Special Report: Philippine Army fields COBRA RCWS under self-reliance programme

COBRA has been integrated onto a Philippine Army M113A2 armoured personnel carrier. (Department of Science and Technology)

The Philippine Army has recently formally inducted a domestically developed remote-controlled weapon station (RCWS), designated Project Controller Operated Battle-Ready Armament (COBRA).

Developed by the Philippine government's Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in collaboration with the Philippine Army, COBRA is designed to allow soldiers to safely operate mounted machine guns from inside military vehicles, reducing exposure to enemy fire.

COBRA was officially handed over to the Philippine Army in December 2025 at Camp O'Donnell in Capas in Tarlac province. The army is expected to conduct further testing of the RCWS ahead of a potential decision on mass production and wider integration onto legacy vehicles.

In a statement, DOST said the COBRA handover marked a milestone in the Philippine's efforts to reduce dependence on foreign military suppliers, with this objective pursued under Manila's Self-Reliant Defense Posture (SRDP) programme.

“The event marked a significant milestone in the country's pursuit of a self-reliant defence posture, showcasing how Filipino engineers can design, test, and deliver mission-ready defence technologies,” DOST said.

Under the SRDP programme, and an associated legal framework enacted in 2024, the Philippine Army selected COBRA as a priority capability, with the intention to provide a lower‑cost, locally sustainable alternative to imported systems, DOST's Deputy Executive Director for Technical Services Jonathan Puerto told Janes.

Puerto said COBRA draws on experience gained from an earlier naval‑focused RCWS programme, Project Building a Universal Mount for Heavy-Barrel Automated Weapon Integration (BUHAWI), while addressing cost, sustainment, and responsiveness gaps identified in imported systems.

System overview