Canada to spend $1.4B on 190 locally built armored combat support vehicles

Published Jul 17, 05:35 PM UTC

Canada is significantly expanding its armored fleet with a new contract to acquire 190 combat support vehicles over the next four years. The contract, worth almost $2 billion CAN ($1.4 billion USD), was awarded to General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the deal on July 16, which also includes funding for 35 additional vehicles for Ukraine. The purchase will increase the Canadian Army's wheeled light armored combat support vehicle fleet from 360 to 550 vehicles. Carney also designated GDLS-Canada as the first strategic partner under his government's newly established Defence Industrial Strategy framework, which emphasizes buying defense equipment from Canadian-based firms. The framework was launched in response to US President Donald Trump's tariffs and threats of economic punishment against Canada. The vehicles are based on the Light Armored Vehicle 6.0 platform and include eight variants such as ambulance, command post, and electronic warfare configurations.