General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) has been awarded a contract by the Latvian Ministry of Defence for the delivery of an initial batch of 42 ASCOD infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) including logistic support.
Announcing the contract on 30 January 2025, GDELS stated that the IFV would be the “latest generation” of the ACSOD family of armoured vehicles, with “customer specific features” for the Latvian Land Forces.
The acquisition, which was conducted through an international competition, is valued at approximately €373m ($464m), or around $11m per vehicle.
“We are grateful… that our ASCOD infantry fighting vehicle has been selected by the Latvian National Armed Forces as the winner of an international competition,” said Thomas Kauffmann, vice president GDELS Global Sales.
Kauffmann added that the ASCOD family had more than 1,100 vehicles in different variants in the global market.
What is the ASCOD armoured vehicle?
According to GDELS the ASCOD is a modular vehicle based on the Common Base Platform concept, able to be fitted to a variety of lethality and protection packages.
GDELS states that it delivers the ASCOD to customers with open architecture across a variety of variants and mission roles, all utilising the same base platform, reducing complexity and cost.
Regarding firepower, the ASCOD can accommodate a range of turrets from different manufacturers ranging from 25mm to 120mm calibre, as well as anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM).
Among notable operators of the ASCOD design will be the British Army, which will acquire 589 vehicles across multiple variants, led by the Ajax IFV.
IFVs leading global market demand
The procurement of IFVs was forecast to be the most popular segment of the global military land vehicles market over the next decade, according to analysis conducted by GlobalData, with a market share of 30.9%, followed by the main battle tanks segment with a share of 27.1%.
The global military land vehicles market, valued at $31.6bn in 2024, is expected to reach $48.3bn by 2034.
