Czech APC Competition Narrows to 2…
(click to view full)
On September 23, 2005, DID reported on the Czech government’s tender to procure 199-234 modern 8×8 wheeled armored vehicles to replace its outdated, Soviet-era, BTR-60 derivative OT-64 SKOT armored personnel carriers (APCs). This contract is the biggest in the history of the Czech Army, and the competition has now come down to two finalists.
At the end of the first round, the Czech Ministry of Defence had named four semi-finalist firms for the $1 billion program:
- Austria’s Steyr-Daimler-Puch
- BAE Land Systems & Armament
- Finland’s Patria Vehicles Oyj; and
- Germany’s Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH.
As it happened, BAE withdrew from the competition on Sept 20, 2005, and Rheinmetall Landsysteme’s vehicle (unspecified, but the Boxer MRAV is the firm’s only 8×8 APC) failed the tests. As the Czech Defence Ministry put it…
(click for land view)
“There were three companies taking part in the test at the Brezina Military Training Area, and at Prerov in the Czech Republic for the last three weeks. Because a test vehicle of the Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH, Germany, did not prove satisfactory ability in crossing water obstacles, the company was disqualified from the tender.
Two other companies, the Patria Vehicles Oy, Finland, and the Steyr Consortium, Austria, proceed in the tender and they are to submit their final offers by 14 November 2005.” (Official release, Nov 9, 2005)
(click to view full)
As DID noted in our earlier article, Patria Vehicles Oy is submitting its popular Armoured Modular Vehicle (AMV), while Steyr-Daimler-Puch is submitting the Pandur II.
The public tender commission can then recommend a winner to the government. Agence France-Presse reports that Ministry of Defense spokesman Andrej Cirtek listed the three main criteria for the final decision as “the price, the participation of Czech industry, and the technical and tactical quality of the engines.”
Patria’s AMV uses a Scania dual power DI 12 diesel engine that produces 240-316 kW (326-430 hp) and 1,974Nm torque. The drive system uses ZF Ecomat 7HP 902 automatic transmission with 7 +1 gears. The vehicle can also be fitted with other diesel engines like Caterpillar, Cummins, MTU et. al. as required.
The Pandur II is equipped with a Cummins ISC 350 diesel engine rated at 285 hp with an electronic engine management system. A 400 horsepower engine is available as an option, and a water heater provides engine preheating for cold starting and for heating the crew compartment. The vehicle is equipped with a ZF 6HP 602C fully automatic transmission.
UPDATE:
- And The Winner Is… Steyr’s Pandur II. The weapon mounted on their official release photo was very interesting…
