Can NATO’s CUAS marketplace turn urgent demand into deliveries?
Framework contracts and leasing options aim to shorten acquisition timelines, while manufacturing partnerships could help suppliers scale production to meet allied demand.
Mercedes-Benz Atego 4x4 truck. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz)
The Argentinian MoD announced last month that 54 Mercedes-Benz Atego 4x4 1726 trucks have been acquired for the army.
The price tag for the vehicles, capable of transporting up to 15t of cargo or 17 troops, is around $10 million from the FONDEF national defence fund, according to the MoD.
Argentina-based company Besten Handler was selected to provide the Atego 4x4s ahead of four other bidders for the contract.
The MoD did not disclose which army units will receive the vehicles and nor did it mention a delivery timetable.
Defence Minister Jorge Taiana explained in a 24 September statement that
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
Framework contracts and leasing options aim to shorten acquisition timelines, while manufacturing partnerships could help suppliers scale production to meet allied demand.
The US is pursuing multiple UGV programmes, from commercial robotic platforms to new autonomy technologies. The combination of these efforts could prove key to turning ambition into operational capability.
NATO is looking to artificial intelligence to provide integration between different C2 systems to create a common operational picture, potentially offering a faster route to interoperability than the slow-moving processes of NATO standards committees.
The large-scale exercise in Latvia was the culmination of three experimentation initiatives to see how platforms, weapons and systems could fit into the alliance’s Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative. As well as forces, it brought together companies and equipment.
Canada plans to acquire at least 120 uncrewed aerial systems through two competitions with combined funding ceilings of C$32 million.
New counter-drone technologies, autonomous launchers and manufacturing modernisation initiatives highlighted emerging opportunities for defence suppliers, while the UK advanced a major military vehicle procurement programme.