Ukraine turns down offer of €20m fleet of armoured vehicles from Defence Forces

When the vehicles were withdrawn from active duty, the Defence Forces 'made an offer' to donate the vehicles to the Ukrainian armed forces, but 'this was declined as the fleet was deemed unsuitable for their requirements', report shows

The LTAVs — which cost between €590,000 and €696,000 per unit — saw some action in Lebanon and Syria, among other regions.

The Defence Forces attempted to give a €20m fleet of armoured vehicles which had barely been driven to the Ukrainian Armed Forces — but were told the machines were unsuitable for Ukraine’s requirements.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) reports the Defence Forces first entered into a contract to purchase the 27 light tactical armoured vehicles (LTAVs) in 2008 for €19.6m, rising to €20m once modified for Irish military use.

A further €3.1m was spent maintaining the fleet over its active service life, with the secretary general of the Department of Defence claiming to the C&AG such costs compare “exceptionally well” against benchmark rates for military fleets.

Used on overseas missions and for training purposes in Ireland, the LTAVs — which cost between €590,000 and €696,000 per unit — saw some action in Lebanon and Syria, among other regions.

However, they were withdrawn from active service in 2023, six years shy of their expected useful life when first purchased, at a write-down of just €2.8m, with the limited availability of spare parts cited by the department as to why the fleet had been used less than it should have been.

In his annual report on the public accounts, C&AG Seamus McCarthy notes the average mileage of each vehicle was less than 1,500km a year over 14 years of service.

The least-used vehicle meanwhile, was used at an average of just 600km a year. Other vehicles showed recorded mileage of zero, and gaps in the mileage record were noted for others. A negative mileage was noted for one machine.

When the vehicles were withdrawn from active duty, the department and the Defence Forces “made an offer” to donate the vehicles to the Ukrainian armed forces, but “this was declined as the LTAV fleet was deemed unsuitable for their requirements”, the C&AG said.

“No decision has been made yet as to how to dispose of the vehicles,” he added.

The Department of Defence acknowledged “issues regarding in-service longevity” had limited the vehicle fleet’s useful lifespan, but said the shortfall had “provided critical insights” for future procurement processes.

On that theme, the secretary general said the department’s procurement practices had “evolved” to place equal emphasis on the future maintenance of equipment at the time of purchase as on its initial acquisition.

Mr McCarthy, however, took exception to the suggestion just €2.8m was lost to the exchequer when the vehicles were written off, as the Defence Forces “did not receive the service they expected from the vehicles”.

“The loss of value is significantly greater than the write-down of €2.77m in the carrying value recognised in the 2025 financial statements,” he said.

He added the lack of reliable mileage records for the LTAVs represented “a serious fleet management issue”.

“While there may have been a technical problem that contributed to this, this should have been identified quickly by Defence Forces fleet managers, and the department should have sought to have the matter rectified at the manufacturer’s expense,” he said.