Image courtesy BAE Systems

The German contract, worth around $400 million, follows the joint procurement by Sweden, Germany and the United Kingdom in support of Arctic operations for the Collaborative All-Terrain Vehicle (CATV) programme, with Sweden as the lead nation. This will extend the deliveries from the framework agreement, which are to begin in 2024, out to 2030.

 
“This framework agreement streamlines the process by allowing prospective and existing customers to acquire vehicles at previously negotiated terms, while also benefiting from the joint development,” said Tommy Gustafsson-Rask, managing director of BAE Systems Hägglunds, which manufactures the vehicles in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. “This will secure Germany’s access to these highly capable vehicles for decades to come and demonstrates the strong relationship between BAE Systems and our customer.”
 
BAE Systems’ military all-terrain vehicles are designed for operations in the harshest and most remote environments and this agreement reinforces the company’s position in these capabilities. The new contract is for additional troop transport vehicles and armoured personnel carriers (APCs), as well as three new German BvS10 versions; Command and Control (C2) and two logistics variants that will add combat support to the German Armed Forces.
 
The BvS10 (and Beowulf) are all-terrain solutions with articulated mobility systems which provide optimal manoeuverability across varying terrains including  snow, ice, rock, sand, mud, swamps and steep mountain environments. The vehicles’ amphibious feature also allows them to swim in flooded areas or coastal waters. The vehicles can deliver personnel and supplies to sustain strategic, tactical and operational mobility.
 
BvS10’s unprecedented mobility is based on terrain accessible North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) standards. Its modular design allows it to be reconfigured for varying missions and can be delivered in multiple variants that include carrying personnel, command and control, ambulance, vehicle repair and recovery, logistics support, situational awareness and a weapons carrier with additional mortar capability.

The vehicle is currently operated by Austria, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom. BAE Systems’ Beowulf, the unarmoured variant of the BvS10, won the US Army’s competition for its Cold Weather All-Terrain Vehicle (CATV) programme in August. The US Army will receive 110 vehicles over a five-year period.