Czech MoD suspends tracked IFV procurement

The Czech MoD on 5 November suspended procurement of 210 tracked IFVs, the contenders for which were (from left to right) the BAE Systems Hägglunds CV90 Mk IV, Rheinmetall Lynx KF41, and GDELS ASCOD 42. (Czech MoD)

The Czech Ministry of Defence (MoD) on 5 November suspended the procurement of 210 tracked infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) after a commission of experts completed the assessment of the bids.

The ministry said in a press release that the three bidders – BAE Systems Hägglunds with the CV90 Mk IV, General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) with the ASCOD 42, and Rheinmetall with the Lynx KF41 – “cannot be evaluated ... because none of them meets all the requirements of the contracting authority“.

The MoD gave as examples “missing or inaccurate data on the technical characteristics of the vehicles offered and incomplete information on co-operation with the Czech defence industry“. The ministry informed all three bidders of the suspension by letter on 5 November. The MoD did not say what the next steps in the procurement would be, but Janes understands that the IFV offers expire on 30 June 2022.

The CZK52 billion (USD2.4 billion) procurement aims to replace the Czech Army‘s BMP-2 IFVs.

BAE Systems Hägglunds told Janes