MILITARY VEHICLE NEWS
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04 Jan 10. Brazil receives first ex-German Leopard 1s. Brazil received its first batch of 19 ex-German Army Leopard 1 main battle tanks (MBTs) and 15 support vehicles in mid-December. The vehicles form the first part of a government-to-government deal covering a total of 220 Leopards for active service and a further 30 that will be cannibalised for spares and maintenance support. Of the active vehicles, 19 are Leopard 1-based support types. (Source: Jane’s)
07 Jan 10. FMV has relaunched an international tender for the Swedish Armed Force’s (SAF) next-generation armored modular vehicles. Bids must be received by March 9. The original armored modular vehicles’ (AMV) project was abandoned when BAE Systems Hägglunds appealed FMV’s decision to award the $340m AMV contract to Finland’s Patria in June 2009. BAE Systems Hägglunds claimed the FMV-managed bid process lacked fairness and transparency. BAE Systems Hägglunds, one of the two short-listed contenders, appealed the FMV decision to Sweden’s County Administrative court, which upheld the British-American defense group’s complaint and ordered FMV to hold a new competition. The overturned contract had included delivery of 113 Patria AMV eight-wheel-drive vehicles, which Patria’s Land & Armaments’ unit had planned to assemble at its home-manufacturing base in Finland, and together with partner groups in Sweden. The new process retains core aspects of the initial format, seeking bids for armored all-terrain wheeled vehicles. FMV expects to be in a position to sign a new contract by July. This time frame fits into the SAF’s demand for delivery of the first batch of AMVs in 2014. BAE Systems Hägglunds and Patria have both tendered new bids. The
American-British defense group’s bid will again center on the Spitterskyddad Enhets Platform (SEP) modular armored tactical vehicle. A total of $192m had been invested in developing the SEP since 2005. Of this amount, BAE Systems contributed $64m, while the Swedish state invested $128m. (Source: Defense News)
07 Jan 10. Sweden sets deadline for new AWV procurement contest. Sweden has set a bid deadline of 9 March for the re-run of its armoured wheeled vehicle (AWV) procurement contest. The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (Farsvarets Materielverk or FMV) announced on 30 December that it is aiming to sign a contract for 113 AWVs, including an option for 113 additional vehicles, “during the later part of the second quarter of 2010”. Under the new request for proposals (RfP), FMV is looking to bring the AWVs into service “in the beginning of 2014”.(Source: Jane’s)