Conflict catalog

1968 Moro Conflict: Weapons and Equipment

The 1968 Moro Conflict is the long-running armed struggle in Mindanao between the Philippine state and Moro rebel movements, with the Marawi campaign and later southern Philippines clashes remaining part of its modern archive.

The 1968 Moro Conflict is a long-running armed struggle in Mindanao between the Government of the Philippines and Moro rebel movements. Recent archive coverage centers on the Bangsamoro peace process, Marawi-related fighting, and other southern Philippines security operations.

This catalog covers weapon systems documented in the broader 1968 Moro Conflict in Mindanao, including later clashes such as the Marawi campaign and other southern Philippines operations.

Entries should identify the exact system and role whenever possible because open-source reporting often names only the aircraft, unit, or battle.

3 weapon systems

Conflict Actors

Government of the Philippines / Moro rebel movements

Context

Status
Published catalog
Domains
land, air, urban warfare

The catalog is shaped by insurgency, urban siege fighting, counterinsurgency air support, and intermittent clashes involving Moro separatist and Islamist armed groups.

Weapons

1968 Moro Conflict Weapon Systems

Category

Aircraft & UAVs

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

2/2
MG-520, Light attack helicopter, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsMG-520Light attack helicopterSide: Government of the PhilippinesRole: Urban rocket attack helicopterBuilt: McDonnell Douglas / United StatesThe MG-520, also known as the MD-520MG Defender, is a Philippine Air Force light attack helicopter derived from the MD 500E/Defender family. Its Philippine fit is documented with .50-caliber machine guns and seven-tube rocket pods, giving the 15th Strike Wing a compact close-air-support aircraft for counterinsurgency, the Zamboanga crisis, and the 2017 2017 Battle of Marawi.
FA-50PH, Supersonic light combat aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsFA-50PHSupersonic light combat aircraftSide: Government of the PhilippinesRole: Close air supportBuilt: Korea Aerospace Industries / South KoreaThe FA-50PH is the Philippine Air Force export variant of Korea Aerospace Industries' T-50/FA-50 family, a South Korean supersonic light combat aircraft derived from the T-50 advanced trainer. Philippine service includes Marawi close-air-support sorties in 2017, a 2025 combat-support mission against suspected New People's Army guerrillas, and an upgrade program for the surviving first-batch aircraft.

Category

Infantry Weapons

Portable weapons used by soldiers and small units.

1/1
.30-Caliber Machine Gun, Crew-served medium machine gun, Infantry WeaponsInfantry Weapons.30-Caliber Machine GunCrew-served medium machine gunSide: Moro rebel movementsRole: Recovered crew-served automatic weapon from a Dawlah Islamiya-Maute clashBuilt: Unknown / Various manufacturers / Unknown for the recovered weapons; representative Browning M1919-family guns were built in the United States and allied production linesThe .30-caliber machine gun entry covers model-unspecified crew-served automatic weapons recovered from IS-linked militant contexts in Mindanao. Philippine reporting documented one gun among weapons cleared from Marawi's former Main Battle Area after the 2017 Battle of Marawi, and a later Philippine Army-sourced report listed one .30 caliber machine gun recovered after a 2022 clash with Dawlah Islamiya-Maute Group members in Maguing, Lanao del Sur. The public sources did not identify whether either weapon was a Browning M1919-family gun or another .30-caliber pattern.

Conflict Sources

This catalog uses the broad 1968 Moro Conflict label for southern Philippines insurgency and siege reporting. Entries should still tie each weapon to a documented campaign or clash when possible.

  • From conflict to communityPublisher: United Nations | Note: Supports the broader Mindanao conflict context, the Bangsamoro peace-process framing, and the long-running southern Philippines insurgency background. | Accessed: 2026-06-26
  • The State of the Moro Conflict in the PhilippinesPublisher: ReliefWeb | Note: Supports the broad 1968 Moro Conflict framing and the Philippine state-versus-Moro rebel movement context in Mindanao. | Accessed: 2026-06-26