Finnish arms maker Patria said in a statement Monday it had received official confirmation from the Croatian government that the country had selected its Armoured Modular Vehicle (AMV) 8X8 as the preferred vehicle for the Croatian military's armoured vehicle programme.

The deal covers 84 wheeled armoured personnel carriers, to be manufactured in Finland and Croatia with local partner Djuro Djakovic Special Vehicles.

"We are extremely contented that the best system was chosen. The decision was based on the excellent field test results in Croatia and other countries together with our competitive offer," said in a statement Jorma Wiitakorpi, the chief executive of Patria.

Croatian news agency Hina had reported already Thursday that Patria had won the tender, thought to be worth about 200 million euros.

STT
28.08.2007