RUAG to upgrade Belgian, Austrian Pandurs
RUAG Defence has been selected by Belgium and Austria to upgrade their Pandur I armoured personnel carrier (APC).
The company announced on 18 March the fleets will be fitted with ballistic protection kits. Austria has the lead in the delivery of upgraded APCs.
Under this deal, RUAG Defence will upgrade all five variants of the Pandur I APCs with mine-, improvised explosive device- (IED) and ballistic protection kits. The project will begin in spring 2015, and it will be completed by the end of 2020.
The APCs will receive the SidePRO-KE/IED full-integrated, modular polyvalent composite protection system, which uses lightweight materials for direct application on armoured vehicles. This IED protection kit meets current threat level protection requirements.
The Pandur I fleet will also be outfitted with the MinePRO mine protection system, which is resistant to blasts and explosively formed projectiles. Also, all other vehicle subsystems such as stowage, seating for crew, driver and commander shall be evaluated, reinforced, improved or replaced.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Land Warfare
-
![World Defense Show 2026: DOK-ING working on MV-8 variants and reveals specs ahead of Eurosatory]()
World Defense Show 2026: DOK-ING working on MV-8 variants and reveals specs ahead of Eurosatory
The Croatian company began the development of the MV-8 modular uncrewed platform in the early 2020s. Specifications for the vehicle were revealed to Shephard at World Defense Show 2026.
-
![World Defense Show 2026: Turkish and European industries will cooperate, says Aselsan boss]()
World Defense Show 2026: Turkish and European industries will cooperate, says Aselsan boss
Aselsan was formed 50 years ago in response to difficulties Turkey was facing in sourcing major systems internationally. While some challenges still remain, company president Ahmet Akyol believes a rapprochement is possible.
-
![World Defense Show 2026: Russia reveals details of new loitering munition]()
World Defense Show 2026: Russia reveals details of new loitering munition
The Kalashnikov RUS-PE cannister-launched man-portable loitering munition was displayed as a model at World Defense Show 2026 with a company official telling Shephard it was “in service and in low-rate initial production”.
-
![World Defense Show 2026: MARSS displays new Nation Shield air defence C2 system]()
World Defense Show 2026: MARSS displays new Nation Shield air defence C2 system
Nation Shield is the latest iteration of the MARSS C2 system and is designed to provide C2 further forward along with more capable air defence.
