The Dominican Republic is to procure 21 Urovesa VAMTAC ST5 light armored vehicle as part of a broader acquisition plan and this will be the country’s largest procurement of armoured ground vehicles since 1963. The document did not disclose details on the amount to be invested in the purchase of the VAMTAC ST5s or their delivery timetable. Shephard Defence Insight reported that that the ST5 is the latest VAMTAC version and is available in several different configurations. The platforms will equip the Dominican Army (Ejército de República Dominicana) units on the country’s border with Haiti as well as infantry battalions.
The URO VAMTAC (Vehículo de Alta Movilidad Táctico, “High Mobility Tactical Vehicle”) is a Spanish four-wheel drive military vehicle manufactured by the UROVESA. More than 2,000 of the vehicles have been delivered to the Spanish Armed Forces. Several other countries operate the VAMTAC as well, and it has seen service most recently in Afghanistan and Syria. Externally it is similar in appearance and design to the Humvee of the United States Military due to similar requirements. The vehicle comes in three models, named I3, S3 and ST5, and has several configurations.
The URO VAMTAC has a range of more than 600 kilometres, and can negotiate 70% gradients and 50% side slopes. It is powered by Steyr Motors’ M16-“Monoblock” engine (6-cylinder, turbocharged diesel engine, 135 kW (181 hp; 184 PS)) coupled with a five speed automatic transmission. The I3 uses a 166 metric horsepower (122 kW; 164 hp) engine, while the S3 is equipped with a 188 metric horsepower (138 kW; 185 hp) one. The vehicle vehicle has a length of 4.845 metres width of 2.175 metres and a height of 1.9 metres. The curb weight of the vehicle ranges from 3,000 to 3,500 kilograms and has a payload capacity ranging from 1,500 to 2,000 kilograms.
The URO VAMTAC comes with four-wheel drive capability, and is available in three primary configurations – command and control, chassis-cab, and pick-up. The first comes with a four-door cab. The latter two versions are available with three cab types: two-door, four-door, or a four-door version with smaller rear doors and less cab space. Shelter type or cargo bodies such as hardtops can be added to the rear compartment, as well as weapons. It can accommodate a wide range of weapons including machine guns, grenade launchers, anti-tank missiles, 81 mm mortars, M40 recoilless rifles and light air defence missiles.
