Army receives first Pandur armoured vehicles

The Czech army received on Wednesday a delivery of 17 Pandur armoured vehicles from the Austrian manufacturer, Steyer. The first series was made in Austria while the remaining 90 vehicles commissioned will be produced in the Czech Republic. The army plans to integrate the Pandur II wheeled armoured vehicles into the armament of Czech mechanized units, deployed on foreign missions, particularly in Afghanistan.

The Czech Army signed a 14.4 billion crown, or nearly 84 million US dollar deal with Austria’s Steyr arms manufacturer in 2006; the deal was later cancelled over the Austrian company’s failure to meet some of the contract conditions. The Czech government finally approved the purchase in March last year.