Canada Purchases $200M in Equipment for Operation ARCHER in Afghanistan

Kandahar, Afghanistan(click to view full) Canada will be deploying more forces to Afghanistan soon, as part of its ongoing commitments to the NATO ISAF force. In February 2006, the Canadian Forces will increase its presence by deploying approximately 2,000 personnel to the volatile and dangerous region of Kandahar, which was once the seat of the Taliban/ al-Qaeda government. Before deploying, its Department of National Defence (DND) is purchasing C$ 234 million (USD $200 million) worth of equipment, including IED-resistant patrol vehicles, ATVs, modern artillery & GPS-guided munitions, UAVs, support equipment, and technologically advanced surveillance, security and communications systems. Yet the most significant item may be the one that isn’t on this list, and the ordering/ delivery times raise questions as well. The DND orders for Operation ARCHER include: RG-31 (click to view full) 50 BAE Land Systems OMC RG-31 Mine-resistant Armoured Patrol Vehicles (C$ 120 million incl. spares, support, etc. Unfunded option for 25 more). Defense Update indicates that the vehicles themselves were about C$ 60 million, which would make support half of the contract. The vehicles will be manufactured in South Africa and delivered by February 2006, arriving in theater in March 2006. CASR has fuller details re: the […]