The latest evolution of the VAMTAC family from Spanish manufacturer UROVESA, the AX4, was unveiled to the defence sector at Eurosatory 2026, reports Bob Morrison.
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The largest of the VAMTAC (Vehículo de Alta Movilidad Táctico or High Mobility Tactical Vehicle) range, tipping the scales at around 15 tonnes, the new AX4 is probably best described as a PMV or Protected Mobility Vehicle rather than an MRAP or Mine-Resistant Armour-Protected [vehicle].
Built around the chassis and running gear of the URO TT 4×4 truck, which is possibly best known as an off-road fire truck but has also been used since 1984 by the Spanish Army as a logistic vehicle, in base configuration the VAMTAC AX4 is capable of transporting ten troops in addition to the driver. UROVESA (the name is a contraction of URO Vehículos Especiales S.A .) did not make technical details of the AX4 available to us at Eurosatory, and at time of writing their badly out-of-date website does not yet carry any information on the new vehicle, so for the moment we cannot say much more with any confidence. Hopefully the vehicle will appear, with more technical info available, at FEINDEDF 2027 next May… if not before at another defence expo.
The Spanish Army is currently halfway through its BRIGADA 35 modernisation process and it is probably pretty safe to say that lessons observed from the war in Ukraine will also have made the military planners keen to explore the possibilities of procuring a nationally produced 4×4 PMV for roles which do not require a 30-tonne Dragón 8×8 VCR. Additionally, other NATO nations (including the UK) and several European Interior Ministries have requirements for similar vehicles so it might not be all that long before the AX4 goes into production.
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