GDELS-Santa Bárbara Sistemas announced on 15 November that it had entered contract negotiations with the Latvian MoD on ASCOD. (GDELS)
Latvia has selected the ASCOD tracked armoured vehicle and ordered Patria 6×6 command-and-control (C2) armoured vehicles. General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS)-Santa Bárbara Sistemas announced in a press release on 15 November that it had entered contract negotiations with the Latvian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on ASCOD after the ministry confirmed its selection.
Neither the ministry nor GDELS would disclose how many and what versions of ASCOD would be procured under ongoing negotiations at the current stage of the acquisition process, but a Latvian MoD spokesperson told Janes on 21 November that the vehicle would gradually replace the CVR(T) – Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked). Deliveries are planned to begin in 2026, although this depends on the result of the contract negotiations.
The spokesperson said that the ASCOD Common Base Platform (CBP) was competing with Otokar's Tulpar infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) and an unspecified Hanwha Aerospace vehicle. South Korean media has reported the K21 IFV was competing for a contract for around 100 vehicles.
Thomas Kauffmann, GDELS vice-president for global sales, said on 15 November, “ASCOD will provide a significant increase in mobility, firepower, and protection to the Latvian National Armed Forces, and at the same time guarantee a considerable workshare for the domestic defence industry.”
On 14 November the Latvian MoD and Patria announced that they had agreed on Latvia's purchase of 56 Patria 6×6 C2 vehicles, in addition to the ongoing procurement of vehicles under the Finnish-led Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) programme. Under the EUR60 million (USD63.4 million) contract, deliveries will begin at the end of 2024 and last until 2029.
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