Tess Defence signs $2.2 billion deal to provide tracked support vehicles to Spanish Army

Tess Defence has signed a deal with the Spanish Ministry of Defence to deliver Vehículo de Apoyo de Cadenas (VAC) tracked support vehicles to the Spanish Army. The vehicles will replace the Spanish Army’s aging TOA M-113 Armoured Caterpillar Transport vehicles.

Spanish secretary of state for defence María Amparo Valcarce signed a contract at a ceremony held on December 21, 2023, awarding Tess Defence a contract estimated to be worth around €2 billion (US$2.2 billion) for the design and manufacture of the VAC for the Spanish Army.

According to Tess Defence, which first presented the VAC at Spanish defence exhibition Feindef 2023 in Madrid in May 2023, the vehicles will be ‘expected to have a backbone effect’ within the Spanish Army.

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The armoured vehicles will feature a modular design and be able to handle a variety of tasks from troop and material transport to artillery support and combat engineering.

The VAC programme was created to replace the TOA vehicles with more modern vehicles featuring enhanced mobility, protection and firepower. VAC will integrate modern technologies such as 5G connectivity and feature an advanced monitoring system for optimized maintenance. The vehicles will complement units equipped with Leopard 2E tanks and Pizarro infantry vehicles.

The programme has been the result of a Spanish consortium led by Tess Defence and including Indra, Santa Bárbara Sistemas, Escribano and Sapa.