The first ASCOD HUNTER hull has rolled out of the General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) factory in Trubia and arrived at the production site in Seville where it will be completed. The announcement from GDELS came on Tuesday 14 April and also mentioned that training for Latvian personnel will start later this month.
The ASCOD HUNTER hull is still without its turret: it will later be fitted with a UT30 Mk2 uncrewed, non-hull penetrating turret by Israel’s Elbit. The turrets were ordered in April 2025 and will come armed with a Bushmaster Mk44 main gun and anti-tank missile launch capability, presumably to be fulfilled with the installation of SPIKE LR2 weapons. The turrets will be complete of IRON FIST Active Protection System installation. At the time, Elbit gave the order value as around 100 million Euro, without specifically naming the customer.
The hull itself presents some visible changes and evolutions from previous ASCOD incarnations. The relatively small turret ring for the UT30 is prominent, as well as the adoption of Composite Rubber Track by Soucy and Piedrafita AR29T rotary dampers fitted at the 1st, 2nd, and 6th roadwheel stations.
It should be noted that this solution has been observed also on the GD UK AJAX IV showcased for the first time at DSEI 2025, and also on the ‘BLACKJAX’ advanced AJAX demonstrator / test platform. GD has been working for some time to adopt CRT tracks and the British Army appears to be finally aboard the train after recent statements by Lieutenant General Anna-Lee Reilly, director general for core delivery at DE&S, in front of the Public Accounts Committee.
Back to the Latvia HUNTER, the vehicle features a Renk HSWL256B transmission and an open electronic architecture and a C4I system to enable networked operations. HUNTER was selected in November 2024 after an evaluation phase which saw the assessment of candidates that included BAE Systems’ CV90, South Korea’s K21, and Türkiye’s Otokar Tulpar.
The initial procurement contract from January 2025 covered 42 vehicles and a logistics support package, for an estimated value of $373 million. Parliamentary approval for a second batch, again of 42 vehicles, followed in June. In February 2026, Elbit again announced “contracts in an aggregate value of approximately $277 million by an international customer”, covering the delivery of further UT30 turrets.
The first HUNTER delivery is expected within the year, with deliveries of the first batch wrapping up during 2027. Assembly of the new IFVs is due to move to Latvia thanks to an agreement that will see Patria, in cooperation with GDELS, localizing the work. Final assembly and future maintenance will thus move to the Defense Partnership Latvia (DPL) facility in Valmiera, which was opened in May 2024.
The HUNTER represents a major capability upgrade for Latvia’s Army which currently relies on second-hand, ex-British Army CVR(T) platforms, including variants such as the FV103 SPARTAN (APC), FV104 SAMARITAN (ambulance), and FV107 SCIMITAR (recce cavalry vehicle with Rarden 30x170 mm gun). These vehicles were acquired received between September 2015 and early 2020 following limited upgrades. Part of the CVR(T) fleet has since been granted in kind to Ukraine, with more vehicles to follow.
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