In early November 2024, the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic announced that it will launch a tender for a new armoured vehicle, which is referred to as the UKP (Universal Wheeled Platform). It is to be a four-wheeled armoured vehicle that will serve in the Czech Army as a vehicle for engineer troops, as an ambulance and as a vehicle for military police. This represents a change to the original acquisition plan to buy 50 Bushmaster PMV armoured vehicles, which were to be given only to the engineers. However, this plan has attracted strong criticism, among other things because the Czech defence industry offers several analogous platforms for the required tasks. Therefore, the Ministry of Defence decided to select a suitable vehicle through an open competition and that the resulting platform would then be given not only to Czech engineers, but also to medics and military police. The new form of the acquisition project should thus mean the purchase of approximately two hundred vehicles.

It should be recalled that the original intention to purchase Bushmaster PMV (Protected Mobility Vehicle) armoured vehicles for the Czech engineer army came out of a feasibility study commissioned in 2021.The Ministry of Defence then decided to acquire UKP armoured vehicles in three variants, namely UKP RCP for road clearance, UKP EOD for explosive ordnance disposal and UKP ŽEN for engineer support. A licensed series production of Bushmaster PMV armoured vehicles in the Czech Republic was also envisaged, and therefore a memorandum of understanding was signed at IDET 2023 between the state enterprise VOP CZ and Thales, as this armoured vehicle falls within the portfolio of Thales Australia. The Czech company Pramacom-HT was also to participate in the programme as a supplier of some systems, but the whole plan soon became the target of criticism from the professional community. This pointed mainly to the choice of a completely new wheeled platform of foreign origin, although there is an obvious effort to unify the chassis, and this type of vehicles can also be offered by the Czech industry.

The Ministry of Defence then argued that the Bushmaster PMV represented the best answer to the requirements of Czech engineers, but the criticism continued. The question was also raised as to why the new armoured vehicle was being bought only for the engineers, when there were clearly many other important tasks in the army that could be performed by other variants of the same platform. So, in the end, a different decision was taken, namely to launch an open tender to compare the Bushmaster PMV platform with other types, particularly those of indigenous origin. In addition, the procurement of two other versions - an armoured ambulance and a vehicle for the military police - is envisaged. The Czech army will thus gain a three-digit number of UKP armoured vehicles, which will inevitably mean significant financial savings and simplification of logistic support. The decision to organise an open competition was met with a positive reaction from representatives of the Czech defence industry, as domestic brands can send at least three Czech-developed vehicles to the competition.

The Australian-origin Bushmaster PMV type is now being considered as an option to be offered by the state-owned company VOP CZ, which, if successful, would carry out its assembly or licensed production in the Czech Republic. The Bushmaster PMV armoured personnel carrier from Thales Australia dates back to the late 1990s and has entered the arsenals of a number of countries, including two NATO members (namely the UK and the Netherlands), as well as New Zealand, Indonesia, Japan, Jamaica and, more recently, Ukraine, which has received 120 units. It is the use in Ukraine that has made this vehicle very popular, although it has already proved its worth, particularly in Afghanistan. The Bushmaster PMV is generally positively evaluated, although some shortcomings are also pointed out. In the case of acquisition for the Czech Army, there could be complications in maintenance and repair, as some components would have to be imported from literally the other side of the world.

Among the constructions of purely Czech origin, the army tender should include, among others, the MARS (Multi-role Armored System) vehicle from the SVOS company from Přelouč. The company enjoys a very strong position in the armoured civilian vehicle sector, but also offers some military products. The MARS was first presented to the public at Eurosatory 2022 and the following year it was exhibited at IDET 2023 in Brno, where, for example, a version equipped with the launcher for RBS-70 NG anti-aircraft missiles from the Swedish brand SAAB appeared, and a number of sources report that the introduction of this combination into the armament of the Czech army, or the installation of existing RBS-70 NG systems on the MARS platform, is already envisaged. However, the manufacturer also offers this vehicle for other tasks, emphasizing the four-wheel steering and the possibility of changing the ground clearance, which are capabilities that would be well suited for an engineer vehicle.

Another Czech, or more precisely Czech-Slovak participant will probably be the Gerlach armoured car from Zetor Engineering. Although the legendary Zetor brand has gained worldwide renown for its production of agricultural tractors, it also entered the military vehicle sector a few years ago. At the IDEB 2018 exhibition in Bratislava, the company presented the Gerlach armoured personnel carrier, which it subsequently offered to the Slovak army in a tender. Since the prospective intention of the Army of the Czech Republic to buy new wheeled armoured vehicles was already discussed at that time, experts began to include the Gerlach platform among the possible candidates. Thus, the vehicle also appeared at several editions of the IDET fair in Brno, and in addition to the basic closed variant, an RDV version with an open body for airborne and special forces was also presented. The Zetor Gerlach represents a versatile vehicle that could certainly fill all the roles required of the UKP, but like the SVOS MARS it has not yet entered series production or regular service.

In contrast, the third armoured vehicle likely to take part in the new tender, a Patriot 4x4 from CSG's Excalibur Army, is already serving in foreign armies. The first variant of the Patriot was introduced in 2018 and entered the Indonesian arsenal. The current larger and redesigned variant of the Patriot was created the following year, and it has already reached several customers. It is being produced for the United Arab Emirates, for example, and its licensed Waran derivative, produced in Poland, will become one of the Polish army's main armoured platforms, introducing four-digit numbers in various purpose-built variants. Among the Patriot armoured vehicle's greatest advantages is the fact that it is mounted on a Tatra Force chassis with a central load tube and swing-away semi-axles, which gives it excellent mobility on roads and in difficult terrain, and is powered by a Tatra eight-cylinder engine. As the Tatra Force series vehicles represent the basic logistics platforms of the Czech Army, the choice of the Patriot armoured vehicle would also bring a significant advantage in terms of simplifying servicing.

The MoD's decision to select the universal wheeled platform in an open competition is undoubtedly the right step. Although the Bushmaster PMV armoured vehicle is certainly one of the high-quality designs and its serial production in the Czech Republic is envisaged, it is also necessary to take into account the fact that the Czech defence industry also offers advanced armoured vehicles. The decision to purchase vehicles not only for engineers, but also for medics and military policemen is also worthy of praise, because this way only a single and truly multi-purpose platform will be introduced, which will naturally simplify logistic support. Taking this into account, the Patriot vehicle seems to be the most suitable choice for the UKP acquisition project, thanks to its proven and established off-road chassis and Tatra engine. In addition, it is already in series production and will be operated in large numbers by the army of neighbouring Poland, which could bring an advantage in the future in terms of conducting joint operations.

In conclusion, the UKP platform as a resource for the engineer forces, medical service and military police could be just the beginning of a larger scale procurement. As mentioned, for several years there has also been talk of purchasing a new type of wheeled armoured vehicle to replace the still inadequate Dingo 2 vehicles in the Czech Army, which could perform a wide range of tasks, in particular safe movement of people or light cargo, patrolling, convoy escort, reconnaissance, fire support, etc. Experience from the war in Ukraine also leads to the vision of adapting such an armoured vehicle for the role of small drone carrier (a)or platform with systems to protect against UAVs. Thus, the UKP selection process should be given a lot of attention, as it could become one of the backbone platforms of the Czech Army, which could be adapted for many other roles.