The Slovak Military Technical and Testing Institute (VTSÚ) Záhorie hosted static and dynamic demonstrations of the ASCOD Tracked Armoured Fighting Vehicle by General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS). The ASCOD Capabilities Demonstration Day was attended by Defence Minister Jaroslav NaÄ, Deputy Defence Minister Marian Majer, Chief of Defence Gen Daniel Zmeko, and National Armaments Director Jozef Zekucia. Consistent with the current requirements of the Slovak Armed Forces and based on the outcomes of the ongoing market research.
Defence Minister Jaroslav NaÄ said: “We continue our intense efforts to provide our professional soldiers with new and safe equipment, and this also applies to the inevitable replacement of infantry fighting vehicles. Our requirements on this issue are clear –the final solution must be effective and compliant with all conditions as set out by service members, and, of course, it must be an economical and transparent process.” As he added, this procurement process will play its part in delivering our NATO commitment to standing up a Heavy Mechanised Brigade.
During the last few weeks, the Slovak Ministry of Defence aims to select the most cost-effective and optimised solution to upgrading the SVK Army’s fleet of infantry fighting vehicles. The aim of the event was to present the technical features and functional parameters of the ASCOD Armoured Fighting Vehicle through specific firing and driving demonstration scenarios. As part of the official engagement, MOD officials and GDELS representatives met for talks to explore how best to get the SVK defence industry involved in the production and delivery of new armoured fighting vehicles for the SVK Armed Forces.
The Slovak Ministry of Defence launched the processes in support of the Armoured Fighting Vehicle Programme to deliver a replacement fleet of BVP-1, BVP-2 and BVP M Tracked Infantry Fighting Vehicles in service with mechanised infantry units. In this case, too, the selection criteria will cover the requirements of the SVK Armed Forces, the demands for a transparent procurement process and, last but not least, a significant level of SVK defence industry content in the programme.
