The Czech Ministry of Defence (MoD) on 21 April confirmed that they had signed an agreement with Česká zbrojovka (ČZUB) to acquire up to 39,000 small arms for the Czech Army.
Minister of Defence Lubomir Metnar said: ‘Our goal is to modernise the army, but also to support Czech industry and maintain jobs in these difficult times… The framework agreement will allow us to purchase up to 39,000 small arms from a reputable manufacturer by 2025.’
The contract is reported by the MoD to be worth CZK2.35 billion ($92.5 million) and includes 16,000 BREN 2 assault rifles, 21,000 CZ P-10 pistols, 1,600 CZ 805 G1 suspended grenade launchers, 100 PDW CZ Scorpion pieces and training ammunition.
Between 2010 and 2016, 40,000 small arms weapons were also supplied by ČZUB to the Czech Armed Forces.
The new artillery and howitzer factory pre-dates the emphasis on this capability from this month’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR). The first joint industry-government meeting outlined in the review took place this week.
Romania received its first Cobra MkII 4×4 light tactical armoured vehicles, ordered Abrams main battle tanks (MBTs) and VAMTAC light vehicles, and is set to invest billions-of-dollars in infantry fighting vehicles.
The Italian Army operates Pumas in 6×6 and 4×4 configurations but the platforms are ageing and numbers have fallen with obsolescence also being an issue. Any replacement is likely to have a focus on the involvement of local industry.
The VAMTAC (Vehículo de Alta Movilidad Táctico or High Mobility Tactical Vehicle) 4×4 by Urovesa is in service with or has been ordered by eight countries, the most recent being Spain this month and Romania last month.
Lockheed Martin’s Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) is a next-generation surface-to-surface missile with the solid rocket motor (SRM) provided by Northrop Grumman. The company is working to boost its SRM production capability.
The CV90 is in service with or ordered by ten countries. The agreement between six of these countries is designed to create commonality to provide economies of scale and a reduced training burden.
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