Representatives of the Croatian Defence Ministry and Armed Forces have held a meeting with US partners on the coordination of activities regarding the procurement of Bradley fighting vehicles worth $196.4 million, the Defence Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

The first coordination meeting between representatives of the Croatian Defence Ministry and Armed Forces and the US partners was held at the Defence Ministry on 16-19 May.

The ministry recalled that the Croatian government in January made a decision on the procurement of the Bradley M2A2 ODS fighting vehicles for the Croatian Armed Forces, and that it gave its consent for budget funds to be allocated for that purpose in the period from 2023 to 2027.

The government accepted the US government’s donation of 89 Bradley fighting vehicles and the modernization of 62 of them. The total cost of the vehicles is $196.4 million exclusive of VAT and the US donation is $51.1 million.

Croatia will pay $145.3 million over a period of five years, from 2023 to 2027.