The Djuro Djakovic Special Vehicles company has arranged cooperation with the Bradley manufacturer of armoured fighting vehicles (BFV), the first of which will arrive in Croatia by the end of the year, Vecernji List daily said on Sunday.

The company signed a US$ 3.82 million contract on cooperation in the procurement of BFVs with the US branch of the BAE Systems multinational arms, security, and aerospace company.

The contract was signed to facilitate the first stage of the delivery of BFVs to the Croatian Defence Ministry. The job was announced last spring by Minister Mario Banozic.

The project of equipping the Croatian Army with BFVs is going as planned and completion is planned in 2026, the ministry told the daily.

The first vehicles are expected to arrive in Croatia from the United States by the end of this year, after which “their revitalisation” at Đuro Đakovic Special Vehicles will begin, the ministry said.

In January 2022, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said Croatia had agreed to pay $145.3 million for the purchase of 89 used BFVs from the US in order to improve the capability of its land forces and meet its commitments as a NATO member.

Per the contract, Croatia will buy 62 BFVs, 22 vehicles for spare parts and five training vehicles, Vecenji List said.