Slovakia buys Scipio 8x8 IFVs | World Defense

Slovakia buys Scipio 8x8 IFVs

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Remigiusz Wilk, Warsaw - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
07 July 2015

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Rosomak (Patria AMV) 8x8 armoured personnel carrier armed with the TURRA 30 mm turret for the Slovakian Armed Forces. In Slovak service the vehicle will be known as Scipio. Source: PGZ

Slovakia is to purchase 31 Rosomak 8x8 armoured personnel carrier vehicle chassis for PLN120 million (USD31 million), it has been announced.

In Slovakian service the vehicles will be armed with the Slovakian TURRA 30 unmanned turret, and known as the Scipio infantry fighting vehicle (IFV).

A letter of intent for the purchase was signed by Slovak prime minister Robert Fico and his Polish counterpart Ewa Kopacz on 3 July. A final contract, including a training and logistic package, is expected to be signed in the next two months, with the cost of the purchase met by a Polish-government sponsored loan.

The Scipio will also be offered by Poland and Slovakia to other possible customers. The vehicle demonstrator, named Rosomak-Scipio 8x8, was unveiled in May 2015 at the IDET defence exhibition in Brno, before it was tested at the Zahorie military training ground in June.

Slovakia is expecting in exchange that its DMD Group will be involved in the overhaul of Polish Land Forces vehicles including 152 mm wz. 1977 Dana 8x8 wheeled howitzers.

The Slovak Republic is planning on purchasing up to 66 Scipio IFVs to equip two motorised battalions, although its formal requirement is for 100 vehicles.

Currently the Slovak Armed Forces operates 32 armoured 8x8 vehicles (including the outdated OT-64 SKOT), 12 of which are more than 30 years old.

The Rosomak is a version of the Finnish Patria AMV (specifically the XC-360P variant) built under licence in Poland by Siemianowice Slaskie (formerly known as WZM), part of Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ). Each Rosomak chassis costs USD1.1-1.4 million.

The TURRA 30 is designed by Slovakia's EVPU Nova Dubnica and DMD Group, and is a lightweight (1,500 kg) remotely controlled turret offering STANAG 4569 Level 1 protection. It is armed with a 2A42 30x165 mm cannon (the same that equips the BMP-2), a PKT 7.62x54 mm machine gun, and two anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) launchers (for either the 9K111 Fagot 'AT-4 Spigot' or 9K113 Konkurs 'AT-5 Spandrel'). For the export market a version of the TURRA 30 was unveiled in May at IDET 2015 armed with an ATK Mk 44 Mod 1 Bushmaster II cannon (30x173 mm) and a M2HB 12.7 mm (.50 cal) machine gun. It can optionally be equipped with other ATGMs such as the Rafael Spike
Slovakia buys Scipio 8x8 IFVs - IHS Jane's 360


 
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