Germany invites Patria to tender for 300 CAVS

The German Armed Forces have asked Patria to submit a binding offer for the procurement of its “Common Armoured Vehicle System” (CAVS) to meet the requirements of the so-called New Generation Armoured Transport Vehicles. Germany would like to procure the vehicles as part of the international project as a successor to the aging Fuchs armoured transport vehicles. A spokesman for the German Federal Ministry of Defence (BMVg) confirmed this when asked by hartpunkt.  According to reports, the number of vehicles now being requested is around 300 wheeled armoured vehicles.

The spokesman also explained that parliamentary consideration is planned for the earliest possible date after the constitution of the new Bundestag and its committees. The BMVg has already stated in the past that the German Armed Forces will need around 1,000 vehicles in different variants over the next few decades. Well-informed sources indicated that Patria was asked to submit a binding offer for the procurement of new generation armored personnel carriers in the last quarter of 2024. Observers assume that an offer could be made soon, which will then have to be negotiated with the Bundeswehr Procurement Office (BAAINBw). The financing of the project is reportedly included in the Bundeswehr special fund. A contract could then be concluded shortly before the parliamentary summer recess in 2025 at the earliest, but a more realistic date would be after the summer recess, i.e. in September or October 2025.

When asked, Patria did not want to comment specifically on this matter. “We hope that the procurement of the Fuchs successor will progress this year and are working hard with our German industrial team to make this possible,” the company said.

Industrial cooperation

The prerequisite for this is that a future government would stick to its intention of regulating the Fuchs successor within the framework of CAVS. Around six months ago, there was strong criticism from Fuchs suppliers that such a large project should be awarded to a foreign company at a time when industrial jobs are being cut in Germany. Since several German industrial companies have announced job cuts in recent weeks and unemployment is slowly but steadily rising, the project could become even more politically explosive. To date, the federal governments have kept to the promises of previous governments when it comes to implementing international cooperation. The most recent example of this is the procurement of the heavy infantry weapon carrier through a government deal with Australia.

Nevertheless, Patria has taken precautions and joined forces with the two German companies DSL Defence Service Logistics GmbH (DSL), a subsidiary of the KNDS Group, and FFG Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft mbH (FFG) in mid-February 2024 to offer the Bundeswehr the development, production and maintenance of variants of Patria’s 6×6 armored transport vehicle as part of the successor to the Fuchs armored transport vehicle.

The division of work packages has Patria acting as the main contractor within the framework of the international CAVS program if Germany decides to procure the vehicle. The Finnish group will also take the lead in the design and development of the system. DSL and FFG – with its subsidiary Jungenthal Wehrtechnik (JWT) – will handle local engineering, production and life cycle support from the Freisen, Flensburg and Kirchen locations. “In addition to the more detailed preparation of localisation, which is now beginning, the team will also involve other German companies in the program,” said the press release sent out by the three partners in mid-February 2024. The lion’s share of production will take place in Germany, according to Jörg Kamper, Managing Director of JWT and member of the management of FFG. 

Other variants 

The CAVS fitted with Patria’s NEMO 120 mm mortar turret is shown here. Credit: Waldemar Geiger.

In addition, the procurement of the so-called Future Indirect Fire Short-Range System, now planned for the end of January, whose parliamentary treatment is scheduled for the last week of the Bundestag’s session in January 2025, according to well-informed circles, could be seen as a preliminary decision for CAVS.

The corresponding 25 million Euro proposal is said to have already been sent by the BMVg to the Federal Ministry of Finance. With the project, which represents a combination of a modern NEMO turret mortar system on a CAVS 6×6 platform (both from Patria), the Bundeswehr intends to replace the ageing 120 mm armored mortars of the Jäger troops. According to reports, the grenadier units equipped with the wheeled armored personnel carrier will also be equipped with the newly acquired mortar systems in the future. The Bundeswehr’s initial requirement is said to be around 60 vehicles, around a fifth of which are fire control tanks, the rest are mortar combat systems.

This article, written by Waldemar Geiger, was originally published by hartpunkt on the 9th of January 2025. Hartpunkt and Calibre are collaborating to bring you the best content from across Europe.