TSAMTO, October 6. The Ministry of Defense of Slovakia announced the continuation of the procedure for the purchase of new tracked and wheeled armored vehicles for the Armed Forces of the country.
After the approval of the procurement methodology by the Government of the Slovak Republic and summarizing the requirements, the Ministry sent invitations to apply for the supply of new armored vehicles to 33 countries.
As explained by the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Defense Marian Mayer, he personally handed over to representatives of 22 countries the documentation, which specifies the terms of acquisition, technical requirements, as well as a list of key criteria. Requests were sent to other countries by diplomatic mail. In the case of armored combat vehicles with the 8x8 wheel formula, interested parties must submit applications by the end of 2021, and proposals for the supply of tracked BBMs must be submitted by the end of January 2022.
The new armored vehicles will replace equipment that has been in operation for about 50 years that does not meet NATO standards. As noted, the program will purchase modern combat vehicles for five battalions of the Ground Forces.
The proposals will be evaluated according to several criteria: price (35% in the specific "weight" of the entire assessment), technical characteristics (30%), logistics during the service life (10%), participation of the national defense industry (25%). At the same time, the participation share of the Slovak defense industry should be at least 40% of the total acquisition cost.
Based on the overall assessment, three finalists will be determined within each project, whose cars will be tested in the conditions of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic. The Ministry of Defense intends to complete the assessment and prepare recommendations for the government on the purchase of armored personnel carriers with the 8x8 wheel formula by the end of March 2022, and on the purchase of tracked armored vehicles by the end of June 2022. If the procedures are successfully implemented, the first armored vehicles can be delivered as early as 2024.
As planned, the purchase of equipment will be carried out in the format of an intergovernmental agreement (G2G). This form will ensure lower prices for products and guarantee the support of equipment during the entire term of the contract. Other advantages include the possibility of deeper military cooperation and deepening strategic partnership with partner countries and cost savings.
The estimated cost of 152 tracked armored vehicles is 1.739 billion. euro (including VAT), and 76 units of BBM with a wheel formula of 8x8 – 332 million euros. The final cost will be determined based on the results of the tender.
