Army Colombia has selected LAV III 8x8 armoured vehicle for its mechanized infantry units 2912123

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Defence News - Colombia
 
 
Saturday, December 29, 2012, 11:27 AM
 
Army of Colombia has selected the LAV III 8x8 armoured vehicle for its mechanized infantry units.
Colombia's government has closed negotiations for the purchase of a new 8x8 APC (Armoured Pesonnel Carrier) for Mechanized Infantry Units of Colombian Army. It's the vehicle LAV III of the Company General Dynamics Land Systems that has been selected after several tests carried out last January in Colombia.
     

LAV III APC 8x8 armoured personnel carrier of General Dynamics Land Systems during trial tests in Colombia. (Credit photo Erich Saumeth Cadavid)
     

The process has ended this Thursday, December 27, 2012, with the selection of the LAV III, for an unconfirmed total of 40 vehicles. A number of this vehicles will be equipped with a remote weapon station Samson RWS from the Israeli Company Rafael that can be armed with Browning M-2HB-QCB 12.7mm machine gun or a 25 or 30mm cannon.

The Colombian army will be now equipped with a new modern vehicle to be used in the Guajira department where old TPM-113 A are in service, and to have a 8x8 vehicle for mountainous region and also to replace gradually the 6x6 vehicle Engesa Urutu.

Besides the LAV III, other vehicles selected for the final phase of the tender were the Pandur II of the Austrian Company Steyr, a subdivision of General Dynamics European Land Systems and the Arma 8x8 of Turkish Company Otokar latter entering in the competition after a visit of a Colombian army delegation at company facilities in Turkey, September 2012.