This article is included in these additional categories:

Europe - Other | Events | Helicopters & Rotary | Iraq | Issues - International | Legal | Tanks & Mechanized

180 Swiss M113s to Iraq via UAE

For more on this and other stories, please consider purchasing a membership.
If you are already a subscriber, login to your account.
The Swiss cabinet has approved the sale of 180 armored personnel carriers to the United Arab Emirates, which will in turn present them to Iraq. The M113 "Gavins" have a value of SFR 12 million (USD $9.4 million) and are part of a Swiss army surplus. They are in good condition....
M113A3

M113A3 APC

The Swiss cabinet has approved the sale of 180 armored personnel carriers to the United Arab Emirates, which will in turn present them to Iraq. The M113 “Gavin” Armored Personnel Carriers have a value of SFR 12 million (USD $9.4 million) and are part of a Swiss army surplus. They are in good condition. As DID has reported, they will join 77 refurbished T-72 tanks from Hungary as the Iraqis move to build up an armored division.

While the move has attracted criticism from other political parties in Switzerland on the basis of neutrality, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) justified the decision by saying that Switzerland, like other countries, had “an interest in ensuring that the situation in Iraq stabilised as soon as possible” and noted that this was only possible when Iraqi security forces were adequately equipped to protect themselves. As further justification, it cited a United Nations’ resolution from last year, which called on UN members to help Iraq to preserve law and order. This meant that the latest sale circumvented the international embargo. Swiss Information Service (June 30/05) – Swiss M113 Personnel Carriers to Go to Iraq

NOTE: DID did not mean to imply that the M113s are destined for Iraq’s armored division – we had no information to that effect. We used the term “join” only in the sense that these are the first 2 major armored assets purchased by the elected Iraqi government. Which does indeed intend to use the T-72s as part of an armored division. DID could have worded that better, and we apologize for any confusion.

One Source: Hundreds of programs; Thousands of links, photos, and analyses

DII brings a complete collection of articles with original reporting and research, and expert analyses of events to your desktop – no need for multiple modules, or complex subscriptions. All supporting documents, links, & appendices accompany each article.

Benefits

  • Save time
  • Eliminate your blind spots
  • Get the big picture, quickly
  • Keep up with the important facts
  • Stay on top of your projects or your competitors

Features

  • Coverage of procurement and doctrine issues
  • Timeline of past and future program events
  • Comprehensive links to other useful resources