Philippine Navy & DOST launches Heavy-Barrel Automated Weapon Project BUHAWI.

Awed by the initial success of the Project BUHAWI or Building a Universal Mount for Heavy-Barrel Automated Weapon Integration, Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana of the Department of National Defense (DND) lauded the project's management team during the soft launching held on 7 January 2020 at the Force Reconnaissance Firing Range, Marine Base Gregorio Lim in Ternate, Cavite.

Project BUHAWI Heavy-Barrel Automated Weapon (Picture source: DOST)

Project BUHAWI was a collaboration between the Philippine Navy - Armed Forces of the Philippines, Department of Science and Technology, DOST's Metals Industry Research and Development Center, and Mechatronics and Robotics Society of the Philippines.

It aims to improve the firepower capability of various floating assets of the philippine navy through the development of a fully automated weapon station for .50 calibre machine gun.

Project BUHAWI Heavy-Barrel Automated Weapon (Picture source: DOST)

In his speech, Secretary Lorenzana conveyed his gratitude, on behalf of the One Defense Team, to Secretary Fortunato dela Peña of the DOST who personally graced the launching, for assisting the PN in the project.

He also thanked Engineers Jonathan Puerto, Roberto Quizon, and Franklin Quiachon; and the rest of the DOST and MRSP staff who assisted in the conceptualization, design and execution of Project BUHAWI.

The Defense Chief also commended the leadership of the Philippine Navy under VAdm Robert A. Empedrad, and the officers and enlisted personnel of the PN and Philippines Marines who worked hard on the endeavour.

"Aside from the obvious practical gains this project can give to the Philippine navy, project buhawi embodies the true spirit of the Self-reliance Defense Posture (SRDP) Program of the department. We, at the DND, believe that the SRDP is the key towards having a truly patriotic and independent defense sector, through the self-manufactured of original and indigenous defense materiel which are products of Filipino ingenuity and produced by our people’s labour and industry. I thank you all for keeping that spirit, that dream, alive and within our reach," Secretary Lorenzana said.