Canadian Army Special Forces need to buy a new armoured vehicle for use in Arctic and desert 1904141

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Defence & Security News - Canada
 
 
Saturday, April 17, 2014 09:43 AM
 
Canadian Army Special Forces need to buy a new armoured vehicle for use in Arctic and desert.
Canada’s special forces will get a new fleet of armoured vehicles for use in the Arctic and in the desert. The government will buy 17 all-terrain armoured vehicles for the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM), as well as examine an option to purchase five more later, according to the Canadian Department of National Defence.
     
Canada’s special forces will get a new fleet of armoured vehicles for use in the Arctic and in the desert. The government will buy 17 all-terrain armoured vehicles for the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM), as well as examine an option to purchase five more later, according to the Canadian Department of National Defence.
BV-206 all-terrain vehicle of Canadian army
     

That project is expected to cost around $60 million.

The new armoured vehicles will be capable of operating in snow and desert terrain. They will also be equipped with a significant amount of protection from explosive devices and gunfire, the DND email noted.

A request for proposals is expected to be issued to companies in May, said Per Samuelsson, an official with BAE System Hagglunds, one of the firms that will bid on the project.

The company, which is partnered with Rheinmetall Canada, intends to offer its BvS10 vehicle. That is an all-terrain tracked vehicle that has been used in Afghanistan, Chad and Somalia. “It’s a combat-proven platform,” said Samuelsson.

General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada, in partnership with ST Kinetics, is also expected to bid on the project.

While the special forces will be receiving the vehicles by early 2016, the Canadian army is being left out in the cold.

The Canadian military currently uses a small fleet of BV-206s but those vehicles were purchased in the 1980s.