North Macedonian JLTVs being unloaded in the Port of Thessaloniki, Greece, July 23, 2022. Photo shared by North Macedonian defense minister Slavjanka Petrovska
North Macedonia ordered the first JLTV 4x4s in 2019. Plans are currently in place for the purchase of 99 units, but the country has options to buy a total of 152 of the vehicles by 2024. With the arrival of the first vehicles, Balkan state is joining several other European customers of the JLTVs, including regional neighbors Montenegro and Slovenia.
The vehicles are slated to join the 2nd infantry battalion, which already uses German-built TM-170 Hermelin vehicles, as well as tracked BMP-2, M113, MT-LB and Leonidas and wheeled BTR-70, BTR-80 vehicles of mixed Soviet, Greek, US, and Turkish origins.
The acquisition of the JLTV and the potential purchase of Stryker armored fighting vehicles for an estimated cost of $210 million is part of North Macedonia’s drive to unify its equipment and thereby ease the logistical and maintenance issues.
According to local reports, that drive could be aided by US military donations that would be contingent on the transfers of weapon systems of Soviet origin to Ukraine, which has been defending against the Russian invasion since February this year.
As a successor for the Humvee in the US military, the JLTV is air-transportable (CH-47 and CH-53 helicopters; C-130, C-5, C-17 and A400 Cargo fixed-wing aircraft) and can be delivered in a multitude of versions ranging from general purpose to heavy guns carrier.
The vehicles come with integrated C4ISR capabilities and have a payload of 2,313 kg in the two-door configuration, and 1,587 kg in four-door configuration.
Oshkosh Defense says it has so far built almost 17,000 vehicles and delivered them to over 50 locations worldwide.
Source link : https://defbrief.com/2022/08/01/north-macedonia-welcomes-first-jltvs-from-the-us/
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Publish date : 2022-08-01 07:00:00
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