The Council of Ministers Approved the Urgent Acquisition of 40 Armored Vehicles
(Source: Spanish Ministry of Defence; issued Nov. 2, 2007)
(Issued in Spanish only; unofficial translation by defense-aerospace.com)
The BMR series is one of three families of armored vehicles that Spain will replace with its new,
575-vehicle acquisition program. (SFOR photo)
MADRID --- The Council of Ministers has authorized the urgent acquisition of 40 armored vehicles, as the first step in the Armed Forces Equipment Renewal Program supported by Defence Minister José Antonio Alonso.
The purchase approved today supposes an expenditure of 14.4 million euros, and the vehicles are to be made available between the end of 2007 and the first quarter of 2008.
The entire Armed Forces Equipment Renewal Program calls for the expenditure of 321 million euros and the acquisition of 575 vehicles. The replacement of the armed forces’ current armored vehicles is required by the appearance of new military scenarios that require equipment especially suited to liaison and transport missions, having a self-defense capability and high-performance security features.
The plan will be carried out in three parts. During the first one, in 2007-2009, 220 armored vehicles will be acquired to begin replacement of the BMR, VAMTAC and ANIBAL vehicles currently in service. This number will be adjusted as required to allow the Spanish armed forces to meet their current commitments. The planned investment is of 143 million euros.
The plan calls for the acquisition of 120 vehicles for infantry squads (4/5 passengers) for delivery in 2007-2008, and of 100 platoon vehicles (8-10 passengers) that are to be available before the end of 2009.
In the plan’s second phase (2009-2010), the Ministry of Defence will invest 178 million euros for the acquisition of an additional 355 armored vehicles, of which 275 squad vehicles and 80 platoon vehicles. Deliveries are to ramp up gradually beginning in 2010.
Finally, the third phase will cover the acquisition of new-generation, 8x8 vehicles. The Ministry of Defence is considering whether to conduct this phase in cooperation with international partners, or through the selection of technology leader capable of incorporating the latest advances in R&D and of transferring them to Spanish industry.
This new generation of armored vehicles, with substantial self-defense and combat capabilities, will feature wide-ranging multi-mission capabilities. This means that they will be designed and build around interchangeable mission modules that will allow them to adapt to multiple roles and missions, such as troop transport, cargo transport, ambulance etc.
The current vehicles, most of which have been in service since the early 1980s, have undergone radical improvements in terms of safety, communications and drive-trains. Although they are excellent vehicles from a technical point of view, the Ministry of Defence considers it necessary to undertake all possible efforts to improve and renew the equipment of the Armed Forces. This is why, in April of this year, the State Secretariat for Defence began working on this Renewal Program according to the instructions of Defence Minister José Antonio Alonso.
The favored acquisition method, by sequential batches, matches the production capabilities of the defence industry.
-ends-
Defense-Aerospace
![8-]](./images/smilies/icon_cool.gif "Cool"){kind=icon}
