29 Apr 03. Italy’s defence ministry has placed an order for the upgrade of 40 Bv206 all-terrain vehicles, together with training and associated technical publications. The contract is worth around £5.6m (SEK 75m) and follows on from a previous upgrade programme for 60 Bv206 vehicles.
Italy is also planning future orders of Bv206S, one of Alvis Hägglunds’ armoured all-terrain vehicle variants. In 2000, Italy purchased two Bv206S vehicles for a trials and evaluation programme and a series order is expected within the year. The Italian Army plans to use Bv206S in conjunction with its upgraded Bv206 vehicles.
Sven Kågevall, President of Alvis Hägglunds, said:
“The successful export history of Bv206 now gives us valuable upgrade orders. This type of follow-on business has become a significant activity at Alvis Hägglunds.
Once again, this highlights the growing demand for armoured all-terrain vehicles, primarily for rapid reaction forces on international deployment.”
Alvis Hägglunds has built more than 11,000 Bv206 units and exported to 40 countries world-wide. Bv206S, an armoured development of Bv206, has been sold to Sweden, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, where it is used by rapid reaction forces and for border patrol roles.