On 24 August, the Czech Ministry of Defence concluded a contract for the acquisition of 209 Tatra 815-7 6×6 heavy-duty off-road trucks in a flatbed design with a total value of more than CZK 1.9 billion (USD 77.5 Mn). The contract was signed on behalf of the Ministry of Defence by Lubor Koudelka, Deputy Director of the Armaments and Acquisitions Section, and on behalf of Tatra Trucks a.s. by Petr Hendrych, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Petr Šimek, Member of the Board of Directors.
“In today’s complex security situation, this is another important step towards strengthening the defense of the Czech Republic. I am very pleased that we have managed to negotiate a contract with a Czech manufacturer,” said Ministry of Defence Lubor Koudelka on the occasion of the contract signing. Already this year, 200 pieces of equipment will be delivered, and the remaining 9 pieces will be delivered at the beginning of 2023. In the future, it will be necessary to replace another 640 of the 928 vehicles in operation due to their age.
In the next few days, a contract will be concluded with Tatra Trucks a.s. for the years 2023 and 2024 for the acquisition of 80 heavy off-road trucks type T-815-7 8×8, so-called hook loader for transport and handling of ISO 1C containers with a total value of more than CZK 1.2 billion excluding VAT. The current state of automotive transport equipment of this category in the Army of the Czech Republic is significantly undersized. Out of the total number of 504 vehicles in operation, at least 200 need to be supplemented, with 80 identified as the minimum for urgent needs.