Santa Bárbara Sistemas, the Spanish subsidiary of the American defense group General Dynamics, has formalized the delivery of the first Hunter infantry combat vehicle to the National Armed Forces of Latvia, as the company communicated this Wednesday.
According to the company, this first unit marks a "milestone" achieved just a year and a half after the signing of the contract and highlights "the capability of the Spanish defense industry to develop, integrate, manufacture, and deliver advanced solutions tailored to the operational needs of its international clients."
The agreement includes the total supply of 84 Hunter vehicles before 2029, with a participation of 30% from the local Latvian industry.
Combination of firepower and modular protection
The program, considered by the company as "one of the main operations for the export of land defense from the Spanish industry in recent years," is based on the ASCOD platform, designed and evolved by Santa Bárbara and adjusted to the specifications of the Armed Forces of Latvia.
The Hunter integrates firepower, modular protection, high mobility, and interoperability with NATO allied forces, and has been designed from its origin as a platform prepared to adapt to the evolution of the battlefield. The Latvian Minister of Defense, Raivis Melnis, has emphasized that this delivery "represents an important step towards strengthening Latvia's defense capabilities."
"These vehicles will substantially increase the mobility, protection, and firepower of our mechanized units, in addition to fostering cooperation between the National Armed Forces and NATO allies," he noted, emphasizing that it is "especially important for the Latvian defense industry to actively participate in the execution of this program."
Rapid response capability to "urgent operational needs"
Santa Bárbara has highlighted that the Hunter program is "an example of Santa Bárbara's ability to respond quickly to urgent operational needs."
"In just 14 months, the company has been able to design, develop, manufacture, integrate, and test in Spain the first platform adapted to Latvia's requirements," the firm explained, specifying that the vehicle completed the integration, validation, personnel training, field testing, and official acceptance phases in Latvian territory.
The National Armed Forces of Latvia gave their final approval to the vehicle last September, about a year and a half after the signing of the contract. This schedule is supported by an industrial model based on a "mature platform, available production capabilities, and a supply chain ready to respond quickly to the requirements of an international customer."
The program is also framed within an "especially demanding" operational environment for Latvia, located on NATO's eastern flank.
"The speed of execution allows transforming a defense need into a concrete operational capability in a very short time, while maintaining the necessary integration, training, testing, and acceptance processes to ensure its operability," noted Santa Bárbara.
The CEO of the company, Alejandro Page, emphasized that this delivery "demonstrates the capacity of the Spanish industry to transform an operational need into a real defense capability in an especially demanding timeframe."
"This program is also an example of how a leading company like Santa Bárbara can bring the capabilities of the Spanish industry to large international programs, generating opportunities for our supply chain and opening new doors to export," he concluded.