so on the AFP Facebook Page.
The Guards then referred me and some other People instead to Gate 6 which was a bit far from Gate 5, but luckily there they allowed us to get in. The Problem I found with this Event though was that since the Security was tight because of the Parade and Review attended by President Bong Bong Marcos (PBBM) later in the Afternoon, they closed off most of the Entrances and Exits except for only a few.
There were no Public Transportation inside the Camp also at that time, and remember that this is a pretty big Camp, so walking from Gate 6 to the Grandstand Area and back (plus the extra walking I did around the Grandstand Area) was quite a lot. My Smartband told me that for that particular time alone, I took over 10,000 Steps and walked the equivalent of more than 6 km.
So it wasn’t exactly a “Walk in the Park”, unless you wanted to have an unscheduled Workout. So just leave the Picture and Video taking to Military Enthusiasts like me, LOL. Even if you have a Car or a Motorcycle, not sure if they will allow it in.
This is probably one Reason why there weren’t a lot of People around, only a few aside from the Soldiers and other Personnel already there standing beside the Assets.
‘T129B ATAK’
Anyway, it was well worth it as I was able to see up close some of the new Assets of the AFP, starting off with the T129B ATAK Helicopter of the Philippine Air Force (PAF). It is a beautiful, beautiful Aircraft, with such clean lines, and so pristine because it was all brand new.
I could almost smell its newness. This is the type of Aircraft that you would dream about as a Kid, just an extremely beautiful piece of Combat Machinery. It looked Sleek, but Deadly. Too bad its Cannon and the Rocket Pods were covered, but still it alone made my Day.
‘Sabrah’
I also saw up close the Sabrah Light Tanks of the Philippine Army (PA), they had three Units there at the Event. One Thing that struck me about these Tanks is how SILENT they are, despite their Size and very powerful Engines.
They were no more noisier than an ordinary Car on the Street, even when they were revving up their Engines. This of course is by Design as having a low Acoustic Signature helps improve its Survivability. Like I said before, in Hindsight, I still think these Tanks are a bit oversized though for a Light Tank.
Hell, look oversized even for a Main Battle Tank (MBT). Ironically, the Event was held near the AFP Museum where another Light Tank (maybe a real “Light” Tank) was on Display, the M41 Walker Bulldog. Immediately one could see that the Bulldog was a much, much smaller Tank in Terms of Height, Width and Length than the Sabrah.
Anyway, the Sabrah was still beautiful to look at, but not “Sleek” because of its tall Height and big Size. But good that the PA now at least have some real Tanks.
‘Parting Shot’
I will take my time to Edit and Process the Pictures and Videos, I will try to release them as soon as possible, but don’t expect them to come out immediately. But I promise they will be very much worthwhile.
Check out the Links to my other Social Media Accounts at https://linktr.ee/rhk111
Don’t forget to click on the Ads or to donate to help support this Website.
No comments:
Post a Comment