“Modern cars are the basis of the army and it is a shame that our soldiers still use up to 40 years old technology. We chose from ten offers and the winners will guarantee us proven quality vehicles at a good price, “said Minister of Defense Lubomír Metnar (for YES) about the contract.
According to him, the ministry wants to sign the contract by the end of the year. It plans to remove 800 vehicles next year and the year after next. “Soldiers already need a service, support and security vehicle,” remarked the Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Army, Aleš Opata. In the past, he pointed out that soldiers often drive vehicles that are older than themselves.
The defense plans to replace up to 1,200 retired UAZ 463 and Land Rover Defender vehicles in the coming years. The tender was announced by the ministry last year, but was canceled at the end of the year. It announced the contract again in June with changed requirements.
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The military demanded multi-purpose personal all-terrain vehicles for logistics and security tasks. The cars in the service of soldiers should move exclusively outside the possible battlefield. They will be used, for example, to transport people or supply.
The machines should have all-wheel drive, be equipped with a chassis with a fixed support frame and have the form of a hard top pick-up. The maximum technically permissible weight is 3500 kilograms, so the cars fall into the VN-1G category. They can hold five people.
According to Pejšek, the companies offered four types of vehicles in the competition. “The most economically advantageous offer was submitted by Glomex MS,” he said. According to him, the company demands 893 thousand crowns with VAT per piece, including service for two years and sets of parts for maintenance and repairs. “It met all the required technical and legal parameters,” added Pejšek.
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The Czech company Glomex MS has been headed by former Chief of General Staff Josef Bečvář since 2019. For example, this year the company won an order from the Polish Ministry of Defense for 485 Nissan Navara off-road pickups. The Czech Army provides service for Airbus A-319 aircraft, and has also won other contracts.
The selection of the vehicle supplier was approved today by the College of the Minister of Defense. Other tenderers may now object to the selection. According to the spokesman, the ministry is behind the fact that no mistakes were made in awarding the contract.
“I hope that there will be no delay and this contract will not fall victim to competitive struggle, as was the case, for example, with the purchase of small arms from Česká zbrojovka,” said Metnar. This contract ended with the Antimonopoly Office, which eventually approved it after a long time.
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The Ministry of Defense has previously stated that the military requires machines in the same form as they are manufactured for civilian use. For example, they will not be armored, but soldiers require, for example, holders for assault rifles or khaki paint. Soldiers should receive cars by 2024.
Toyota has been manufacturing Hilux pick-ups since the 1960s, and has sold millions of these cars to date. It currently offers the eighth generation of vehicles.
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