Spain and Portugal sign SAFE memorandum for VAMTAC vehicles

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Spain and Portugal sign SAFE memorandum for VAMTAC vehicles

On 27 August, the Spanish and Portuguese Ministries of Defence signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the joint acquisition of VAMTAC high-mobility tactical all-terrain military vehicles under the European “Security Action for Europe” (SAFE) instrument. The agreement was signed by Amparo Valcarce, Spain’s Secretary of State for Defence, and Rear Admiral Antonio Mateus, Deputy Director-General for Armaments and Assets at Portugal’s National Defence Ministry, at the São João Baptista da Foz Fortress in Porto.

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Spain’s Defence Minister, Margarita Robles, and her Portuguese counterpart, Nuno Melo, also attended the signing ceremony. “With this signature and this memorandum, and through the implementation of the SAFE Programme, we are highlighting not only the joint work of Spain and Portugal, but, more importantly, the European Union and a Europe of defence,” Minister Robles stated. The procurement of VAMTAC vehicles is intended to advance modernisation efforts and strengthen interoperability between the two countries’ armed forces.

According to the Spanish Ministry of Defence press release, the Memorandum formally confirms Portugal’s participation in a future framework agreement for the procurement of VAMTAC vehicles, which have a 1,500-kilogram payload capacity and high tactical mobility, “[…] thereby strengthening the integration of the European industrial base”. The Spanish-Portuguese initiative also establishes a bilateral cooperation framework to achieve a tactical land-mobility capability based on a shared platform, enabling greater interoperability and interchangeability between the neighbouring armed forces.

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€720 million framework agreement for VAMTAC vehicle procurement

It should be noted that, in mid-April, the Spanish Government authorised a framework agreement worth more than €720 million for the procurement of VAMTAC tactical vehicles, aimed at “...strengthening the strategic capability of the Armed Forces”. The reference published by La Moncloa also states that: “...the Framework Agreement, making use of the ‘Security Action for Europe’ (SAFE) instrument and the European SAFE Regulation, includes an addendum providing for the participation of the Portuguese Republic in the supply of these vehicles for its Armed Forces, financed under that instrument...”

Developed by the Spanish company Urovesa, the VAMTAC is an all-terrain platform that is modular and adaptable to mission operational requirements, with a range exceeding 600 kilometres over any terrain. It can be configured for a variety of roles, including scout, rescue, command, fire-support, troop-transport, reconnaissance and surveillance, ambulance, tanker and explosive-ordnance disposal vehicle. It can also be fitted with machine guns, RWCS and missile launchers.

Regional and international users of VAMTAC tactical vehicles

More recently, within the context of the framework agreement, Spain’s Ministry of Defence formalised a contract for the acquisition of 15 VAMTAC ST5 vehicles in the dual-fuel BN1 variant. The VAMTAC serves as the standard 4×4 tactical vehicle of the Spanish Armed Forces and has also expanded into the international market, equipping the armed forces of Asia-Pacific countries such as Singapore and New Zealand with various models and prototypes. Ukraine’s Armed Forces operate VAMTAC 4×4 vehicles as a result of military equipment transfers from the Spanish Government.