Dingos for Luxembourg

Luxembourg will purchase 48 DINGO 2s from Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW). The vehicles are destined for the Army's reconnaissance companies and will come equipped with a mast system and electronics and optics from Thales.

The DINGO 2 has a range of 1000 km, a top speed of approximately 90 km/h and holds a crew of 8. It is protected by significant amour and a Kongsberg remote-operated turret. The vehicle can be transported in C160 Transall, C130 Hercules and A400M aircraft.

The contract will be coordinated through NATO's Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA) with Thales as the prime. Luxembourg will now share platform commonalities with Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic and Germany.

Source and Photo: KMW

Spain to get more Piranha IIICs

General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) has announced that Spain's Ministry of Defence and MOWAG GmbH signed a contract for a further batch of 21 units of the PIRANHA IIIC 8x8 in the amphibious version. 18 PIRANHA IIIC 8x8 are in operation with the Spanish Marines. The new vehicles will be manufactured in Kreuzlingen and delivered from the year 2009 until 2014. The newly signed contract comprises 21 PIRANHA IIIC 8x8 in nine variants to solve specific operational tasks: APC, Fire Capability, Command Post, Engineering, Ambulance, Recovery and Reconnaissance. MOWAG's CEO, Christoph Frei, was proud and pleased about the close cooperation with Spain, and he declared: “This contract is further proof of our customers' confidence in the performance and reliability of our PIRANHA, and of the good strategic partnership between the Spanish authorities and MOWAG GmbH".

The PIRANHAs will be used primarily within the framework of international missions of the Spanish Army. The threat situation in such missions specifically calls for a high level of protection for the vehicle crews against mines and ballistic weapons. The PIRANHA IIIC has a length of 7.30 m, a width of 2.66 m, and a GVW of 22 t. The vehicle reaches a speed of up to 100 km/h on the road. The PIRANHA IIIC easily manages gradients of up to 60%, and fording depths of up to 1.50 m. The 400 HP engine, together with the 7-speed automatic transmission, the modern independent wheel suspension, the tire pressure control system, and the disengageable all-wheel drive, give the PIRANHA IIIC a high degree of mobility even in difficult terrain. Moreover, the protection against ballistic threats and against mines provides the crew with a maximum degree of protection in a mission. The vehicle is equipped with all necessary features (NBC system, autonomous power supply, A/C system, etc.) that are required for the 24-hour operation of the integrated systems.

Source: Press release

Czechs cancel Pandurs

The cancellation of the Czech Republic's order for Pandur 8x8s is news. It is not, however, totally unexpected. The agreement had been signed during the last weeks of the previous government and selection of a singular APC platform has been questioned. In August, for example, Croatia chose the Finnish Patria vehicle but is receiving a mixture of 8x8 and 6x6 platforms.

Whatever the reason(s) are for the cancellation reported quality issues effecting acceptance of initial deliveries were reasons enough. What will happen? Certainly manufacturer Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeuge is not going to let a billion dollar contract die without a fight. Expect to hear them come back with a mixed platform offering, at least. Original contract semifinalists Patria and Rheinmetall are bound to be knocking on doors in Prague as we speak.

Sources: Various
Photo: Czech Army

Offsets in Europe: A matter for debate

A defence contract offset is, most often, a contract stipulation that insists on local content. The idea is to inject some of that money back into the local economy. Here is an update on offsets in Europe.

"While the European Defence Agency (EDA) has recognised the benefits of some offset agreements, it has also said that "offset should ideally be phased out eventually and that it is "generally difficult to justify any type of offset on the basis of Article 296 [of the Treaty on European Union]".

Source and more details: Janes