"Experts from the Ministry of Defense and the National Armed Forces have conducted a thorough analysis in order to select the combat vehicles most suitable for our needs, which will increase the mobility capabilities and firepower of the Land Forces," said Defense Minister Andris Sprūds.
Contract negotiations with the Spanish manufacturer have been initiated, which "could be concluded at the end of this year or at the beginning of next year" the ministry said in a release.
Back in 2021, the same company signed a contract, via the United States, for the supply of the M3 Amphibious Bridge and Ferry System to Latvia.
ASCOD base-model infantry fighting vehicles are currently used by the armed forces of Spain, Austria, Great Britain, the United States and the Philippines.
The procedure for the purchase of infantry fighting vehicles was started at the beginning of 2023, with the selection of several potential suppliers as part of a feasibility study. In the fall of 2023, functional tests were conducted to obtain data on the operational capabilities of the various platforms.
"After the functional tests, the National Armed Forces conducted an in-depth evaluation of the obtained results according to the operational needs of the armed forces. Also, the costs of the platforms, the available equipment, the fulfillment of the local industry's involvement requirements, the delivery dates and other aspects were evaluated," said the release – though no mention has yet been made of what those potential costs might be or how many vehicles are wanted.
Within the framework of NATO's capability development goals, infantry fighting vehicles are one of the priorities, and their introduction in Latvia will support the fulfillment of NATO's capability goals.
According to the manufacturer:
"The ASCOD Family of Vehicles is a versatile and powerful land platform for current and future operation theatres which is operated by various NATO members countries. The modular design architecture offers adaptability and scalability and is remarkably cost-efficient for maintenance."
Originally developed by Spain and Austria in the 1990s, it first entered service with those two militaries in 2002. The ASCOD family of vehicles now comprises the Spanish PIZARRO, the Austrian ULAN, and the British AJAX.
You can see the ASCOD in action in these videos produced by the manufacturer.
