At the recent Eurosatory 2024, a major international exhibition for defence technologies and military equipment, a wide array of intriguing military wheeled and tracked equipment was showcased, including selected systems in which the Army of the Czech Republic as already shown or might in the future show interest in connection with its modernization.

Video: Heavy equipment at Eurosatory 2024, which the Czech Army has already shown or could show interest in / CZ DEFENCE

At the exhibition, we were of course interested in the latest 3rd generation of the Tatra Force series in the version for the armed forces. The new cab has a number of superior safety features, an improved interior or a digitized dashboard and modern electronics. Compared to the previous generation, it has a redesigned skeleton with modern structural elements bringing increased crew safety and better visibility. The 2-door and 4-door cabins will be variable, so the carmaker will offer a low version to facilitate passage in low profiles, but also, for example, loading into large-capacity transport aircraft, etc., as well as a version with a higher ceiling.

The proven chassis of the new Tatra, equipped with a central load-bearing tube and independently swinging semi-axles, ensures excellent handling and off-road capability. These capabilities are expected to be slightly enhanced in the third generation of the Tatra Force than in the second generation. The new Tatra Force will be offered in 4x4, 6x6 and 8x8 configurations as standard, but again, as with the previous generation, multi-axle versions with different numbers of driven and steerable axles will also be available.

The next vehicle we stopped at was the CV90 MkIV tracked infantry fighting vehicle. It is this type of vehicle from the Swedish manufacturer BAE Systems Hägglunds that the Army of the Czech Republic or the 7th Mechanised Brigade will have in its armament. It will be a total of 246 units in seven variants, and the first vehicles should be received by our army at the end of 2026. The CV90 tracked armoured personnel carrier on display had a number of new observation and protection features that should provide the vehicle crew with effective protection and high situational awareness on the modern battlefield.

At this year's Eurosatory, the German-French company KNDS presented its brand new project in the form of a Leopard 2 A-RC 3.0 tank demonstrator with an unmanned, remote-controlled turret in a world premiere (we have written about this new system in detail before).

We were mainly interested in the Leopard 2 A8 tank, which was exhibited in an almost identical configuration to the one our tankers from the 73rd Tank Battalion might receive in the future. Czech Army plans to acquire at least 61 Leopard 2 A8 tanks in six modifications, with the possibility of acquiring 16 more. In total, the acquisition of up to 77 tanks in six modifications (combat, command, recovery, engineer, bridge and driver training). The tanks are to be procured through a Cooperative Procurement Arrangement (CPA), an agreement between several interested states. Negotiations focus on industrial cooperation on the project in order to ensure maximum security of supply, financing including possible advance payments, contracting for the delivery of individual tank modifications and a model for guarantee and after-sales service. The negotiations, which are currently underway between the Czech and German Ministries of Defence, have a deadline of 31 December 2024. Unless complications arise, the new main battle tanks of the Czech Army should be put into service in 2027, with the end of deliveries expected in 2030 at the latest.

In the future, the Czech Army will also look into acquiring self-propelled mortars (probably 120 mm calibre) mounted on wheeled and/or tracked platforms. Within the crawler variant, the CV90 platform, which our army will already have in its arsenal, seems to be the logical solution. Regarding the wheeled platform, the Czech Pandur II 8x8 CZ vehicle (which has also been introduced in our army for many years) or the Pandur Pandur II 8x8 EVO, which will be a new generation of the Czech-made armoured vehicle, should be considered. Another possible solution is the Finnish Patria AMV (Armoured Modular Vehicle) with the NEMO mortar system (120 mm), which was exhibited at this year's Paris exhibition in this configuration.

Our army or our engineers will also need new escort bridge systems and pontoon bridge sets in the future, which is one of the modernisation projects of the Czech Armed Forces. In this context, given the planned acquisition of new Leopard 2 A8 tanks, the acquisition of the Leguan bridge system on the same tracked chassis, i.e. the chassis of the Leopard 2 tank, seems to be a logical solution.

However, the Leguan bridge system can also be mounted on a wheeled chassis, combining the advantages of a wheeled platform and its mobility with the load capacity of the MLC 80, which is sufficient for the most modern main battle tanks with a margin. The wheeled solution in the similar positioning of the Leguan system on the proven Czech Tatra 10x10 wheeled platform was then on display at the outdoor exhibition of KNDS and Tatra Trucks.

The Leguan enables the mobility of the Leopard 2 main battle tank and, along with that, the most consistent operation and maintenance logistics. Its 14 m and 26 m long bridges meet the strictest MLC 80 load capacity requirements (the vehicle itself belongs into the MLC 70 category), and by definition of its concept it is directly designed to ensure the mobility of the Leopard 2 main battle tanks. Its bridge can be adapted to virtually all heavy tracked vehicle chassis. It features a modular concept that makes it versatile and expandable.

As already mentioned, our military will be requesting pontoon bridge kits in addition to bridge systems. In the field of pontoon kits, some time ago, the Sternberg-based Excalibur Army, together with General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) Corporation, presented a solution in the form of the IRB pontoon bridge kit on the Tatra 815-7 Force chassis, which falls into the MLC 80 category for tracked vehicles, exactly as the army requires. Thus, this system may be one of the possible solutions for the Czech Army.

Another solution in the form of a motorised floating bridge was also presented at this year's Eurosatory, namely the PFM system from the French company CNIM. This system is able to provide a safe crossing for the heaviest vehicles of the armed forces, such as the Abrams M1A2 SEPV3 tank, Leopard 2A7, Challenger 2, etc. and is already in service or will be in service in several NATO member armies.

In addition to our selected heavy equipment, a number of other modern wheeled or tracked systems were presented at the Paris exhibition, some of which will certainly appear in the armament of world armies, including NATO member armies, in the future.