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IRELAND COULD BE about to sign a contract costing between €600m to €800m for new armoured vehicles for the Irish Defence Forces with France.
That’s according to a French military industry official speaking to a Government Defence and European affairs committee in Paris.
Ireland needs to replace its elderly fleet of MOWAG armoured personnel carriers – these are vehicles which are used to transport troops in warzones and are strengthened to protect the occupants.
The troops use the vehicles in a variety of roles but they are particularly useful on peacekeeping missions in Lebanon and formerly on the UNDOF mission in the Golan.
Ireland is in the midst of an Action Plan to bring military capability up to modern and best practice. It followed a major study by the Commission on the Defence Forces which identified key failings.
The State is also increasing its defence budget to €1.5 billion (at January 2022 prices) by 2028. At present Ireland is the lowest spender on the military in Europe with just 0.2% of GDP set aside for the army, Air Corps and Navy.
Within that project a major procurement drive is on to replace the MOWAGs and a team of military and procurement experts are examining the best options.
It is understood that several countries are being looked at but sources have said that the French firm KNDS is an enticing prospect.
During assessments it is understood that military officers have examined the options. Sources said the French deal is particularly interesting as it offers three types of vehicle in the one deal. It may also be the most cost effective with ease of getting spare parts.
Other sources said there was shock at the French disclosure with some nervousness in Dublin given that they are also still talking to other companies.
During a broader discussion around future deals with countries such as Luxembourg, Dupuy referenced three models of vehicle known as the Griffon, Jaguar and Serval – the overall project those vehicles are in is known as Scorpion.
He said, that in regard to a sale:”perhaps towards Ireland” – he did add, speaking in French, that certain aspects of that deal need to be developed further.
One of the vehicles being considered is the French Griffon. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Expedite
As previously reported by The Journal Ireland was seeking to expedite normally slow procurement processes for the Defence Forces by adopting an approach that would see the State exploit Government to Government deals. Essentially the deal bypasses the normal procurement and tendering processes using European legal mechanisms.
This would fit the design of the CaMo project perfectly.
If the deal goes through, and sources believe it is very likely, it will not be the first time Ireland has used French armoured vehicles.
A statement from the Department of Defence confirmed that it was working to replace the current Armoured Personnel Carriers.
It said in the statement that, in keeping with the Commission on Defence Forces report, it would be looking at a fleet with “sufficient firepower for future overseas missions, and with ‘level 4’ armour across armour platforms where required”.
It said a Detailed Implementation Plan released in November 2023 sets out the planned timeline for the new armoured fleet by 2028.
“A joint civil/military project team are continuing their work on this project in line with the Public Spending Code Infrastructure Guidelines.
“The project is currently in the process of identifying the needs and requirements of the future armoured fleet as part of the capability development planning process.
“As is the part of this process there will be an assessment of various delivery options as well as consideration of approaches internationally with the objective of learning from best practice. This process is ongoing and no decisions have been made in terms of options for delivery of this project,” the Department statement said.
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