merrion street

The Minister with Responsibility for Defence Mr Paul Kehoe, T.D., has awarded a contract for the provision of one hundred and twenty (120) new 4X4 Troop Carrying Vehicles (TCVs) for the Defence Forces to Westward Scania, based in Strokestown, Co. Roscommon.

The new vehicle type to be supplied is the P370 B4x4 manufactured by Scania. The new vehicles will replace the current fleet of TCVs which entered service between 1998 and 2003.

Awarding the contract the Minister said

the purchase of the vehicles is in line with the commitment given in the White Paper and the National Development Plan Project 2040 to continue investment in modern equipment for Defence Forces personnel and the obligations of the State to provide appropriate support and assets to our Defence Forces personnel.

The principal role of the Troop Carrying Vehicle is troop transport, as well as artillery gun-towing and carriage of stores. In addition the vehicles can be deployed on Aid to the Civil Authority (ATCA) activities during flooding, extreme weather events or other emergencies.

The cost of the contract will be €24.6 million including VAT.

The award of the contract follows a detailed open tender competition initiated in 2019 and concluded earlier this year. The first vehicles are scheduled for delivery in 2020 with delivery of all 120 vehicles concluding by 2023.

The Defence capital funding envelope of €541m under the National Development Plan over the 2018-2022 timeframe allows for the advancement and delivery of major capital equipment projects in that timeframe.

Notes to Editors:

Description of Troop Carrying Vehicle
SCANIA P370 B4x4 Statistics
Unladen Weight -10 Tonnes
Payload - 8 Tonnes
Max Laden Weight - 40 Tonnes
Variants  - Standard Troop Carrying Variant, Specialist Artillery Variant and Logistic Support Variant

Fording Capacity - 750 mm

Transmission - 12 speed, semi-automatic
Roles - Troop Transport, Artillery gun-towing, Carriage of Stores, ATCA