Elbit starts delivering Guarani APCs to Ghana
The vehicles with a remote weapon station are being manufactured at the facility of Iveco Defense Vehicles in Brazil
Eyal Boguslavsky
| 15/07/2021
A Guarani vehicle deployed by the Brazilian Army. Photo: Exército Brasileiro
Israel Defense reported in October 2020 that Ghana's parliament approved an $86.1 million government loan to fund the acquisition of 19 armored vehicles from Israel's Elbit Land Systems, but the model was not specified. But now it has become known that the vehicles are Guarani 6x6 APCs made by Italy's Iveco Defense Vehicles, and that the first batch of 11 APCs was sold as part of a deal between the Israeli and Ghanaian governments.
If the vehicles are indeed Guaranis, it would be Elbit's second deal in the last year involving these APCs. Israel Defense reported last October, the same month as the report regarding the acquisition by Ghana, that Elbit won a contract worth about $47 million for the supply of 28 Guaranis to the Philippine Army. All of the APCs have a manned turret with a 12.7mm heavy machine gun and a 40mm automatic grenade launcher, but it is possible to replace the turret with a remote weapon station that has a 12.7mm heavy machine gun. In addition, the APCs are equipped with an E-LynX computer-based communication system and a Torch-X combat management system made by Elbit.
The report on Ghana did not specify the systems being installed in the APCs, but Germany's Monch website reported that the APCs will be manufactured by Iveco Defense at a plant in Brazil and be equipped with a remote-controlled weapon system supplied by the Brazilian company Ares, a subsidiary of Elbit. Based on the deal with the Philippine Army, it is likely that many systems in the APCs for Ghana will also be made by Elbit.
The vehicles with a remote weapon station are being manufactured at the facility of Iveco Defense Vehicles in Brazil
A Guarani vehicle deployed by the Brazilian Army. Photo: Exército Brasileiro
Israel Defense reported in October 2020 that Ghana's parliament approved an $86.1 million government loan to fund the acquisition of 19 armored vehicles from Israel's Elbit Land Systems, but the model was not specified. But now it has become known that the vehicles are Guarani 6x6 APCs made by Italy's Iveco Defense Vehicles, and that the first batch of 11 APCs was sold as part of a deal between the Israeli and Ghanaian governments.
If the vehicles are indeed Guaranis, it would be Elbit's second deal in the last year involving these APCs. Israel Defense reported last October, the same month as the report regarding the acquisition by Ghana, that Elbit won a contract worth about $47 million for the supply of 28 Guaranis to the Philippine Army. All of the APCs have a manned turret with a 12.7mm heavy machine gun and a 40mm automatic grenade launcher, but it is possible to replace the turret with a remote weapon station that has a 12.7mm heavy machine gun. In addition, the APCs are equipped with an E-LynX computer-based communication system and a Torch-X combat management system made by Elbit.
The report on Ghana did not specify the systems being installed in the APCs, but Germany's Monch website reported that the APCs will be manufactured by Iveco Defense at a plant in Brazil and be equipped with a remote-controlled weapon system supplied by the Brazilian company Ares, a subsidiary of Elbit. Based on the deal with the Philippine Army, it is likely that many systems in the APCs for Ghana will also be made by Elbit.
