Tracked Support Vehicles (Spain)

According to Defence Insight (Shephard):

"In October 2022, the Spanish MoD indicated that it has been working on a programme for new armoured tracked vehicles. According to media reports, the procurement effort is expected to begin in 2027. The Spanish MoD is yet to reveal any details of the programme including its technical requirements, budget and the number of vehicles to be procured."

Programme Background

Requirement

Spain has an inventory of ageing M113s in various configurations, at least 20 of which were transferred to Ukraine in 2022. According to the Spanish media, the Spanish MoD is already planning to retire the first batch of M113s in the coming years. The legacy platform is expected to be fully decommissioned in 2035.

Previously, it was argued that Spain would replace its M113s under the VCR 8x8 programme. In October 2022, however, the Spanish MoD noted the presence of a separate acquisition project for tracked armoured vehicles.

The Tracked Support Vehicles (VAC) programme reportedly started in the late 2010s in the form of an internal study exploring potential replacements for the M113.

The Spanish MoD is yet to make an announcement regarding the programme requirements.

Forecast Methodology

In the absence of a formal government announcement, all figures in this forecast should be treated as speculative.

Units Required

The modelled requirement for 450 units assumes that the Spanish MoD would replace all of its remaining M113s with a new tracked platform.

In October 2022, media reports from Spain indicated that the MoD had a stock of 1250 M113s, designated to be reduced to 600 in a few years. Shephard notes that these numbers were not corroborated by other sources including its own data, which states that Spain has approximately 450 active M113s as of 2022.

Unit Cost

The modelled unit cost of $8.2 million reflects the average unit cost of high-capability tracked IFVs in Shephard's database. It should be noted that the Spanish MoD may opt for a cheaper platform depending on its programme requirements.

Programme Value

The modelled programme value of $4.428 billion assumes that Spain will procure 450 units costing $8.2 million each. The resulting procurement cost is increased by 20% to account for support costs.

Procurement Forecast

The VAC programme did not receive any funding for FY2023. According to the Spanish media reports, the procurement effort is scheduled to begin no earlier than 2027. The Spanish MoD aims to complete the programme in 2035 when all of its M113s are set to retire.

This forecast assumes that a production contract will be awarded in 2028, followed by the first delivery in 2029. The programme years are then pro-rated between 2029 and 2035.

Summary:

Programme value:$4.4 billion (Modelled - forecast by Shephard)

Units required:450 (Modelled - forecast by Shephard)

Award year:2028

Status:Announced

Type:Procurement - new

Unit cost:$8.2 million (Modelled - forecast by Shephard)