After nearly three years of waiting, Slovakia has received its first batch of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) from the United States. However, as local media report, the vehicles cannot enter service immediately — they arrived in an incomplete state and still require assembly.

„The vehicles are largely already in Slovakia. They are currently being assembled, as they did not arrive in full configuration at our facility in Martin. They will gradually enter circulation,” said Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kalinák, as quoted by the Pravda portal.

Weapons and Communications Systems Still to Be Installed

The delivered vehicles still need to have their armament and communications systems fitted before they can be considered operational. In 2023, Slovak authorities signed a contract securing 160 of the American-made vehicles, funded through the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) mechanism. Initial plans called for as many as 192 units, but after the final equipment specifications were determined, the price increased enough that the order was scaled back.

Slovakia is set to receive 110 JLTVs equipped with the remote-controlled Common Remote Operating Weapon System (CROWS), along with 50 JLTVs fitted with machine gun turrets. The contract with the United States also includes a logistics and training package as well as spare parts kits.

Slovak media have not specified the exact number of vehicles delivered in the first batch. Pravda notes, however, that the contract is already running behind schedule — deliveries were originally supposed to begin in 2025.

Replacing Post-Soviet Hardware

The JLTVs are intended to help Slovakia accelerate the retirement of its aging fleet, much of which is still of Soviet-era origin. Manufactured by Oshkosh Defense, the JLTV is a light, multi-role armored vehicle developed as a successor to the iconic HMMWV (Humvee).

The vehicle weighs just over 10 tonnes and features a 4×4 drivetrain powered by a 6.6-liter turbocharged V8 engine producing 350 horsepower, paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. It is capable of reaching a top speed of 110 km/h.

Strong Demand Across Europe

The JLTV has attracted considerable interest in European defense markets. Lithuania has ordered an impressive 500 units, while Slovenia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Romania have also opted to procure the vehicles — underscoring the platform’s growing role in NATO’s eastern flank modernization efforts.