Croatia has agreed to purchase 89 M2A2 ODS Bradley infantry vehicles for $145.3 million from the United States, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said at a news conference on Wednesday.
The total value of the deal is $196.4 million, of which the United States has subsidized $51.1 million, meaning the cost to Zagreb will be $145.3 million for the tracked infantry fighting vehicles.
The Croatian prime minister pointed out that for this amount, 62 infantry combat vehicles, 22 spare parts combat vehicles and five training vehicles will be provided, which will be upgraded by the Croatian company Djuro Djakovic in Slavonski Brod. The armament of the combat vehicles includes a 25mm automatic machine gun, a 7.62mm machine gun and anti-tank missiles, he said.
Plenković stressed that the deal, which has been under negotiation with Washington since 2017, has served a number of strategic purposes. It has strengthened ties with the United States, reduced the price of combat vehicles compared to what was previously discussed, and provided work for Djuro Djakovic, which could become a comprehensive service center.
With NATO membership, Croatia has committed to creating a medium-sized infantry regiment by 2026, which requires the army to have adequate equipment, Andrej Plenković added.
