NEWTOWN, Conn. - Initial production of the Pandur series for the requirement of the Austrian Bundesheer has been completed.

Pandur series production for the Austrian Bundesheer's initial requirement is complete. Although research suggests that Austria intended to acquire an additional tender of Pandur II vehicles during the upcoming 10-yeqr forecast period, the fiscal challenges facing the Austrian government amidst the current state of economic uncertainty make any future acquisitions strictly tentative at the present time.

Open-source reporting indicates that the Bundesheer will launch an extensive campaign to modernize and increase the operational longevity of its existing stocks of Pandur I vehicles beginning in 2017.

In July 2014, the General Staff of the Army of the Czech Republic announced that the Pandur II was the favored platform to fulfill the Czech Army's requirement for a new fleet of 30 command and control (C2) vehicles.

Although a deal remains tentative at this time, the Czech Army's operation of Pandur vehicles in the IFV configuration grants the service a built-in level of familiarity with the operational and maintenance requirements of the platform. In addition, as with the prior order of Pandur IIs by the Czech Army, at least a portion of the assembly process for the new vehicles would be undertaken domestically by Czech defense and civil engineering contractor VOP-CZ at its Novy Jicin production facility and with collaboration from GDELS-Czech.

The Pandur's competitors for the C2 contract include the Tatra T-810 8x8 truck and the SVOS Vega 4x4 armored vehicle.

The Pandur series of vehicles has continued to generate a healthy level of interest on the international market for armored vehicles. The prime contractor's solid reputation for high-quality products and the Pandur's operationally flexible, modular design have both contributed to the series' potent market appeal.

However, the contraction of European defense budgets and lingering fallout from the collapse of the Portugal deal in 2012 could limit the Pandur's overall sales potential through the forecast period.

Source: Forecast International Weapons Group