Production of Spain’s Dragón IFV begins

Production of the Dragón 8×8 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) began at General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS)-Santa Bárbara Sistemas with the cutting of the first armour steel plate for the vehicle at the Trubia factory, the company announced on its website on 17 December.

The company said the first vehicles would be available during the second semester of 2022. GDELS-Santa Bárbara Sistemas told Janes on 20 December that the first production vehicles would be the combat engineering version. The Spanish Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on 29 November that seven Dragón IFVs would be delivered in 2022.

GDELS-Santa Bárbara Sistemas managing director Juan Escriña said during the steel-cutting ceremony that the vehicle “represents not only new capabilities and better protection for our soldiers but also a very significant technological leap. It must serve us as a lever for transformation”.