According to ITAR-TASS, the subsidiary company of the American General Dynamics, Steyr-Daimler-Puch has won the tender for supply of armoured personnel carrier to Czech Army.

Austrian company Steyr-Daimler-Puch that plays a major role in General Dynamics Land Systems Europe, will supply 199 armoured personnel carriers. The contract provides for possible increase of the order by 35 vehicles.

The contract value is 23 billion korunas (1.03 billion dollars).

The supplies of PANDUR II will start in 2006 and continue till 2012.

Initially more than 40 manufacturers of armored vehicles took part in the tender, but only four of them reached the final - Patria Vehicles Oy from Finland, British BAE Land Systems & Armament, German Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH., and Austrian Steyr-Daimler-Puch (which did not offer the vehicle but participated with weapon station on the Finish APC base).

Later the British abandoned the tender, German weapon station was withdrawn due to failure of the vehicle to produce proper qualities during water fording. Rheinmetall stated that their weapon station has better protection comparing to other weapon stations and reduction to the level of others will not effect the buoyancy.

The cost of the Finish APC increased the limit set by the Czech Army. However it contained additional, comparing to Pandur II, systems such as IFF and «Hunter-killer».

However the arguments of those who lost might not have been sufficiently convincing, and nowadays the Czech Republic will arm its Army with the armoured personnel carriers produced by the Austrian-American consortium.

Sergyi Wey
16.01.2006

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