Spanish Army receives Castor advanced combat vehicles

GDELS Santa Bárbara Sistemas announced on Friday that it had completed the delivery of four ASCOD “Castor” Armored Combat Vehicles (VCZAP) to the Spanish Army, as part of the second phase Pizarro program.

These vehicles are poised to equip Spanish engineering units with cutting-edge vehicles, enhancing their capabilities for various tasks and missions.

The handover of the armored vehicles, along with their dozer blades, occurred at the GDELS Santa Bárbara Sistemas factory in Alcalá de Guadaíra (Seville) on March 5. The reception was overseen by personnel from the Spanish Ministry of Defense Pizarro Program Office and the Armored Systems Park and Maintenance Center (PCMASA) number 1 of the Spanish Army.

- ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW -

Subsequently, the “Castor” vehicles were officially transferred to PCMASA and relocated to Zaragoza, Burgos, and Madrid for operational deployment.

Under the contract between the Spanish Ministry of Defense and GDELS Santa Bárbara Sistemas, a total of 36 “Castor” vehicles, including one prototype and 35 production units, were planned for delivery, each equipped with its respective dozer blade.

The initial phase of deliveries commenced in December 2023, with six vehicles being handed over. With the recent completion of the four additional vehicles, a total of ten series vehicles, including the prototype, have been delivered to date.

The ongoing delivery schedule is set to ensure the provision of all remaining units throughout the course of 2024.

Readers who wish to follow our weekly coverage can subscribe to the Weekly Defense Roundup.

If you wish to report a grammatical or factual error in this article, please let us know by using the online form.

Executive Editor

Support The Defence Blog

Independent reporting takes resources. Join us on Patreon.

Become a patron

More Like This

US invests $400M at Morón base despite Spain’s combat operations ban

The United States Air Force has awarded $400 million in construction contracts to seven Spanish companies to maintain and improve Morón Air Base, a...

Swiss army buys DONAR wheeled cannon

Switzerland has signed its largest artillery procurement contract in decades, ordering 32 wheeled self-propelled howitzers from European defense group KNDS in a deal that...

Latvia gets its first HUNTER infantry fighting vehicle

Latvia has received its first HUNTER infantry fighting vehicle, just twelve months after signing the contract, marking a delivery pace that stands in sharp...

Spanish firm turns retired army truck into mobile EW drone jammer

A Spanish defense technology company has transformed a decommissioned military truck into one of the more unusual vehicles currently making the rounds in European...

Ukraine fitted Soviet-era BMP with Spanish 30mm cannon turret

Ukraine's 146th Separate Repair and Restoration Regiment published photographs of a Soviet-era BMP infantry fighting vehicle fitted with a Spanish GUARDIAN 30 remote weapon...