Vydra (Otter) Patria AMV 8x8
The Slovakian Ministry of Defence (MoD) is moving ahead with plans to acquire the Patria AMV, announcing that it will propose the cabinet to approve the procurement of the vehicle, to be known as Vydra (Otter). The MoD plans to procure up to 81 Vydra vehicles, with the overall price not exceeding €417 million ($480.1 million). This includes logistical support, munitions, infrastructure and the purchase of the prototype. The 8X8 vehicle will be designated as Otter because of its swimming capability and its dynamic, fast, agile, resistant and easily manoeuvrable capabilities.
The Vydra 8x8 vehicle is a cutting edge product of the SVK defence industry. Up to 16 SVK defence companies may get involved in its production. The vehicle, based on the requirements of the SVK Armed Forces, is an outcome of international R&D.
The Vydra 8x8 IFV has been developed to replace the post-Soviet era vehicles, some of which have already reached the age of 50. On the role of the vehicle, the Ministry of Defence has never said it has been designed for the purposes of a heavy mechanised brigade. In fact, it was not until the end of 2017 that this requirement was formulated by NATO. Moreover, NATO has approved Slovakia's order of sequence for armaments in which to build the heavy mechanised brigade.
As the international development of the vehicle progressed, the MOD and state-owned Konštrukta Defence a. s. took account of the requirements made by the most qualified people and real subject matter specialists – soldiers.
As per valid legislation, the priority of the Armed Forces is to defend the Slovak Republic and its citizens. Given that there are plentiful waterways, rivers and streams in Slovakia and hence the operational use of the combat vehicle must reflect this eventuality, the swimming capability requirement made by soldiers is fully justifiable.
In addition to technical company trials, verification trials and military trials, the IFV prototype has successfully undergone additional verification and military trails in order to test the proposed adjustments to the vehicle.
Peter Gajdoš, Minister of Defence, said 13 October 2018: “We have staged several displays of the 8x8 armoured IFV in public, because we want our citizens to have a realistic idea about the vehicle we want to equip the Army with. Needless to say, the production of the vehicle will boost employment in Slovakia, and I think the message we are trying to get across is clear – we have decided to go the way of manufacturing our own domestic product and giving jobs to our people.” In this context, he underlined the advantage this solution brings to the country: Deliveries of spare parts by our suppliers will continue even in the event of crisis.“This means under such circumstances we will not be dependent on the help of another country which, naturally, will prefer its own interests,” he added.
Speaking at a press conference at the MOD 19 October 2018, Minister of Defence Peter Gajdoš said: “The vehicle is the result of international Slovak-Finnish development and most of it will be produced in Slovakia. The price of a single vehicle in the serial production, including all components, will not exceed €3.33 million, VAT excluded, in other words, the vehicle will cost up to €4 million, VAT included. According to analysis, up to 16 Slovak and 1 Czech defence companies can participate in its production. Thanks to this historically largest modernization, and I count the production of the Zuzana 2 SpGH in, up to 800 jobs may be created.”
Head of the MOD emphasised that the support of the SNS-led MOD for the SVK defence industry’s involvement in the programme is substantial. “We will create jobs for our citizens at home. I think there is not a single country that would prefer a foreign product to its own. Otherwise, in the event of crisis or war we would never be able to ensure deliveries of spare parts and maintenance support to the Armed Forces,” he explained.
As General Secretary of the MOD's Service Office Ján Holko added, SVK defence companies will be selected for serial production of the vehicle in compliance with the Public Procurement Act. “Besides this, the project creates prerequisites for wider benefits to SVK economy, ranging from sustaining the key capabilities of the Slovak defence industry, creating jobs, generating tax revenues for the state budget, through to paying dividends and insurance premiums. Over the duration of the 7-year contract this could reach over 42 million euros,” he said.
The MOD plans to procure up to 81 Vydra vehicles by 2024, whereas the overall price will not exceed €417 million, VAT included. This includes logistical support (€17 million), munitions (€65 million), infrastructure (€5 million), and the purchase of the prototype (€5.8 million). The reason why the designation of the vehicle is ‘Otter’ is that, just like the animal, it has a swimming capability and is very dynamic, fast, agile, resistant and easily manoeuvrable in spite of its size.
Minister of Defence Peter Gajdoš said suggested that Former Minister of Defence of the Slovak Republic Lubomír Galko of the Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party, was critical of decision by the SVK Land Forces Commander and long-time serving personnel. He held the post of the Minister of Defence in the years 2010 and 2011 and as the only minister he was asked by the then Prime Minister to step down Galko on the heels of a scandal over the Military Defence Intelligence (VOS), which operates under the Ministry of Defence, and its interception of the telephone calls of journalists.
The MOD charged that the oppositional defence "expert", Galko "tends to overlook professional arguments, such as the need for a marked reinforcement of engineer units, if the MOD had given preference to a vehicle incapable of swimming. And if Mr Galko claims that an international tender would have brought us a better vehicle, one that could swim with the ballistic protection level equal to STANAG Level 5, then he denies Archimedes' principle.
"Today there is no such 28-tonne vehicle with equal parameters, size and capabilities that can swim in the world. Nor do we understand why he prefers to give jobs to people abroad rather than Slovak citizens. If he believes that the creation of 800 jobs in the SVK defence industry, which has been in decline for years, is not enough, he can come up with his own solution and present it to the public. Otherwise, it is all empty talk and a political gamble."
The aim of NATO defence planning is to harmonise national plans with NATO requirements. This means harmonising the requirements of SVK defence planners for the final shape of the SVK Army's combat segment with NATO's requirement for a heavy mechanised brigade. Aligned with the 2030 Long-Term Defence Development Plan, the SVK Army's combat segment is comprised of 7 battalions, i.e. 1 motorised battalion (equipped with 4x4 vehicles), 2 mechanised battalions (equipped with 8x8 IFVs), 3 heavy battalions (equipped with tracked vehicles), and 1 tank battalion.
As part of consultations with the NATO defence capability review team, we explained the order of sequence to achieve the final shape of the SVK Army's combat segment and mechanised brigade according to NATO requirements. As part of Phase 1, 1 artillery unit will be complemented gradually and reequipped with the Zuzana 2 SpGH. The outdated BVP 1 vehicles will be replaced by the Vydra 8x8 IFV fleet. A tank battalion, equipped with the T-72 tanks after a partial upgrade and life extension programme, will have been stood up by 2024, with the acquisition of 4th generation tanks scheduled after 2025. As the BVP 2 fleet will be phased out, new advanced combat tracked vehicles will be fielded after 2024 in line with the Long-Term Defence Development Plan. The structure of the heavy mechanised brigade in terms of NATO requirements and other tasks arising out of NATO and EU commitments will be delivered flexibly, depending on the availability of military assets.
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