STV GROUP is known as the only manufacturer of large-calibre ammunition in the Czech Republic. The entire spectrum includes ammunition, grenades, mines, mortar rounds, tank and artillery ammunition and rockets. It also produces plastic explosives. However, the company is one of the largest service providers of heavy military equipment. Among the equipment repaired are, for example, self-propelled gun howitzers vz. 77 DANA for the Army of the Czech Republic. We came to Polička in order to map the capabilities of STV GROUP in this area.

Repairs of military equipment in Polička are not only focused on the Czech army. Thanks to its ability to repair and modernize older, so-called Eastern equipment, the company is able to successfully cooperate with various partners. These include infantry fighting vehicles (BVP-1 and BVP-2), main battle tanks (T-55/T-55AM2 and T-72 M1), self-propelled howitzers (ShKH vz. 77 DANA), mobile salvo rocket launchers in 122 mm calibre. These activities were confirmed by František Tesař, the director of the equipment repair section in Polička, who is in charge of the military equipment repair section. 

Private hall for each type of vehicle

Due to the different repair processes, each type of vehicle has its own hall. "There are six halls and each one repairs and assembles a different vehicle or unit. In one hall you will see BVP-2s, in the second hall you will see tanks, in the third hall you will see upgrades of BVP-1s and tracked recovery vehicles. In another hall they make guns, engines and gearboxes. In the next hall, tank turrets are being made," explains director Tesař.

The company employs more than two hundred and fifty workers in its repair department alone and, thanks to the current situation in the region, it can recruit new professional workers such as auto electricians, car mechanics or car painters.

Historically, STV GROUP began repairing military equipment in rented premises in Bludovice near Nový Jičín. After taking over the Polička premises in 2015, it transferred this capability to Polička and has been developing it ever since. Since then, the repair capacity has grown significantly. "When I arrived two years ago, there were about 80 people working on repairs of military equipment. In these two years, there are three times as many of us here. And the number of vehicles that used to be repaired was a couple of dozen a year. Now we have reached a capacity of more than a hundred vehicles a year," summarises the growth of the director Tesař. A great advantage of the facility is the possibility of using various technological equipment of Poličské strojírny, such as CNC machines, welding and surface treatment for the production of various components and accessories.

A robot from CTU also helps with securing parts

As already mentioned, the repair and renovation of military equipment entails an individual approach to each machine, which is why this activity is time-consuming. For example, the overhaul of one BVP-2 requires several thousand man-hours. Tanks are even half as labour-intensive. For the record, each piece of equipment being repaired has up to tens of thousands of parts that must be repaired, refurbished or purchased.

Spare parts for the "eastern technology" have logically been a big problem recently, with the historically largest source of spare parts (Russia) being unavailable. Therefore, Polička had to learn to produce its own parts. "We used to buy a lot of things, but now we are running out of spare parts or they are at such a price that it would no longer pay us. So we started making a lot of parts ourselves. Today we are able to manufacture or repair most of the metal parts ourselves within the premises. We still buy some specific parts or we cooperate with other Czech companies. This applies in particular to repairs and upgrades of optical instruments. But otherwise we basically do everything here when it is needed. In cooperation with the Czech Technical University we have also developed a unique single-purpose robot that helps us, repairs and welds belt links," adds director Tesař. Thanks to this approach, up to 90% of all repairs in Polička are now carried out in-house.

At the time of our visit, all the repair halls of STV GROUP in Polička were in full operation. There were four DANA howitzers under repair - two were waiting to be disassembled for repair, one repaired one was waiting for an exit inspection and one was ready to be taken into service. Several dozen BVP-2s, T-72 tanks and VPV recovery vehicles were in various states of disrepair. As the capacities are still not enough to cover the high demand, STV GROUP is also successfully cooperating with the state enterprise VOP CZ. "The cooperation with the state enterprise is working very well. Our employees can share their experience," says Director Tesař.

It is also worth mentioning that all repaired T-72 tanks are equipped with blocks of reactive armor, which are supplied from the production of the secondary ammunition production section. Speaking of ammunition and gunnery, STV also has a rather unique capability of testing weapons and ammunition at its own in-house firing range. The company is able to conduct both firing tests of manufactured and newly developed guns and ammunition up to 40mm calibre on its premises, as well as other special tests. Three fixed firing stations at distances of 25, 100 and 200 m and a covered impact area are built on the shooting range. In order to ensure operational safety, aim limiters are built on the firing positions at distances of 100 and 200 m. At this test range, the STV is able to check, for example, the flawless functionality of the 2A42 30 mm automatic guns from the BVP-2 combat vehicles under repair. Currently, STV is investing in the conversion of the firing range to gain the capability to fire 155 mm calibre ammunition into the earth mound.

In howitzer repairs DANA is "the only one in the country"

The military equipment repair department in Polička is the only workplace in the Czech Republic that provides service to our army with DANA howitzers. In addition to the long-term contract for routine repairs valid until 2025, this year a contract for finding repairs and revisions of the equipment after 10 years was added. This is valid until 2028. Finding repairs under the new contract will be carried out on howitzers currently operated by the Army. Revisions after 10 years will then cover howitzers in long-term storage. The finding repair service includes determining the actual technical condition of the equipment, the need for repairs or replacement parts, and performing these repairs to bring the howitzers up to the user's operational and reliability requirements. Revision repairs are more demanding. Their objective is to restore the serviceability of groups, sub-groups, sub-assemblies and components and to replace operating masses and rubbers which, due to ageing or wear, no longer meet the specified standards. The work also includes statutory inspections of specified technical equipment and calibration or verification of measuring instruments. The revision repair also includes the difficult replacement of spindles and checking the condition of the motor.

And how does such a service of DANA self-propelled howitzers look like in practice? The basis is a protocol of findings and the need for repair by the ACR found during operation on the unit. "We, according to the contract, will do the defect inspection. Our technicians will go through everything, inspect it and say what is wrong. Our report then goes back to the Army. The army agrees on the scope of repairs and we start repairing. There's no part of the vehicle that our specialists can't handle. From the chassis of the Tatra T-815 VP31 to the howitzer system itself," says Director Tesař. During the repairs, the entire process is supervised by the Office for Defence Standardisation, Cataloguing and State Quality Verification. At the end of the repair, tests are carried out, both driving and all other tests that are given for a specific type of repair," the director of the Polička production plant specifies. According to the contract, there is a standard handover protocol on how to proceed with the repair, what is included in the handover and what tests need to be carried out. "A representative of the State Quality Verification will come, thoroughly inspect the repaired equipment and verify its condition against the required condition. Based on this, we hand the equipment back to the army," adds Director Tesař.

Supporting the Army 24/7 as a vision for the future

In addition to repairs, STV GROUP is also focusing on improving service. "The vision is to support customers 24/7 with our main partner - the Army of the Czech Republic. When we receive information from the service on Friday evening that they have a problem with, for example, DANA, a mobile service team is activated and goes to the location where the equipment is stored to repair the fault, which ideally we will be able to fix during the weekend. In the same way, we want to approach the provision of service for the new, more modern platforms, which will also involve ensuring the availability of spare parts directly in the Czech Republic so that we do not have to wait for them," explains Director Tesař.

Acquisition of MATADOR Industries on the road to its own combat vehicle

"Given the security situation in the world, we have had enquiries from different parts of the world. At the moment, we are already limited by the possible capacity increase in Polička," says the director, which is why STV GROUP is looking for new capacities in other areas.

An important role in this respect is played by the recent acquisition of the Slovak MATADOR Industries, whose purchase gave STV GROUP more than 35,000 m2 of production space. The company employs 240 skilled employees and has quality machinery for the production of complex heavy metal assemblies. It demonstrates its unique capabilities, for example, by manufacturing turrets for modern Zuzana 2 howitzers of 155 mm calibre and also by producing structures for Israeli radars. This acquisition also brings new capabilities and opportunities for the production of components for heavy military equipment. As the region of Povazi has a long tradition in engineering and armaments production, a design centre for the entire STV Group should also be built there. This will transform the group from a repair provider to a manufacturer of military equipment. 

The history of MATADOR Industries dates back to 1928, when the construction of a Slovak backup factory for the Pilsen Škoda Works was considered. From its inception, the company first profiled itself as a traditional engineering company until it moved into the production of military equipment, which was initially introduced in the local region of Povážie in 1937. "The ambitions of the military equipment repair department thus go beyond the mere refurbishment of older equipment - the aim is also to develop our own solutions or to cooperate with partners on specific projects, which should start as early as next year. The goals include, for example, the production of a new model of infantry fighting vehicle," adds Tesař, the director of the military equipment repair department.