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Zagreb - The parliamentary Defence Committee on Thursday gave a positive opinion on projects to procure SPIKE anti-tank guided missiles, Patria armoured personnel carriers and rigid inflatable boats (RIB) and to modernise the radar system and upgrade the combat communications system of the Croatian Air Force (HRZ).
Answering questions from reporters after the Committee's session, Defence Minister Mario Banožić said that the value of the project to procure SPIKE missiles was slightly more than €11 million, that Patria vehicles would cost slightly more than €158 million, and that rigid inflatable boats were a donation from the US worth €5 million, for which VAT in the amount of around €1.4 million would be paid.
The value of the project to modernise the radar system is around €45 million.
Funding has been secured for the negotiating period, and the projects will cover a period of several years. For the radar system the period in question is two years, and the project to procure SPIKE missiles will be slightly shorter, the minister said.
Patria vehicles will be procured by 2028 and the procurement period for RIBs will be shorter, he said, noting that budget funding would be secured accordingly.
Banožić said that SPIKE long-range missiles would be integrated with the Patria armoured personnel carriers. The plan is to procure an additional 30 Patria vehicles of different versions.
The procurement of both Patria vehicles and SPIKE missiles is important to achieve full operational capability for anti-armour warfare and NATO capability objectives, he said.
As for RIBs, Banožić said that they would be used to equip the Special Forces Command. The vessels will contribute to the implementation of tactical naval operations and to meeting the requirements of special forces deployment capability, he said.
The fourth very important project is the modernisation of the FPS 117 radar system and the upgrading of the combat communications system of the HRZ, recalling that the FPS 117 automated long-range early detection and airspace surveillance system was put in full operational use in 2008.
"Modernisation of radars will enhance operational control and management, including combat identification capabilities and crypto protection of data transfer while the upgrade of the combat communications system will enable the integration of tactical data links to secure the exchange and reception of information from national and NATO networks in real time. The radars are to be modernised by 2025," he said.
He added that there would be more procurement projects related to non-combat vehicles and projects whose value is less than €5 million and which do not entail the legal obligation to report to the Committee.
Banožić also said that under an agreement with the US government, the first Bradley fighting vehicles would arrive at the Đuro Đaković company in the second half of the year, as agreed.