The Irish Army is in the process of buying LAVIII, from MOWAG in Switzerland. The following Dublin paper has this article:

THE INDEPENDENT 23 Aug 2021

Contract bombshell after cracks found in armoured vehicles

A MAJOR contract to supply armoured personnel carriers (APCs) to the Defence Forces was on hold last night, after cracks had been discovered yesterday in two of the initial batch being tested at the Curragh.

Stunned officials at the Department of Defence last night postponed plans to discuss the purchase of an additional 20 Piranha vehicles with representatives of the manufacturers, Mowag, pending a wide ranging inspection of the batch.

The representatives were in Dublin yesterday to begin the negotiations when hairline cracks were discovered by military experts in two of 10 APCs during a routine inspection at the Defence Forces Training Centre yesterday morning.

Shocked officials immediately adjourned purchase talks and said discussions with Mowag would now focus on the existing batch. The manufacturers' chief technical expert on the Piranhas will arrive in Dublin this morning from the Mowag base in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland to begin the overall inspection.

Last night officials were hopeful that the cracks were due to a fault in the steel plates rather than stress related. One of the two vehicles had very little mileage clocked up since the tests began during the summer and was "barely out of the wrapping."

Defence Minister Michael Smith has already signed a contract for 40 vehicles, at a cost of about �1m each including spare parts and training. Last month he announced he was taking up an option to purchase anther 20 vehicles from Mowag.

The APCs have a 12-month warranty only and the Department of Defence is anxious that the reasons for the cracks should be established as quickly as possible. The cracks in the armour plating were discovered in the side of one vehicle and beside a fuel tank in the rear of the second.

One crack was sufficiently substantial to allow the armoured plate to be completely penetrated.

The initial batch of vehicles was sent to the cavalry workshops at the Curragh to be kitted out with radios and other army equipment and then handed over to B Company of the 3rd battalion at the Curragh where crews were being trained in their use.

The Army planned to take possession of 40 vehicles by January and, unless problems are found with the other APCs, it is planned to use some of the new vehicles in the new UN peacekeeping mission in Eritrea in December.

Tom Brady, Security Editor

My first thoughts on this were that defects in the manufacturing process of the steel would be at fault. From the back of my memory from when we first bought the LAVII's was that unless highly skilled welders were used, physical stress would cause the metal stucture of the vehicle to crack. Any ideas, please.

Yours,
Jock in Sydney

Jock

A.R.G.

The Independent has just answered my question, todays issue the 23rd Aug (the previous posting should have read 21 AUg).
Yours,
Jock in Sydney

Army car cracks 'not unusual'

CRACKS in two new armoured personnel carriers for the Defence Forces, worth �1m each, have been blamed by manufacturers on heat stress during welding of armour plating.

The two vehicles are part of a batch of 10 Piranha APCs delivered to the Defence Forces as part of a �40m contract signed by Defence Minister Michael Smith with Swiss manufacturers, Mowag.

The cracks were discovered during a routine inspection by Army officers on Tuesday at the Curragh. Plans to purchase another 20 vehicles have been put on hold pending the outcome of a full investigation by Mowag.

The company's chief technical expert flew to Dublin yesterday and blamed the cracks on heat stress which, he said, was "not unusual". He has promised to hand a full report to the Department of Defence within a week but has already indicated the cracks are repairable and the affected armour plating can be replaced on site.

But concern has been expressed and one source described it as a "Polyfilla job". Checks are also being carried out with the Danish Army to determine if they were satisfied with remedial action to deal with heat stress in one of their Piranha vehicles.

Fine Gael's deputy security spokesman Billy Timmins last night called on Defence Minister Michael Smith to block the arrival of the rest of the consignment until all the specifications were met.

The armoured personnel carriers have a 12-month warranty.

Jock