GA is led by Gerry P. Amante (Director) and Arnold Rafael Y. Depakakibo (assistant director).[3]
History
GA was established through Republic Act No. 1884 which was signed into law on June 22, 1957,[4][5] the Arsenal is a line bureau under the Department of National Defense.[2] It was only on March 7, 1967, that a presidential proclamation on its present site at Limay, Bataan was declared.[6] Accordingly, on October 12, 1967, the groundbreaking materialized at the spot where the statue of General Antonio Luna now stands. The 514th and 564th Engineering Construction Battalions of the 51st Engineering Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) were tasked with construction of GA facilities.[2]
On August 15, 1971, the first SAA cartridge rolled out of the GA's production assembly line. Three years later, the integrated SAA manufacture began, with all the components - case, primer, propellant powder, and bullet assembled into a complete cartridge.
On February 23, 1995, Republic Act 7898, otherwise known as the AFP Modernization Act, was enacted.[7] Republic Act 7898 likewise provides for the modernization of the Government Arsenal for the development of production capabilities to enhance self-sufficiency in defense requirements. Specifically, Section 12 of this Act mandates that "the government arsenal shall be utilized in the production of basic weapons, ammunition and other munitions for the use of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police (PNP), and for the sale and export of products in excess of AFP/PNP requirements."[4]
As part of the modernization effort, the arsenal, through the Department of National Defense, issued an invitation to bid for a Multi-Station Bullet Assembly Machine for 5.56mm M193/M855 in August 2009.[8] This marked a significant expansion of existing production lines. Bids failed on December 4, 2009, and on March 10, 2010.[8]
On November 15, 2012, the Arsenal established its Small Arms Repair and Upgrade Unit (SARUU) to handle repair, refurbishment, upgrading and enhancement of the firearms of the military and law enforcement services.[9]
On November 14, 2018, the Arsenal signed a co-production agreement with Samyang Comtech Co. Ltd. of South Korea to manufacturing and testing facilities within the Government Arsenal complex to produce armor vests and ballistic helmets.[10]
On April 5, 2019, the arsenal broke ground for two major production facilities under co-production agreements with South Korean firms: a force protection equipment manufacturing plant in partnership with Samyang Comtech and a 5.56mm magazine manufacturing plant in partnership with Buhueng Precision.[11][12] The event was attended by Secretary Lorenzana alongside South Korean ambassador Han Dongman, Samyang Comtech Co., Ltd. Inc. Representative Kim Jong-il, BuHueng Precision Co., Ltd. President Min Hung-ki, and Director General Kim Kitaek of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.[13]
On May 29, 2021, Secretary Lorenzana inspected GA's Building 27 or the mixing composition room after an explosion took place where two GA employees were killed, which he deemed to be a workplace accident.[14]
On June 28, 2022, GA and Bataan City officials signed a memorandum of agreement to expand GA's estate in the freeport area.[15]
On January 23, 2023, DND Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. proposed that ammo made by GA can be turned to training ammo due to concerns of ammunition wastage.[16]
Location
GA is located in Barangay Lamao, Limay, Bataan on a 370-hectare defense industrial estate.[17] The area has a total of 370.37 hectares.[18]
Government Arsenal (GA) Strategic Plan
This section should include a summary of, or be summarized in, another article. See Wikipedia:Summary style for information on how to incorporate it into this article's main text, or the main text of another article.(January 2023)
The Government Arsenal Strategic Plan will serve as a guide or roadmap in the acquisition of necessary technologies to enhance the GA's manufacturing capability in collaboration with the various defense industry players and the academe.
The GA Strategic Plan focuses on the following:
Phase 1: Self-Reliance and enhancement of Small Arms Production Capacity
1.1) Acquisition of dedicated production line for 5.56mm and 9mm ammunition.
1.2) Construction of additional manufacturing plant and warehouses
2. Facility Support System:
2.1) Improvement of 1.3km road from Main Gate to Dam area
2.2) Development of the road from the Dam area to the Proposed GA-DIE
2.3) Construction of 30-m and 40-m access bridge
2.4) Construction of Perimeter Fence
2.5) Re-piping of Water line
2.6) Construction of Waste Water Treatment Facility
3. Acquisition of capability and establish Cold Rolling Mill for the local production of metallic raw materials;
4. Establishment of manufacturing facility and equipment for the in-house production of explosives material:
4.1) Acquisition of capability and establish a facility for in-country production of Propellant powder;
4.2) Acquisition of capability and establish a facility for the in-country production of Nitroglycerin and Nitrocellulose
4.3) Acquisition of equipment for in-house production of Trinitroresorcinol (TNR)
Phase 2: New Capability Development
5. Acquisition of capability and establish Bomb Melt Loading Facility
6. Acquisition of capability and establish a facility for the in-country production of 5.56mm magazine;
7. Acquisition of capability and establish a facility for the in-country production of Force Protection Equipment
8. Acquisition of necessary equipment and technology for the in-country production/assembly of 40m.
9. Acquisition of necessary equipment and technology for the in-country production/assembly of Cal. 50 ammunition;
10. Acquisition of capability and establish a facility for the manufacture of assault rifle
11. Establishment of Ballistics Testing Center
Phase 3: Other New Capability Development in collaboration with AFP Major Services
12. Collaboration with the Philippine Air Force to establish capability for the in-country production of peculiar air munitions;
13. Coordinate and collaborate with the Philippine Navy for the development of capability in the manufacture of peculiar Naval Ammunition such as; 76mm, 25mm, 20mm and 40mm;
14. Collaboration with various stakeholders to develop the capability for the in-country production of at least the basic mobility equipment for the defense and security establishments;
15. Collaboration with various stakeholders to develop the capability for the production of Combat Clothing and Individual Equipment (CCEI)
16. Collaboration with the various stakeholders to develop capability in the production of communications equipment; and
17. Collaboration with the AF, academe and the other concerned government agencies to develop capability in the production of missile systems.
Ammunition Marking System
Small arms ammunition manufactured by the Government Arsenal can be identified by the headstamp code: "RPA".[19] This acronym stands for "Republic of the Philippines Arsenal".
In 2011, a new standard coding system was adopted by the arsenal following formulation and final approval in October of the previous year. This replaced the previous coding system which was derived from the product codes of foreign manufacturers using a combination of English and Metric/Système International (SI) units.
The revised system uses simplified alphanumeric designations that make reference to the ammunition's caliber and type for ease of identification while avoiding unnecessary complications caused by the use of mixed English & SI units and designations based on different foreign code systems.[20]
Description
Existing Code
Revised GA Code
M193 5.56MM, BALL
5.56MM M193 BALL
GA 556100
M855 / SS109 5.56MM
5.56MM M855
GA 556110
5.56MM, ARMOUR PIERCING AMMUNITION
-
GA 556200
5.56MM, ARMOUR PIERCING INCENDIARY
-
GA 556300
5.56MM, BLANK
5.56MM BLANK
GA 556400
5.56MM, MATCH (55 GRAINS)
-
GA 556500
5.56MM, MATCH (69 GRAINS)
-
GA 556505
5.56MM, TRACER
-
GA 556600
M80 CARTRIDGE, 7.62MM, BALL, BOAT TAIL
7.62MM M80 BALL
GA 762100
M80A CARTRIDGE, 7.62MM, BALL, SQUARE BASE
7.62MM M80A BALL
GA 762105
7.62MM, ARMOUR PIERCING INCENDIARY
-
GA 762300
7.62MM, BLANK
-
GA 762400
M852 CARTRIDGE, 7.62MM, MATCH
-
GA 762500
7.62MM, TRACER
7.62MM, M62 (GM) TRACER
GA 762600
CAL .45, M1911, BALL
CAL.45 M1911 BALL
GA 45100
CAL .45, M1911, TRAINING SWC (190 GRAINS)
-
GA 45110
CAL .45, M1911, TRAINING RN (210 GRAINS)
-
GA 45115
9MM PARABELLUM, BALL
9MM PARABELLUM BALL
GA 9100
CAL .30 M1
CAL .30 M1 BALL
GA 30100
CAL .30 M2
CAL .30 M2 BALL
GA 30105
CAL .50 M33
CAL .50 M33 BALL
GA 50100
CAL .38 SPL 158 LRN
CAL.38 SPL 158 LRN
GA 38700
To improve the accounting and traceability of government-produced munitions, the Government Arsenal has endeavored to implement laser engraving technology into its ammunition production process as part of the modernization of its production lines, making it the first domestic ammunition manufacturer to do so.[20] This involved the acquisition of a laser marking and packaging machine for use with 5.56mm and 7.62mm ammunition. Information on each ammunition batch produced will be stored in a database allowing for easier accounting of the origin, transfer, receipt, utilization and/or disposal of ammunition.[21]
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy. The President of the Philippines is the Commander-in-Chief of the AFP and forms military policy with the Department of National Defense, an executive department acting as the principal organ by which military policy is carried out, while the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines serves as the overall commander and the highest-ranking officer in the AFP.
The 5.56×45mm NATO is a rimless bottlenecked intermediate cartridge family developed in the late 1970s in Belgium by FN Herstal. It consists of the SS109, L110, and SS111 cartridges. On 28 October 1980, under STANAG 4172, it was standardized as the second standard service rifle cartridge for NATO forces as well as many non-NATO countries. Though they are not entirely identical, the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge family was derived from and is dimensionally similar to the .223 Remington cartridge designed by Remington Arms in the early 1960s.
Tracer ammunition (AMO) (Tracers) are bullets or cannon-caliber projectiles that are built with a small pyrotechnic charge in their base. When fired, the pyrotechnic composition is ignited by the burning powder and burns very brightly, making the projectile trajectory visible to the naked eye during daylight, and very bright during nighttime firing. This allows the shooter to visually trace the flight path of the projectile and thus make necessary ballistic corrections, without having to confirm projectile impacts and without even using the sights of the weapon. Tracer fire can also be used as a marking tool to signal other shooters to concentrate their fire on a particular target during battle.
The .308 Winchester is a smokeless powder rimless bottlenecked rifle cartridge widely used for hunting, target shooting, police, military, and personal protection applications globally. It is similar but not identical to the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge.
The Arms Corporation of the Philippines (Armscor) is a firearms manufacturing company in the Philippines. The company is known for its inexpensive 1911-pattern pistols, revolvers, shotguns, sporting rifles, firearms parts and ammunition. The company, whose manufacturing facility is located in Marikina, produces about 200,000 firearms and some 420 million rounds of ammunition a year, where 80 percent of this is exported and sold to over 60 countries. In 2017, the company was renamed Armscor Global Defense, Inc.
The Department of National Defense is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for guarding against external and internal threats to peace and security in the country. The Department of National Defense exercises executive supervision over the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP), the Government Arsenal (GA), and Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC). It is also responsible for disaster preparation and management in the country.
The K2 Black Panther is a South Korean main battle tank designed by the Agency for Defense Development and manufactured by Hyundai Rotem. The tank's design began in the 1990s to meet the strategic requirements of the Republic of Korea Army's reform for three-dimensional, high-speed maneuver warfare based on use of network-centric warfare.
The Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) is the marine corps of the Philippines, a naval infantry force under the command of the Philippine Navy. The PMC conducts amphibious, expeditionary, and special operations missions.
The Marine Scout Sniper Rifle (MSSR) is a Philippine semi-automatic designated marksman rifle developed by the Philippine Marine Corps for their Marine Scout Snipers. Designed in the mid-1990s to replace severely-outdated battle rifles then used as marksman rifles, the MSSR is essentially an M16A1 that has been heavily modified and accurized to serve as a marksman rifle.
The Type CQ is an unlicensed Chinese variant of the M16 rifle manufactured by Norinco. According to the Norinco website, the rifle is officially known as CQ 5.56.
The AR-M1, also known as AK-47M1, is a Bulgarian assault rifle designed primarily for export. It is a modernized Bulgarian derivative of the AKK, which itself is based on the Soviet AK-47. The AR-M1 can be chambered for both the 5.56×45mm NATO and 7.62×39mm cartridges.
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Initially formed as part of the Philippine Army, the PAF is responsible for both defending the Philippine airspace, and conducting aerial operations throughout the Philippines, such as close air support operations, combat air patrols, aerial reconnaissance missions, airlift operations, helicopter tactical operations and aerial humanitarian operations. The PAF is headquartered at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay, and is headed by the Chief of the Air Force, who also serves as the branch's highest-ranking military officer.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Modernization Act, officially designated as Republic Act No. 7898, was a Philippine law that was enacted on February 23, 1995, by President Fidel V. Ramos. It was aimed to modernize all branches of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) such as the Philippine Air Force, Philippine Navy, and the Philippine Army. The law was intended to last for 15 years with an initial budget of 50 billion pesos for the first five years, but the funding was stopped due to the 1997 Asian financial crisis. After the financial crisis, the funding for the AFP modernization was halted and later neglected by successive administrations until the law expired in 2010.
The Philippines is not known, or believed, to possess weapons of mass destruction. Article II Section 8 of the Philippine Constitution explicitly forbids the presence of nuclear weapons in the Philippines.
The process of security sector governance and reform in the Philippines – which involves professionalizing, civilianizing, and modernizing/capacitating the Philippine government's security institutions to align them with ideals of good governance and with principles such as human rights, freedom of information, and the rule of civilian law – has been a continuing process since the establishment of the Fifth Philippine Republic after the 1986 People Power Revolution, before the concept had even been fully defined internationally in the 1990s.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
.30 Carbine & .30-06 Springfield
.38 Special & 9x19mm Parabellum
Cal .45, M1911, Ball
45 ACP Training (Teflon-coated SWC & RN)
7.62×37mm Musang
5.56x45mm Ball (M193)
5.56x45mm Ball (M193), Match (55 gr & 69 gr)
5.56x45mm NATO (M855, SS109) & Blank
7.62×51mm NATO Ball (M80)
7.62×51mm NATO Ball (M80A)
7.62×51mm NATO Blank
7.62×51mm NATO Match (168 gr)
HDPE ammunition crates
