BAE Systems Hägglunds wins FMV vehicle contract

The FMV has announced that it has awarded BAE Systems Hägglunds a contract for the procurement of 48 BvS10 MkIIB all terrain vehicles. The award follows an open competition initiated in 2012 to equip the Swedish Armed Forces with a capable all terrain vehicle system.

According to a statement issued by the FMV, the first vehicles will be delivered in the autumn of 2012 to allow them to be ready for international operations in the spring of 2013.

The Swedish Armed Forces issued a number of specific requirements with the bid tender, stipulating that vehicles should be able to operate off-road in terrain characterised by deep snow, mud, mires and sand and also be able to swim across lakes and rivers. At the same time they should protect the personnel and crew against enemy fire and mines. They should also be easy to repair and maintain.

The 48 all terrain vehicles will be ordered in the first batch. The vehicles are configured in four variants: 19 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) with seating for six fully equipped soldiers plus three crew members; 10 Ambulance vehicles with the possibility to carry up to two stretchers, and with seating for two crew members and two paramedics;17 Logistics vehicles with the possibility to carry a 10-foot container or a flatbed and this variant can also be used to carry the artillery locating radar Arthur or a radio link module; and 2 Command & Control vehicles with seating for four staff personnel, a command & control system, and three crew members.

The first vehicles will be delivered to FMV in the autumn of 2012. They will be handed over to the Armed Forces and be in place for an international mission in Afghanistan during the spring 2013. The contract is valued at 700 million SEK and includes options to order additional 127 vehicles divided in three different batches.