Twenty unused light armoured vehicles remain in NZDF storage

11:41 am on 7 October 2020 Share this 

Jonathan Mitchell, Reporter@jonomitchellnzjonathan.mitchell@rnz.co.nz

Twenty light armoured vehicles remain unused and waiting for a buyer – nearly a decade after the Defence Force decided they were surplus to requirements.

NZ Defence Force Light Armoured Vehicles. Photo: RNZ / Peter Fowler

The previous Labour government bought 105 LAVs from General Dynamics Land Systems Canada for $653 million.

They entered service in 2003.

The Defence Force decided it didn’t need 20 of them in 2011 and they have been in storage at Trentham Military Camp, north of Wellington waiting for a new home.

Despite some overseas interest a few years ago, a deal never eventuated.

The Defence Force has told RNZ the vehicles remain in long-term storage.

“A number of sale options have been investigated over the past few years so far without success. The NZDF continues to seek interested parties,” a spokesperson said.

The military could not say how much it cost to keep the vehicles in storage and had made no final decisions on what should be done with them if they are not sold.

Of the original 105, one was badly damaged in Afghanistan during deployment, while another is in Canada as a test vehicle.

The Defence Force said 83 remained in operational service.

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