Latvia enters talks to buy GDELS ASCOD IFV
ASCOD has already entered service with the Philippines Army. (Photo: GDELS)
The ASCOD is in service with, or has been ordered by, five countries. In the UK it forms the basis of the British Army’s Ajax and for the US it is the chassis for the M10 Booker.
Latvia has entered negotiations with General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) Santa Bárbara Sistemas for the purchase of Austrian Spanish Cooperative Development (ASCOD) tracked combat vehicles.
The ASCOD is already in use with the armed forces of Spain, Austria, the UK, the US and the Philippines, with 1,200 units in service or under contract worldwide.
Latvian defence minister Andris Sprūds said: “Experts from the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces have conducted a thorough analysis to select the combat vehicles that are most suitable for our needs.”
Negotiations are expected to be concluded in the next six months and could be worth up to €250 million (US$265 million) with the order likely to be for more than 100 vehicles.
The platform will be a new capability for Latvia which currently operates a limited number of tracked vehicles with the fleet substantially made up of smaller Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) (CVR(T)).
Latvia has invested heavily in vehicles, including this week for additional Common Armoured Vehicle System 6x6 vehicles, and in December last year signed a €600 million deal with Diehl Defence for an IRIS-T SLM medium-range air defence system.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Land Warfare
-
![Canada accelerates uncrewed aerial system procurement for NATO and Arctic forces]()
Canada accelerates uncrewed aerial system procurement for NATO and Arctic forces
Canada plans to acquire at least 120 uncrewed aerial systems through two competitions with combined funding ceilings of C$32 million.
-
![AUSA 2026: companies adapt munitions and missiles for greater effect at lower costs]()
AUSA 2026: companies adapt munitions and missiles for greater effect at lower costs
Rather than developing entirely new weapons, defence companies are looking to build on existing weapons and systems to deliver greater capability, control costs and accelerate fielding.
-
![AUSA 2026: industry looks to make commercial platforms a military reality]()
AUSA 2026: industry looks to make commercial platforms a military reality
With a production rate of more than 10 million vehicles annually, the US commercial car and vehicle manufacturing base is second only to China. Defence companies are looking at how the vehicles, technology and manufacturing capability can support programmes.
