Netherlands to expand military capabilities with new armored vehicles

The Dutch Ministry of Defence has announced plans to significantly strengthen its land forces in preparation for large-scale military operations. The procurement strategy focuses on enhancing the capabilities of medium and heavy infantry brigades.

A key component of this expansion is the acquisition of additional CV90 infantry fighting vehicles. To accelerate delivery, the Netherlands is participating in a joint procurement initiative alongside Sweden, Finland, Norway, Lithuania, and Estonia. This will support the formation of a new armored infantry battalion to be stationed in Budel.

Additionally, the military aims to replace its aging Kodiak engineering vehicles, which are based on the Leopard 2 chassis. Officials noted that the Kodiak vehicles are outdated, suffer from frequent mechanical failures, and lack sufficient protection against modern battlefield threats, such as minefields and fortified defensive lines. The replacement program, which may include bridge-laying tanks and specialized armored vehicles from German manufacturer FFG, is estimated to cost between 250 million and 1 billion euros.