Filipino and American soldiers teamed up together to train on the “Avenger,” not the superhero team featured in the epic Marvel movie, but the powerful short-range air defense missile system from the United States.
Personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and US Army participated in a subject matter expert exchange (SMEE) focused on the familiarization with the premier shoot-on-the-move air defense platform – the Avenger air defense system – and its primary armament, the FIM-92 Stinger missile, at the Naval Education, Training and Doctrine Command (NETDC) in Zambales on Tuesday, April 22.
The SMEE on the Avenger missile system was part of this year’s iteration of the Balikatan Exercises.
“This exchange strengthens tactical synchronization, enhances combined operational readiness, and demonstrates the enduring interoperability and mutual commitment of both forces to regional security and defense preparedness,” according to Lt. Col. John Paul Salgado, chief of the Combined Joint Information Bureau for Balikatan.
The Avenger is a highly mobile, short-range air defense system, which integrates eight ready-to-fire Stinger missiles mounted on a Humvee four-wheeled military vehicle.
It provides rapid target engagement against low-flying aircraft, helicopters, and unmanned aerial systems.
Meanwhile, the Stinger missile is known for its infrared homing guidance and fire-and-forget capability, which means it can be launched, and the missile will autonomously track and destroy its target without further input from the operator after launch.
The Stinger missile allows operators to quickly neutralize aerial threats with high precision.