The New Zealand Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with UROVESA of Spain to begin the process of replacing the New Zealand Army's fleet of Unimog and Pinzgauer utility vehicles. UROVESA will deliver 60 vehicles across two variants to the New Zealand Army from 2027.
Under the contract UROVESA will deliver 20 ST5 light utility vehicles and 40 CK3 medium utility vehicles to the New Zealand Army. The 60 vehicles will replace 25 per cent of the Army's combined Unimog and Pinzgauer fleet and represent Tranche one of the overall replacement project.
"Both the Unimog and Pinzgauer vehicles have served the New Zealand Army well over the years - but their retirement from service is overdue. And so, it is with great excitement that we can see the replacement of these essential platforms begin," said the Chief of the New Zealand Army, Major General Rose King.
Tranche one also includes the purchase of spare parts, computing and communications equipment, support equipment, project costs and introduction into service costs. The cost of the contract hasn't been disclosed, however, Tranche one of the program was allocated NZ$100 million (~$90 million) in 2024.
"These new vehicles will improve our effectiveness across a variety of scenarios while making our people safer and able to deliver their outputs easier. They will be equipped with communications systems, which will continue to provide interoperability with our partners who use similar platforms. The carrying capacity of the new vehicles - with the medium variant able to load nearly four tonnes of equipment or up to ten personnel, and the light variant up to 1.7 tonnes - is also really impressive. Both variants perform really well off-road and the medium variant can operate in water up to 1.5 metres deep."
"The VAMTAC ST5 and CK3 vehicles are modern, efficient and fit for purpose. They have a proven track record, with more than 20 countries around the world using them including Singapore, as well as Spain and a number of other NATO nations," said New Zealand's Deputy Secretary of Defence for Capability Delivery, Sarah Minson.