BOV 8×8 Otter recommended for purchase

Prototype BOV 8×8 during dynamic display at IDEB-2018, which took place in Bratislava in April this year.

On October 19, a press conference was organized in Bratislava, during which representatives of the Slovak Ministry of Defense presented the current state of the implementation of the circular program.

combat vehicle 8×8.

At the conference, representatives of the Ministry of Defense of the Slovak Republic: Minister of Defense Peter Gaidos, MO RS CEO Jan Holko, BOV 8 × 8 project manager Lieutenant Colonel Peter Kliment and MO RS spokesman Danka Chapakova presented to the public for the first time the name of the vehicle, formerly known as BOV 8 × 8 - "Otter". Minister Gaidos announced the successful completion of the development phase of a new combat vehicle, created as a result of Finnish-Slovak cooperation. Within its framework, the prototype passed multi-stage tests: technical (factory), control, military and, finally, additional control tests and military repeated tests aimed at verifying the fulfillment of technical requirements and making comments formulated on the basis of the previous test stages. .

It was also reported that on the 43rd week of the year, the Ministry of Defense of the RS submitted to the Council of Ministers of the RS a report on the 8×8 CWA program and recommendations on its procurement during abbreviated interdepartmental consultations. According to Minister Gaidos, the BOV 8×8 Vydra project will also support the Slovak defense industry, which is a good recommendation from the point of view of the Ministry of Defense. Serial vehicles should be produced in Slovakia with a high proportion of locally produced components and assemblies, as well as a significant contribution from the work of the Slovak defense industry. 16 companies and organizations from Slovakia and one company from the Czech Republic will take part in the production of cars. At the present stage, these figures are not mandatory, they are rather approximate possibilities. According to director Jan Holko, the selection of specific individuals to participate in the system of cooperative production of vehicles will be carried out in accordance with the legal regulations in the field of public procurement law. The price of the serial "Otter" with all components should not exceed 3,33 million euros net (3,996 million euros gross). By 2024, the Ministry of Defense of the RS plans to order up to 81 8 × 8 BOVs, the total purchase cost of which should not exceed 417 million euros gross (there is a more accurate value - 416,8 million euros). This amount includes not only the purchase of only equipment for 323 euros (970 euros net), but also logistics (000 million), purchase of the necessary ammunition (269 million), adaptation of existing infrastructure (975 million). ) and the purchase of a prototype car (000 million). Of the 17 vehicles, 65 will be delivered in the combat version, nine in the command version and 5 in the medical version.

The implementation of the project promises further benefits for the Slovak economy - from maintaining the key competencies of the defense industry, through the creation of new jobs, to supplying the budget with taxes, dividends and social security amounts. According to director Holko, the production of BOV 8 × 8 Vydra vehicles in Slovakia will bring about 42 euros to the state budget during the execution of the contract.

If the Council of Ministers of the RS approves the purchase of vehicles, serial production of the 8 × 8 Vydra BOV will begin in 2019. Next year, the release of four pre-production machines and nine initial production lines is planned. The first vehicles are to be delivered to the 21st and 22nd mechanized battalions of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of the RS, in which they will replace the tracked infantry fighting vehicles BVP-1.