The Philippine Army is procuring the Remington-made M4 Carbine rifle to replace its M16s. Photo by the U.S. Air Force

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Remington has delivered its last batch of M4 carbine rifles to the Philippine Army, completing its contract ahead of schedule.

Remington was contracted by the Philippines for the delivery of over 56,000 rifles to replace the army's arsenal of aging M16 rifles. The final batch of 12,600 M4 carbine rifles was delivered in December, Philippine Daily Inquirer reports.


"The target of the delivery of the 12,000 firearms was in the first quarter of this year, but the delivery came early. These will be distributed as well. We hope to distribute the rest of the rifles before the end of 2016," Army spokesman Col. Benjamin Hao said.

Hao added the newly delivered weapons will be subject to ballistics test, which will be handled by the Philippine National Police's crime laboratory. Currently, roughly 20,000 rifles are undergoing ballistics examination.

"They have to undergo procedure, it takes another time before they will be distributed to troops," Hao added.

The M-16s currently used by the army will be refurbished and distributed to army reservists.

Defense World reports Philippine soldiers are using a 1960s-era variant of the M16 rifle. The new M4 the army has procured is both lighter and more powerful. The order cost the Philippine Army $40.1 million.