Dutch MoD outlines plan for Combat General Purpose Vehicle

The Dutch MoD intends to procure 100 to 150 Combat General Purpose Vehicles, which are to serve as a future support platform for the Dutch Army’s 43rd Heavy Mechanized Brigade. According to an information letter dated April 23, 2025, from the Dutch MoD to the Dutch Parliament, the intention is to procure the armored platforms through a negotiated procedure without a tender in the form of a direct award.

In order to have this capability “available in a timely manner, it is desirable to complete the procurement of this project as soon as possible,” the letter states. “This is due, among other things, to the limited available capacity of production lines, which further extends delivery times. 

For this purpose, the Dutch MoD is seeking a technical solution that fully meets the stated requirements based on the operational concept.” Because of this, the programme is required to focus on vehicles that are already familiar to the Dutch armed forces and are in service. 

“These new armored vehicles should have high off-road capability and provide adequate protection for their personnel. Furthermore, the vehicles should be simple, reliable, and suitable for combat missions,” the letter states. The required variants are listed in the letter as follows: transport, command post (including control of unmanned systems), medical vehicle, engineer vehicle, and troop transport.

The estimated need is for between 100 and 150 platforms and the project is expected to be implemented between 2029 and 2031, according to the Dutch MoD. 

The requirements listed in the letter regarding availability, variety, off-road capability and protection, combined with the addition that the Combat General Purpose Vehicle should be a platform already known to the Dutch armed forces, narrows down the potential candidate field to two platforms: The CV90 from BAE Hägglunds and ACSV G5 from FFG. 

The need for strong off-road performance, along with the Combat General Purpose Vehicle’s role in supporting heavy brigade combat teams (equipped with CV90s and Leopard 2A8s), strongly indicates a tracked design. In mechanised warfare, the mobility of the main combat vehicles sets the standard for supporting vehicles. Wheeled vehicles typically struggle to match this in challenging terrain.

Tech profile: ACSV G5

The Armoured Combat Support Vehicle G5 is an armored multi-role combat support vehicle with a maximum weight of 26 tonnes, including a payload of 8 tonnes. FFG says it took future use into account during the development of the platform. For this purpose, the rear of the vehicle is configured as a “loading bed” for interchangeable mission modules, and it is also compatible with standard 10-foot ISO containers.

It is powered by a 6-cylinder MTU engine with 460 kW (approximately 616 hp), which is a similar system to the Boxer engine, which has eight cylinders. Furthermore, the G5 is equipped with the one-piece composite rubber track from Soucy, which provides comparatively low-vibration and reduced noise as well as improved track life compared to standard steel and rubber tracks. 

The Norwegian Armed Forces are the pilot customer for the ACSV and have ordered nearly 50 of the vehicles in several variants: material transport, air defence, engineer variant with crane, radar vehicle, and recovery vehicle. The Dutch MoD currently requires 40 systems, 22 of which will be configured to carry the Skyranger 30 anti-aircraft gun and 18 with air defence missiles.

Calibre comment

As the ACSV G5 is a MOTS system that has already been purchased by the Dutch armed forces, the only conclusion that can be drawn is that the Combat General Purpose Vehicle will be based on the CV90 or the ACSV G5. Both platforms are currently in use or currently being procured by the Netherlands. Furthermore, both platforms are offered by the manufacturers in the required variants without the need for further development. The ACSV G5 was developed from the ground up as a support platform and the CV90 platform as a combat vehicle, although Estonia is working on conversions of CV90 hulls into combat support variants.

This article, written by Waldemar Geiger, was originally published in German by hartpunkt on the 25th April. Calibre and hartpunkt are collaborating to bring you the best defence content from across Europe.