Slovenia picks howitzers, air defense systems and armored vehicles

WARSAW, Poland — Slovenia is advancing plans to buy new artillery systems, air defense systems and armored vehicles, with French and Finnish defense groups expected to play a major role in the country’s acquisition plans, the Slovenian Ministry of Defence has announced.

On July 12, the Slovenian and French defense leaders signed a letter of intent under which the nation will take part in the European joint procurement of truck-mounted Caesar 155 mm self-propelled howitzers, made by KNDS, and Mistral air defense systems. The Mistral is manufactured by MBDA, a France-based defense group owned by Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo.

“The signing of the letter of intent will initiate all the necessary procedures at the Ministry of Defence for the eventual procurement and introduction of entirely new weapon systems into the Slovenian Armed Forces,” a Slovenian government statement reads.

Ljubljana aims to secure funds from the European Union to finance “the construction of joint military capabilities” together with other member states, according to the statement.

On July 10, while he was taking part in the NATO Summit in Washington, Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob made another key declaration, announcing that his government plans to purchase new Patria AMV XP eight-wheel-drive vehicles for the armed forces.

“According to the prime minister, the contract could be finalized by the end of this year,” the defense ministry said in a statement.

The terms of the planned contract have not been officially announced. However, local broadcaster 24UR reported that Ljubljana is aiming to acquire 106 vehicles for some €695 million ($757 million).

The development came less than two years after Slovenia’s Cabinet decided to cancel a contract to buy 45 Boxer armored vehicles with related equipment and services. The deal was awarded by the previous Cabinet to the intergovernmental Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR).

The decision to scrap the acquisition was based on the findings of an internal audit commissioned by then-Defense Minister Marjan Šarec. The vehicle’s selected specification did not include all of the gear required by the ministry in the Boxer’s price tag, according to the internal audit’s findings.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

波兰华沙——斯洛文尼亚国防部宣布，斯洛文尼亚正在推进购买新型火炮系统、防空系统和装甲车辆的计划，预计法国和芬兰的国防集团将在该国的采购计划中发挥重要作用。

7月12日，斯洛文尼亚和法国国防领导人签署了一份意向书，根据该意向书，斯洛文尼亚将参与欧洲联合采购由KNDS公司生产的凯撒155毫米车载自行榴弹炮和“西北风”防空系统。“西北风”防空系统由总部位于法国的MBDA公司制造，该公司是一家由空客、英国航空航天系统公司和莱昂纳多公司共同拥有的国防集团。

斯洛文尼亚政府在一份声明中表示：“签署意向书将启动国防部所有必要的程序，最终为斯洛文尼亚武装部队采购和引进全新的武器系统。”

声明称，卢布尔雅那的目标是从欧盟获得资金，与其他成员国一起资助“联合军事能力的建设”。

7 月 10 日，斯洛文尼亚总理罗伯特·戈洛布在华盛顿参加北约峰会期间，发表了另一项重要声明，宣布他的政府计划为武装部队购买新的 Patria AMV XP 八轮驱动车辆。

国防部在一份声明中表示：“据总理称，该合同有望在今年年底前最终敲定。”

计划中的合同条款尚未正式公布。不过，当地广播公司24UR报道称，卢布尔雅那计划斥资约6.95亿欧元（7.57亿美元）采购106辆汽车。

不到两年前，斯洛文尼亚内阁决定取消一项购买45辆“拳击手”装甲车及相关设备和服务的合同。该合同由上届内阁授予政府间联合军备合作组织（OCCAR）。

取消采购的决定是基于时任国防部长马里安·沙雷茨委托进行的内部审计结果。内部审计发现，所选车辆的配置并未包含国防部要求的所有装备，而这些装备的价格却包含了“拳击手”装甲车的全部费用。

Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。