Czech army selects Toyota Hilux pickup as new standard 4x4 tactical vehicle.

According to information published on November 5, 2020, the Czech Ministry of Defense has selected the Toyota Hilux to replace Land Rover and old Soviet-made UAZ 469 4x4 tactical vehicles in service with the Czech armed forces.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

Toyota Hilux pickup design is the future 4x4 tactical vehicle of the Czech armed forces. (Picture source Czech MoD)

The UAZ 469 is an off-road military light utility vehicle manufactured by Russian company UAZ. It was used by Soviet and other Warsaw Pact armed forces, as well as paramilitary units in Eastern Bloc countries. This seven-seat, four-door vehicle was developed in the 1960s, originally of Russian make. Later, it was manufactured in Czechoslovakia, having been a successor of the earlier GAZ 69 vehicle of the similar design. It has been used for transport of personnel and light-weight cargoes in the Czechoslovak and Czech militaries since 1973.

The Czech armed forces plan to acquire 1,200 Toyota Hilux, pickup version able to carry up to 5 military personnel and combat equipment. In the summer, 12 companies were invited to submit bids. The Czech Ministry of Defense has received 10 bids for 4 different vehicles.

The winner selected by the Czech Ministry of Defense, is the company Glomex MS, offering the Toyota Hilux. We can suppose that the vehicle will be militarized according to the needs and operational requirements of the Czech armed forces.

The French army has also selected the VT4 4x4 tactical vehicle which is also based on a civilian 4x4 SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) Ford Everest. The VT4 is a 4x4 light tactical, multi-purpose, non-protected vehicle based on a militarized version of the civilian SUV Ford Everest. It is designed to be used as command and liaison vehicle with the capacity to transport 5 military personnel. The use of this type of vehicle makes it possible to reduce manufacturing and maintenance costs and to easily have spare parts available.

The Toyota Hilux is a series of pickup trucks produced and marketed by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. The majority of these vehicles are sold as pickup truck or cab chassis variants, although they could be configured in a variety of body styles.

The latest generation of Toyota Hilux is designed to tackle the toughest off-road conditions, with a 29° approach angle, 26° departure angle and 293 mm ground clearance. It’s also capable of wading to a depth of 700mm. Payloads of up to one tone can be carried and Hilux can tow (braked) loads of up to 3.5 tones.