Pinzgauer LOVs in service for the New Zealand Army

, Defence Minister Phil Goff today officiated at a ceremony to mark the formal acceptance into service of the last of the New Zealand Army's 321 Pinzgauer Light Operational Vehicles (LOV). 
 
“The hand-over today of the last vehicle in the LOV fleet marks the successful completion of another defence re-equipment project by this government which is committed to addressing the shocking neglect of the armed forces throughout the 1990s”, said Mr Goff. 
 
“The first Pinzgauer LOVs were delivered in 2004 as part of a Defence Long Term Development Strategy project to replace the Army's aging light operational vehicle fleet which had been purchased in the early 1980s. 
 
“The 321 Pinzgauers have been acquired in two tranches, approved by Cabinet in March 2004 and June 2004. The total cost has been $93 million, well under the original $110 million cap for the project. 
 
“The Pinzgauer's reliability and performance have ensured they have become a valuable and popular addition to the Army and they have already proved their worth on operational deployments in the Solomon Islands, East Timor and with the SAS in Afghanistan's demanding terrain. 
 
“The Pinzgauers have been acquired in a variety of different configurations, making them ideally suited to the diverse range of requirements of the Army. This provides far greater utility than the one size fits all approach that the V-8 Landrover, acquired in only one model, offered. 
 
“During the delivery phase of the first tranche of Pinzgauers, a fault emerged with the transmission system. The manufacturers developed and implemented a solution to the problem at no cost to the Defence Force. This is testimony to the nature of the very strong relationship between the parties and their professionalism in resolving this issue. 
 
“It is very satisfying to see this vehicle delivered today as completion of this project and to be part of a government, actively working to address and correct the rundown of defence equipment in the 1990s”, said Mr Goff.