DOST Considers Mass Production of Project BUHAWI

MANILA – Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato de la Peña said Friday that they are looking to commercialize the Building a Universal Mount for Heavy Barrel Automated Weapon Integration (BUHAWI).

“Research and Development (R&D) and prototype development (of BUHAWI) had already been completed. Training will continue until October. When commercialized, the first users will be DND (Department of National Defence) “, de la Peña told the Philippine News. Agency.

BUHAWI is a collaborative project between DOST, the Philippine Navy and the Robotics Society of the Philippines.

De la Peña said the automated gun mount can then be exported because it is cheaper than imported mounts.

The imported technologies cost about PHP24 million, while BUHAWI’s development costs only PHP14 million, de la Peña said.

Mass producing it would further reduce the cost to PHP 12 million.

As part of the pilot commercialization, the DOST chief said the agency aims to establish standard manufacturing processes for BUHAWI to prepare for its licensing to adopters and mass production.

Mass production of the BUHAWI would result in reduced import requirements since the country can manufacture parts and components locally.

“Another benefit of using the (Philippine-made) BUHAWI is the opportunity to hone the expertise of manufacturers and end users. As the nation that owns the technology, we can lead technology transfer initiatives to best benefit the Filipinos,” de la Peña mentioned.

He acknowledged that other countries are more experienced in designing remote-controlled weapon stations and that the Philippines depends on foreign-developed defense technologies.

“Pursuing a self-sustaining defense posture means we must develop the capability to produce our own. BUHAWI is proof that we have this capability. From a broader perspective, BUHAWI is proof that partnership is crucial to sustaining our remarkable journey towards being autonomous in the field of local defense,” said de la Peña.

He noted that BUHAWI’s sequence of operations – surveillance, target detection, identification and reconnaissance, with tracking and engagement – is the result of rigid R&D.

“Its high probability of success, together with the integration of a technological camera system and the optimization of Industry 4.0 technologies such as artificial intelligence, automation and additive manufacturing, are the result of the collaboration of individuals from different areas of expertise,” he said.

BUHAWI, de la Peña said, is a testament to DOST’s support of DND’s Self-Defense Posture Program (SRDP). (NAP)