The MX-7 Gagamba was one of several

vehicle A vehicle (from la, vehiculum) is a machine that transports people or cargo. Vehicles include wagons, bicycles, motor vehicles (motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, mobility scooters for disabled people), railed vehicles (trains, trams), wa ...

s that the

Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) ( Tagalog: ''Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas''; in literal English: ''Army of the Ground of the Philippines''; in literal Spanish: ''Ejército de la Tierra de la Filipinas'') is the main, oldest and largest branch of the ...

evaluated in 2007 for use as an armored escort vehicle (AEV). The MX-7 is a modified British "

Ferret The ferret (''Mustela furo'') is a small, Domestication, domesticated species belonging to the family Mustelidae. The ferret is most likely a domesticated form of the wild European polecat (''Mustela putorius''), evidenced by their Hybrid (biol ...

" Mk2

scout car A scout car is a light wheeled armored military vehicle, purpose-built and used for passive reconnaissance. Scout cars are either unarmed or lightly armed for self-defense, and do not carry large caliber weapons systems. This differentiates them ...

, imported and modified by a Filipino used-metalworking and machining company called Steelcraft. This is the same company that produced such

armored vehicle Military vehicles are commonly armoured (or armored; see spelling differences) to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets, shells, rockets, and missiles, protecting the personnel inside from enemy fire. Such vehicles include armoured fighting ...

prototypes as the MX-1 "Kalakian", and the MX-8. The latter was evaluated at the same time as the MX-7. Despite being agile and fast, it is vulnerable to local RPG rounds, although it can deflect 7.62 millimetre rounds at

point-blank range Point-blank range is any distance over which a certain firearm can hit a target without the need to compensate for bullet drop, and can be adjusted over a wide range of distances by sighting in the firearm. If the bullet leaves the barrel paral ...

. It was not adopted by the Philippines Army.

Features

The MX-7 has a crew of two. It is designed as a scout and reconnaissance vehicle, armed with a single 7.62 mm

machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...

in a one-man turret. It is also fitted with six

smoke grenade Smoke grenades used at demonstrations in Paris, 2008 upBritish L83A1 Smoke Grenade manufactured in May 2008. This grenade has already been used. A smoke grenade is a canister-type grenade used as a signaling device, target or landing zone mark ...

launchers. Steelcraft modifications were a

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...

,a modified drivetrain with five-speed preselected transmission and upgraded windshields. Compared to its primary competitor, the MX-8, the MX-7 is reportedly cheaper. However, long-term maintenance costs are expected to be higher since most of its specialized components, estimated at 50% of the vehicle, are not commercially available in the Philippines.

Name

Various online Philippine defense fora have started referring to the vehicle as the "''Gagamba''", the Tagalog word for "Spider". This nickname was first mentioned on the Philippine Defense Forces Forum (PDFF). Steelcraft's company designation for the vehicle remains "MX-7", while the

has yet to choose an official name.

Sources

*
"Another Phil Army Armored 'Escort' Vehicle?"
thread at the Timawa Forums

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mx-7 Gagamba Armored fighting vehicles of the Philippines Reconnaissance vehicles

Features

Name

See also

Sources

References