Slovaks Order 10 Blast-Resistant Iveco LMVs
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Fiat subsidiary Iveco Defence Vehicles recently announced a contract with the Slovak Army for 10 Light Multirole Vehicles to be delivered by the end of 2009. They join a larger trend of blast-resistant vehicle orders that are connected with international deployments; Slovakia is a NATO country, and in June 2008 it agreed to increase its troop commitment in Afghanistan.
Iveco’s LMV is known by many names, including MLV, CLV, Lynx, Lince, and Panther. Under any name, this vehicle is quickly becoming a standard among NATO countries in the blast-resistant vehicle segment. The vehicle has survived IED land-mines, suicide car bombs, and even a possible RPG attack in Afghanistan. Back in March 2006, “Norway Rush-Orders Mine-Resistant Iveco MLVs” discussed the vehicles protective features, which accompany a mobility level that might have made it a legitimate candidate for the recent American M-ATV competition – if Iveco had participated.
Iveco reports in an emailed document that its vehicle has received a total of 2,498 orders so far from Italy (1,286) and from Austria (150), Belgium (440), Britain (401), Croatia (10), The Czech Republic (21), Norway (60), Spain (120), and now the Slovak Republic (10).
