Update: Light Tactical Transport Vehicle production begins for Belgium

High volume production has begun of the LTTV for Belgium. (Jankel)

High-volume production has begun of 199 Light Tactical Transport Vehicles (LTTVs) for Belgium, their manufacturer, Jankel, announced in a press release on 30 November. The Belgian Ministry of Defence told Janes on 9 December that the vehicles would be delivered in the first two quarters of 2022, with all 199 “in principle” to be delivered next year.

The announcement followed the Belgian Ministry of Defence's (MoD's) preliminary technical acceptance (PTA) of the LTTV, which is based on the Mercedes UNIMOG U5000 4×4 chassis. The PTA review covered the quality plan for production, proof of compliance with European legislation, and an in-depth technical compliance review against the detailed customer requirement documents, according to Jankel.

Belgium's Council of Ministers approved the purchase of 199 armoured vehicles in June 2017 for EUR63.3 million (USD71 million), and Jankel announced in March 2018 that the Belgian Ministry of Defence (MoD) had awarded it the contract for 199 LTTVs, which the ministry said at the time includes several years of technical support.

The vehicles were originally scheduled to be delivered in 2019–21. Asked by Janes what caused the delay in the beginning of deliveries, Jankel told Janes on 8 December, “The originally planned delivery programme was amended due to some technical changes requested by the customer and to allow for the restrictions on working induced by Covid,” which the Belgian MoD confirmed on 9 December.