Dec. 8, 2014 – 11:57AM | By ANDREW CHUTER
«El contrato podría ser una puerta de entrada potencial en un mercado para la sustitución de un gran número de M113,» dijo un ejecutivo de la industria. (Ministerio danés de Defensa)
LONDRES – Uno de los más importantes concursos de exportación de vehículos blindados de Europa se acercó más a su resolución hoy, cuando cuatro fabricantes entregan sus mejores ofertas finales que abarcan cinco plataformas diferentes para el Ministerio de Defensa danés.
Dinamarca está en busca de una flota de vehículos de ruedas o de orugas para sustituir sus antiguos vehículos blindados M113.
Los números son inciertos en este momento. Dinamarca incluye opciones para 206, 360 y 450 máquinas construidas en seis configuraciones según sus requisitos.
Los ejecutivos de la industria reconocen que el enfoque actual parecen estar inclinándose hacia una compra inicial de 206 máquinas.
La competencia de los contendientes es BAE Systems Hagglunds con su CV90 Armadillo, Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft (FFG) con el PMMC G5, y General Dynamics European Land Systems ASCOD contra los 8×8 de ruedas rivales Nexter con la Vehicule de Combat d’Infanterie (VBCI) y General Dynamics con la Piranha V.
BAE, FFG y Nexter confirmaron que han presentado una oferta final. General Dynamics declinó hacer comentarios.
Las empresas presentaron sus ofertas originales en 2012 con los contendientes actuales preseleccionados en febrero de 2013.
Un ejecutivo de la industria dijo que la competencia es importante en sí misma, ya que hay un mercado de compradores de vehículos blindados en Europa en este momento, y ganar el acuerdo podría tener un significado más amplio.
«El contrato podría ser una puerta de entrada potencial en un mercado para la sustitución de un gran número de M113; una buena parte de los que participarán los usuarios de gama alta como los daneses «, dijo el ejecutivo, quien pidió no ser identificado.
La decisión danesa probablemente no va a responder al perenne argumento de ruedas versus pistas, pero podría proporcionar una idea de como se mueve el debate, especialmente porque el vehículo seleccionado probablemente tenga que operar en condiciones extremas desde el clima del Ártico hasta el del desierto.
One French source said there was informal feedback that the wheeled vehicles outperformed the tracked during a 17-week trial of all the vehicles last year.
That view needs to be balanced by pictures that appeared on the web last year of a French Army VBCI stuck in sand during operations in Mali.
Other executives said there was no indication from the Danes about which vehicles performed well and which performed poorly.
All three tracked contenders used rubber band tracks during the trials rather than conventional steel. Although the rubber tracks were not mandated they are an option in the Danish requirement.
The Danes have experience with the new track material during operations in Afghanistan.
Rubber tracks make life easier for the occupants of the vehicle and the vehicles themselves by reducing vibration as well as other performance benefits.
The Danes have previously said they wouldn’t split the buy between tracks and wheels, and industry executives spoken to by Defense News said there was no indication that policy was about to change.
Denmark’s Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO) had hoped to have the contractor selected by now, but plans to make a decision earlier this year were blown off course, in part due to drawn out discussions between the Danes and the European Union over what the offset package for the vehicle could look like under tightened regulations.
A spokesman for DALO said new guidelines for defense sector offsets had come into force in July.
If the procurement process stays on target, the winning supplier could be named and under contract by the end of May 2015.
The spokesman said the armored vehicle has “ a current in service date of around 2018.”
Denmark faces a general election before mid-September next year, possibly in the spring, but with the armored vehicle program having broad support across the political parties as part of the nation’s 2013-2017 defense agreement, the advent of a new government is not expected to impact the program significantly.
Signed contracts have been returned to DALO by the rival bidders as part of their best and final offers so it appears there will be little need for drawn out contract negotiations once the winner is selected.
The armored vehicle competition is one of two best and final offers Nexter has on the table.
In October, Nexter submitted its truck-mounted 155mm/52-caliber Caesar cannon in a best and final offer for Denmark’s artillery tender, the source said. The French gun is up against the Samsung K9 Thunder and Elbit Atmos.
The Danish Army request for 15 guns and options for six more units may seem small but Denmark is highly active in the field, and winning the artillery order is seen as a significant international reference.
Antigua Empresa Nacional Santa Bárbara 