ZAGREB, 17 Dec (Hina) – Croatia has signed a contract in Prague to acquire up to 420 Tatra heavy off-road military trucks for €212 million, with deliveries scheduled until 2030, as part of a joint procurement with Czechia and Slovakia, the Ministry of Defence announced on Wednesday.

The first order, worth nearly €50 million, has already been placed, and 98 trucks will be delivered next year — 78 Tatra T-815-7 vehicles with 6×6 drive and 20 with 8×8 drive.

The purchase is financed through an EU loan under the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) financial instrument.

On 4 December, the government approved the procurement and authorised budget commitments of €212,286,643.22 from 2026 to 2030.

The Croatian Parliament’s Defence Committee gave a positive opinion on the acquisition on 30 October 2025.

According to the ministry, participating in the joint procurement ensures faster equipping of the Armed Forces, lower costs, deeper military cooperation with allies, improved interoperability with partner forcesВ and simpler logistics through fleet unification.

The framework agreement addendum with Czech company Tatra Defence Systems was signed by Ivica Grebenar, Director of the Armaments Directorate, together with representatives from the Czech and Slovak Ministries of Defence.