Modern militaries crawl towards electrification of the battlefield
Full electrification of their land and air vehicles may be beyond modern militaries for now. But how close are they to the tipping point of the widespread use of electric vehicles?
First batch of special forces vehicles reaches Bulgaria
Some of the vehicles recently delivered to Bulgaria for use by the country's special forces. (Photo: Bulgarian MoD)
Almost half of the 98 vehicles ordered in late 2020 for Bulgarian SOF have arrived in the country.
Bulgaria in late December 2021 received the first 45 new armoured vehicles out of 98 on order for its SOF.
The armoured tactical vehicles are made by the SAMARM JV between Bulgarian manufacturer Samel 90 and UAE-based International Armored Group.
Samel 90 expects to complete the project by the end of 2022 — 12 months ahead of the original deadline.
‘The vehicles have a large and reliable engine, they are comfortable and protected, [and] they have all the necessary technical equipment for the specific activity of the Special Forces,’ said Bulgarian Chief of Defence Adm Emil Eftimov.
‘We have given a hand to the Bulgarian defence industry,’ he added in a statement posted on the Bulgarian MoD website.
Maj Gen Yavor Mateev, chief of Bulgarian SOF, said that the best-protected vehicles will be used for counter-terrorism missions or ‘direct action’, with the more lightly armoured vehicles to be allocated for tasks requiring greater mobility.
The exact types of vehicle involved in the contract remain undisclosed, although Shephard reported in 2018 that the JV partners developed a number of APC prototypes. SAMARM is known to offer the Guardian 4x4 APC, Guardian Max light tactical vehicle and Rila MRAP vehicle, all of which are manufactured by IAG.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
You may also like
More from Land Warfare
-
![Modern militaries crawl towards electrification of the battlefield]()
-
![Pearson Engineering to supply mine ploughs and dozer blades for Polish Abrams tanks]()
Pearson Engineering to supply mine ploughs and dozer blades for Polish Abrams tanks
The contract follows news released in 2023 that a first customer had taken into service Pearson Engineering’s new Slice system enabling the interoperability of Front-End Equipment (FEE) between main battle tanks and dedicated engineering vehicles.
-
![Sweden to receive production Archer howitzers next year with capability expected in 2030]()
Sweden to receive production Archer howitzers next year with capability expected in 2030
When compared to some other wheeled artillery systems Archer has the advantage of quicker deployment and relocation as the complete fire mission is carried out without the crew leaving the protected cab at the front.
-
![Aselsan successfully tests Gökberk system against FPV drones]()
Aselsan successfully tests Gökberk system against FPV drones
The system had been previously proven to work against rotary and fixed-wing kamikaze drones, with Aselsan now working on new capabilities for Gökberk to counter UAV swarms.
-
![Poland working to increase artillery capability]()
Poland working to increase artillery capability
Poland’s old Russian 122mm 2S1 self-propelled (SP) artillery system is being replaced by Krab and K9 SP artillery systems which both fire standard NATO 155mm ammunition.
-
![EMOC 120mm lightweight mortar system targeted at British Army requirement]()
EMOC 120mm lightweight mortar system targeted at British Army requirement
EMOC can be fitted with an 81mm or a 120mm smooth bore barrel and when in the travelling position is horizontal. For firing, it is deployed over the rear arc until the baseplate contacts the ground.
