Armscor Global Defense, Inc. (AGDI), the biggest defense manufacturer in the Philippines and one of the largest in Asia, announced the launch of Rock Island Armory (RIA) Defense, a homegrown, international Filipino company that is set to change the landscape in the local firearms manufacturing industry.
Leveraging the engineering experience, excellent craftsmanship and innovative technology of AGDI in producing world-class quality firearms, ammunition and defense products, RIA Defense worked with local science and technology experts and sought the expertise of seasoned former military and law enforcement (MI/LE) personnel from various major services for the design and development of products that are attuned to the evolving needs and requirements of the Filipino MI/LE community.
According to AGDI Vice President for Business Development and RIA Defense Brand Manager Daniel Tuason, among the pain points shared during discussions with MI/LE personnel is that majority of the products do not truly fit their needs because these are primarily intended for foreign end-users. As such, foreign manufactured products do not take into consideration certain concerns such the Filipino physique, tropical environment, varying threat levels, budget constraints and foreign trade restrictions.
“Procurement in this country is heavily influenced by what foreign suppliers sell, which compels Filipino end-users to adapt to products that are not suited to their requirements. Instead of the product responding to the needs of the end-user, it’s the other way around with the end-user adjusting to the product. So our uniformed personnel have a hard time and sometimes don’t have the right equipment for their environment, and this made us realize that there is an underserved segment that needed our attention,” Tuason discloses.
“Once we started this journey, we began to recognize that there were more problems being faced by our law enforcement and military personnel than just environmental factors or size of the weapons. Cost was an issue, flexibility of ammunition, the difficulty of the threats that they’re encountering was also an issue. And along with that, serviceability of the weapon around the archipelago,” the RIA Defense executive reflects, underscoring the importance of having service centers all over the country.
From conception to design to research and development, it took three years for RIA Defense to come out with its initial products: the RD4P Cobra, a short-stroke Gas Piston Rifle that can shoot while and after being submerged in water; and the RD1, a multi-caliber pistol platform that can fire 9mm rounds or 22TCM armor-piercing rounds through the use of a conversion kit, enabling the end-user to deal with higher threat levels as the firearm can penetrate body armor with protection level III (NIJ LVL III).
Since the mid-’70s, AGDI has always been supportive of the self-reliant defense posture (SRDP) program that seeks to develop a local defense industry to lessen the country’s dependence on foreign suppliers for its defense requirements, especially in light of the escalating tension in the Middle East and Europe, and the security situation in the West Philippine Sea and the Indo-Pacific region.
A concrete example that underscores the need for self-reliance is the Marawi siege in
2017 by Islamic terrorists that lasted for five months, almost exhausting the ammunition
supply of government troops. AGDI stepped up to the plate, delivering 3,000 firearms in five days and 30,000 rounds of ammunition for government forces – the only private manufacturer that was able to supply the AFP at a critical time during the Marawi siege.
“From our Marikina manufacturing facility alone, we produce over 650 million rounds of ammunition and about 350,000 firearms per year, and we are continually growing. Armscor has robotics and utilizes new technologies in manufacturing top class products that are comparable with the best in the world,” says AGDI chief operations officer Felino Neri, disclosing that the company exports to over 60 countries across six continents.
“With RIA Defense, we want to demonstrate that a Filipino company can manufacture world-class products designed by the Filipino, which can help strengthen the defense capabilities of the Philippines and also build its reputation as a globally competitive defense manufacturer. For us, the bottom line is supporting the SRDP aspirations of the country and at the same time, giving back by providing thousands of jobs to help boost the country’s economic growth through this industry,” Tuason concludes.
