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12 February, 2000
The first Greek designed armored vehicle was presented on Friday by the Hellenic Vehicles Industry (ELVO) at the Litohoro, north central Greece firing range.
The new vehicle, named "Centaur", is an advanced design based on an earlier model called "Leonidas", and is built in Greece by ELVO, with the cooperation of industries from Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden, company officials said.
The vehicle weighs 20 tons, has a 90 mm gun and a 7.62 mm double action machinegun both mounted on the tower, while it carries eight German made smoke bombs, company officials said, adding that it can carry eight soldiers in addition to its crew of three and can be transported in a C-130 cargo plane. The officials declined to comment on the price tag of the vehicle.
High ranking Greek military officers noted that the Greek military will acquire 280 "Centaurs", adding that the production and acquisition of a version of the vehicle using wheels and not tracks, was under consideration, following recent experience gained in peace keeping operations in Kosovo.
They added that approximately 2,000 such vehicles would be needed over the next 10 years by the military services in countries around the world, such as Malaysia, Egypt and Pakistan.
Source: Athens News Agency
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