The Austrian defense ministry has awarded General Dynamics European Land Systems-Steyr a 106 million Euro contract for the delivery of an additional 30 Pandur 6×6 Evolution (Evo) wheeled armored vehicles.
The new vehicles are designed as armored personnel carriers (APCs) and can be converted into other roles such as CASEVAC (casualty evacuation) due to their modular design.
In addition to the 34 vehicles purchased in 2016 for the Jägerbataillon 17 in Straß / Styria, the Austrian Armed Forces will operate a fleet of 64 new Pandur vehicles.
Deliveries of the new batch of vehicles are expected to be completed between 2022 and 2023. The vehicles will be completely manufactured in Austria, with over 200 suppliers, mainly SMEs, involved in this program.
The Pandur has been in service with the Austrian Armed Forces since 1996. The modernized version of the Pandur MTPzUN, the Pandur Evo, has a crew of 11 soldiers, compared to 8 in the predecessor. It also has a significantly increased level of protection against mines and IED threats and a stronger engine. The Evo is armed with a 12,7 mm machine gun.
“We are very proud that we have been awarded this important contract. The cooperation with the Austrian Armed Forces is excellent and underlines the great satisfaction with our products. In addition, this order secures hundreds of high-tech jobs due to the Austrian added value,” Martin Reischer, managing director of GDELS-Steyr, commented.
