8x8 Vydra armoured military vehicles, which were developed by the Slovak armed forces and introduced by the Defence Ministry last week, face criticism. Opposition MP for the Freedom and Solidarity party and former Defence Minister Ľubomír Galko said that it had a smaller armour thickness than set out in the conditions for heavy ballistic protection. Thus, according to him, the vehicle thus does not comply with the conditions of the heavy brigade which Slovakia has committed itself to build. "In order for the vehicle to meet all the conditions, it would have to have a ballistic protection of STANAG 4 or STANAG 5, whereas the Vydra vehicle has a smaller armour thickness, namely STANAG 3," said Galko.
According to Defence Minister Peter Gajdoš, the 8x8 Vydra military vehicle was developed and modified based on the comprehensive requirements of the Slovak Armed Forces. The Defence Ministry plans to procure up to 81 8x8 Vydra armoured military vehicles, with the overall price tag not projected to exceed €417 million and production to take place predominantly in Slovakia.
