Latvia enters talks to buy GDELS ASCOD IFV
ASCOD has already entered service with the Philippines Army. (Photo: GDELS)
The ASCOD is in service with, or has been ordered by, five countries. In the UK it forms the basis of the British Army’s Ajax and for the US it is the chassis for the M10 Booker.
Latvia has entered negotiations with General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) Santa Bárbara Sistemas for the purchase of Austrian Spanish Cooperative Development (ASCOD) tracked combat vehicles.
The ASCOD is already in use with the armed forces of Spain, Austria, the UK, the US and the Philippines, with 1,200 units in service or under contract worldwide.
Latvian defence minister Andris Sprūds said: “Experts from the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces have conducted a thorough analysis to select the combat vehicles that are most suitable for our needs.”
Negotiations are expected to be concluded in the next six months and could be worth up to €250 million (US$265 million) with the order likely to be for more than 100 vehicles.
The platform will be a new capability for Latvia which currently operates a limited number of tracked vehicles with the fleet substantially made up of smaller Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) (CVR(T)).
Latvia has invested heavily in vehicles, including this week for additional Common Armoured Vehicle System 6x6 vehicles, and in December last year signed a €600 million deal with Diehl Defence for an IRIS-T SLM medium-range air defence system.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Land Warfare
-
![Italy signs $784 million deal for tactical and logistic trucks]()
Italy signs $784 million deal for tactical and logistic trucks
The contract is for the supply of a variety of military logistic platforms equipped with tactical cabins and based on the new range of IDV SMR6 trucks (Standard Military Range), which includes 4×4, 8×8 and 10x10 variants.
-
![Poland declares capability for Wisła medium-range air defence system]()
Poland declares capability for Wisła medium-range air defence system
Poland has been investing heavily in new defence equipment, including billions-of-dollars in air defence systems such as Narew and Wisła to provide multi-tier coverage, as well as in C2 systems such as IBCS.
-
![US sanctions fail to rattle India as it looks to Russian long-range radar]()
US sanctions fail to rattle India as it looks to Russian long-range radar
India has been navigating a strategic balancing act in its defence modernisation efforts as it considers deals with Russia and the US.
-
![Land Warfare Preview 2025: Questions remain in a time of change]()
Land Warfare Preview 2025: Questions remain in a time of change
The land war in Ukraine has dominated the posture, spending and actions of Russia and NATO countries for two years. With a new US Government committed to ending the conflict early in 2025, there are implications on all three of those fronts.
