New Zealand to receive first VAMTAC prototype

Spanish manufacturer UROVESA has shipped a prototype of VAMTAC ST5 light vehicle from its factory in Galicia, Spain, to New Zealand. (NZDF)

New Zealand is scheduled to take delivery of a first VAMTAC ST5 4×4 high-mobility tactical vehicle prototype, manufactured by Spanish defence company URO Vehículos Especiales SA (UROVESA), the country's Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on 16 May.

The MoD said the prototype will be operated by a joint MoD and New Zealand Army team to develop, integrate, and test “New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) communications and digital systems”. However, the MoD did not disclose the date of prototype delivery.

Sarah Minson, New Zealand's deputy secretary of Capability Delivery, said, “This vehicle is the first VAMTAC ST5 medium variant to be built by UROVESA for the MoD, as part of a project to replace the NZDF's most frequently deployed operational vehicle fleet.”

“The construction and testing of this vehicle prototype is a significant milestone for the project team, who are working to deliver 60 new VAMTAC ST5 light and CK3 medium-sized utility vehicles, as part of tranche one of the project,” Minson added.

The MoD said, “The VAMTAC vehicles will, like their predecessors the Unimog and Pinzgauer, be used to transport personnel and equipment during security and stability operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions, and search-and-rescue deployments.”

The procurement of VAMTAC vehicles is a part of the New Zealand Army's Protected Mobility Capability Project (PMCP). Introduced in the 2010s, the project aims to procure transport and utility vehicles to align the New Zealand Army's mobility with the Australian Army.

Under the project, the MoD signed a contract with UROVESA in November 2024 to procure 40 VAMTAC CK3 medium vehicles and 20 VAMTAC ST5 light vehicles by 2027.