– Until now, the Estonian Defence Forces have mostly used vehicles previously utilised by our allies, but due to the security situation in Europe, those resources have now been exhausted. For the first time ever, we now have the opportunity to order new vehicles for the Estonian Defence Forces based on our exact needs, says Erko Sepri, Strategy Chief at the Estonian Centre for Defence Investments (ECDI), in a press release from ECDI on 4 October.
The procurement has been jointly led by both countries, and a total of just over ten bidders participated, according to the Estonian equivalent of FMV, ECDI. The agreements were signed on 4 October at a ceremony in Tallinn, Estonia, attended by, among others, Håkan Jevrell, State Secretary under Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell (M), and Ingrid Tersman, Sweden's Ambassador to Estonia.
Volvo's vehicles will consist of five variants of the Volvo Trucks FMX series and will be produced at their facility in Tuve, Gothenburg. Scania is also participating with heavy trucks. The framework agreement covers approximately 3,000 vehicles in total with a total value of approximately 440 million euros.
– This is an important deal for Volvo Defense and a testament to the reliability of our products and for Volvo as a long-term business partner. I look forward to working with our Estonian and Latvian customers to tailor the best products and services for them in the coming years, says Andreas Svenungsson, CEO of Volvo Defense, in a press release from Volvo Defense on 4 October.