The Polish government offered the Borsuk infantry fighting vehicle developed by the state-owned company Huta Stalowa Wola (HSW). The vehicle received an overall score of 3.72% in the Slovakian tender and placed last. This was mainly the result of the manufacturer not filling out the RfGP to the extend required by the Slovak military, i.e. it lots of informations were not provided. While the amphibious capabilities of the Borsuk were viewed positively, the level of protection was not disclosed, thus only 30 points (out of seemingly 300) were reached in the technical evaluation. It was not clear to what how much domestic value could be added by (co-)producing the Borsuk or its components. HSW also did not disclose when the first Borsuk IFV could be handed over to the Slovak armed forces and how many would be delivered within a given timeframe.
Based on earlier information on the Borsuk, its hull features armor frontally providing ballistic protection according to STANAG 4569 level 4 (i.e. all-around protection against 14.5 mm API ammunition), while the sides, rear and roof of the amphibious vehicle are only armored to reach ballistic protection according to STANAG 4569 level 3. The unmanned ZSSW-30 turret is armored according to STANAG 4569 level 2 only (i.e. it can stop 7.52 x 39 mm API rounds).
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The German company Rheinmetall teamed up with the Hungarian government to offer its KF41 Lynx infantry fighting vehicle; this seems to be the result of Rheinmetall setting up a factory for the production of the Lynx in Hungary in order to produce most of the 218 vehicles ordered by the Hungarian military. The Lynx offer ended in the second place (when counting the CV90 as one vehicle) with the modularity of the design and the large internal space being considered advantageous. Overall the Lynx reached a score of only 90.20%, i.e. it was slightly behind the ASCOD and the CV90 – but the ASCOD was demoted due to unresolved design issues.
While the surplus of internal space was seen as guarantee for further growth potential, the Slovak Army does not plan to utilize eight/nine men infantry squads in its mechanized units; hence the large silhouette of the vehicle was seen as an unneccessary drawback. In terms of protection, the KF41 was offered with STANAG 4569 level 5 ballistic and level 4a/3b mine protection, but Rheinmetall stated that a higher level of protection could be implemented if desired by the Slovak military.
The Lynx would have been able to enter service the quickest, but it was the most expensive offer (not even fitting in the approved budget) and did not perform as well as the ASCOD and CV90 during the firing trials. The Lynx’s Lance turret also does not allow to aim the main armament without electrical power, which was deemed a drawback. The tested prototype was not fully representative for the offered variant.
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The ASCOD 42 managed to reach a score of 92.80% being only bested by the CV90 variants – but due to unresolved vibration problems it was demoted to third place. The Slovak MoD believes that the issue is connected to the current design of the vehicle and apparently is the result of the resonance of the vehicle when driving hard surfaces. As the issue apparently has not been solved, it posed a risk of further issues and delays in the project.
The ASCOD 42 was offered with armor providing ballistic protection according to STANAG 4569 level 5 and mine protection according to STANAG 4569 level 4a/4b. If desired a higher level of protection can be implemented. It was fitted with Elbit MT30 turret featuring the Mk 44 Bushmaster II chain gun and a pop-up dual launcher for the Spike LR2 ATGM.
The vehicle also offers sufficient space for an eight men squad, even though that wasn’t a requirement. A major drawback of the ASCOD was the fact that the Spanish offer provided the lowest amount of domestic work share and also scored poorly in terms of logistics.
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The best performing IFV in the Slovak tender was the CV90 Mk IV. It was offered in two different configurations – as the CV9030 with a 30 mm Mk 44S Bushmaster II gun and as the CV9035 with a 35 mm Bushmaster III gun. It reached a score of 99.67% in case of the CV9030 variant, while the CV9035 offer scored a bit lower – reaching an overall score of 97.76% – mainly due to the higher price of the 35 mm autocannon and the fact that the Bushmaster III gun can currently not be produced in Slovakia under license.
The CV90 had the best results in the firing trials and also provided the highest amount of domestic workshare. It was offered with STANAG 4569 level 5 ballistic and level 4a/4b mine protection. The Swedish offer also was perceived positively due to the existence of a large CV90 owner’s club that is constantly working on – or funding – the development of new improvements and sub-systems.