Home Europe Dutch Marines begin search for successor to BV206D, BvS10 vehicles

Dutch Marines begin search for successor to BV206D, BvS10 vehicles

BvS10 Viking vehicle
Dutch defense ministry file photo of a BvS10 Viking vehicle

The Netherlands’ defense ministry is starting a new project to buy 179 small all-terrain patrol vehicles for the Dutch Marine Corps by the end of the decade.

The new vehicles will replace some of the current Bandvagn 206 (BV206D), BvS10 Viking and the Land Rover Wolf vehicles, all of which are at the end of their lifespan.

According to the defense ministry, the project will also expand the current number of vehicles.

The undertaking to buy a successor for the vehicles is called the “Littoral All-Terrain Mobility Patrol Vehicles (FLATM PV)” project, and aims to provide “future-proof, all-terrain and snow mobility for the light amphibious units.”

As outlined, the defense ministry envisions four different variants of the future vehicle to be developed: a basic variant, a command and control variant and a reconnaissance variant. A fourth version is intended to carry out repairs in the field. The intention is for the variants to be as similar as possible to the basic version.

The defense ministry also noted it would prefer an off-the-shelf vehicle to avoid costs and timelines associated with an extensive development process.

In October last year, the Dutch defense ministry it would replace parts of the BV 206 D6 and BvS10 fleets under a joint program with Germany, the United Kingdom, and Sweden. That project is called “Collaborative All-Terrain Vehicle (CATV).”

It is unclear whether FLATM PV is a completely new project, and if not, how related it is to the CATV effort.

What is known is that FLATM PV will be closely related to the navy’s future project to replace heavy and medium landing craft, due to its amphibious nature.

The project will start this year and will last until 2028, with first vehicles expected to arrive in 2025.