MANILA, Philippines — In a major move to expand the local defense manufacturing landscape, an innovative American firearms developer is finalizing plans to establish its first overseas production hub in the Philippines. Nevada-based Battle Arms Development Inc. (BADI) is actively evaluating the freeport zone of Subic, Zambales and the industrial corridors of Cavite as potential locations for a multi-phase manufacturing plant.
The investment is being driven in direct partnership with its local distributor, Stone of Hope Defense (SOHD), and marks a critical milestone for the country’s military modernization efforts.
According to Board of Investments (BOI) Director Ernesto Delos Reyes Jr., the proposed venture is designed to safely scale up operations rather than starting with full-scale production immediately. The BOI is currently mapping out clear investor guidelines for defense-related activities while BADI and SOHD finalize their regional product catalog:
[ THE BADI PHILIPPINES INFLOW PIPELINE ]
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[ PHASE 1: CONTROLLED IMPORT ] [ PHASE 2: LOCAL ASSEMBLY ] [ PHASE 3: FULL PRODUCTION ]
• **Establishing the Base:** The deal • **Technical Integration:** BADI will • **Autonomous Sourcing:** The final phase
begins with the tightly regulated • transition to shipping standalone • targets full-scale manufacturing,
importation of fully built firearms • component packages to the chosen • utilizing local materials and Filipino
to seed the local security market. • facility for local assembly. • workers for regional distribution.
The BOI emphasized that the joint venture directly “aims to strengthen the country’s defense capabilities, generate employment, and support long-term industrial growth.”
The partnership marries high-tech American arms engineering with an established local builder’s logistics branch, creating a highly capable defense entity:
[ THE BADI & STONE OF HOPE DEFENSE PROFILE ]
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[ Battle Arms Development Inc. ] ──► Holding **more than 65 active patents**, the arms engineering company is globally
celebrated for its ultra-lightweight, low-recoil, and ambidextrous designs.
While it produces pistols, it is best known for its premium ArmaLite-platform (AR) rifles.
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[ Stone of Hope Defense ] ──► The defense arm of diversified conglomerate Stone of Hope Builders & Development Corp.,
SOHD operates as a fully licensed local distributor of firearms, ammunition,
tactical gear, and advanced reloading networks.
Up until this joint venture, all of BADI’s advanced engineering and parts components were manufactured exclusively inside the United States.
The timing of BADI’s local manufacturing push aligns perfectly with the country’s legislative transition toward the Self-Reliant Defense Posture (SRDP) Act. The state policy aggressively pushes to reduce reliance on foreign military imports by granting fiscal incentives, simplified licensing, and priority government contracts to defense companies that manufacture their goods within Philippine borders.
By scouting locations like Subic—a former US naval base turned logistics hub near the West Philippine Sea—and Cavite—a premier economic zone with an established manufacturing workforce—the American gun maker positions itself to become a key hardware provider for both the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the wider Indo-Pacific security corridor.
