Austria to receive BvS10 all-terrain protected vehicles

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A British Royal Marines BvS10 Viking Mk 2 during an amphibious assault operation (Victor M.S. Barreira).

BAE Systems Hägglunds has been awarded a contract to manufacture 32 BvS10 all-terrain articulated armoured vehicles for the Austrian Federal Army. The contract awarded to the Swedish operation of BAE Systems follows a government-to-government arrangement between Austria and Sweden. The acquisition worth around EUR 85 million ($95 million) also includes associated equipment and services.

The contract covers the delivery of vehicles in the personnel carrier variant beginning in the second half of 2017 and concluding in 2019. The fleet will be fielded by Austrian troops in mountainous areas, and will also contribute to the country’s mission in the European Union Mountain Training Warfare Initiative (EU MTI).

France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom are the current operators of the BvS10. It was principally designed for use in mountainous scenarios, and for amphibious assault from landing craft.

It is comprised of the front and rear modules with track system. The lightweight front module carries Cummins 6ISBe285 diesel engine, Allison Transmission 3000SP automatic transmission, cooling system, steering unit, communications kit, wire cutter, smoke grenade launchers, day/night sights, basic standard fittings, and eventually manned or remote weapon station. It also accommodates four personnel including driver and commander weapon operator. The rear load module is used for troop transport or to accommodate mission equipment including mortar, electro-optical reconnaissance sensor or radar system.

BAE Systems Hägglunds is also proposing the new unprotected amphibious BvS10 Beowulf version that offers gross vehicle weight of 15.5 t, height of 2.5 m, length of 8 m, width of 2.2 m, maximum speed of 70 km/h, and range of 1000 km. The United Kingdom is to replace its Bv 206D all-terrain vehicle with a new model according to F/ATV programme by the Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), being the BvS10 Beowulf and ST Kinetics Bronco NewGen designs the potential competitors. The new vehicle in-service date is planned for 2019 and fully operational capability in 2021.

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