Kosovo signs agreement for purchase of HUMVEE Hawkeye artillery systems

2025-12-17 10:46:26, Kosova & Bota CNA

Kosovo has signed an agreement with the American military industry manufacturer, AM General, for the purchase of modern mobile artillery systems, HUMVEE Hawkeye 105mm, Defense Minister Ejup Maqedonci announced on Wednesday.

In a Facebook post, the Macedonian stressed that "with this purchase, our army is moving into another phase of development, that of increasing direct firepower for long-range firing."

He praised the agreement as an important step in strengthening Kosovo's defense capacities and in building a modern, capable, ready and interoperable army with the country's strategic allies.

The American manufacturer said in a statement on its website that Kosovo is expected to receive the first systems within the next two years.

In addition to the HUMAVEE Hawkeye mobile artillery systems, the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) will also be equipped with ambulances, command and control trucks, and other support trucks, which enable the operation of a full artillery battery and the deployment of indirect fire capabilities, according to the three-year contract.

“We are proud to announce the successful sale of the HUMVEE Hawkeye to the Kosovo Ministry of Defense for the needs of the Kosovo Security Force, a testament to our commitment to providing advanced solutions for modern military needs,” said John Chadbourne, executive vice president of Business Development at AM General.

The HUMVEE Hawkeye is equipped with Soft Recoil technology, which enables the integration of a 105mm cannon onto the robust and battlefield-proven HUMVEE platform. This allows the system to be deployed, fired and relocated in less than 90 seconds, increasing survivability against counter-battery fire compared to traditional towed systems.

In recent years, Kosovo has accelerated its armament, purchasing weapons mainly from the United States and Turkey, including missiles and drones.

This is not the first time it has signed a contract with AM General, as in 2018, 51 American military vehicles, such as Humvee, arrived in Kosovo.

Kosovo is in the process of transforming the KSF into an army. The effort began in 2018 and is expected to last ten years.

The United States has supported the transformation of the KSF into an army from the beginning, but not NATO, which insists that the KSF stick to its original tasks, such as crisis response or civil protection.

Kosovo also aims to make joint purchases of American weapons, together with Albania and Croatia.

In recent years, the Government has increased the budget for the defense sector and this year the budget for this sector is 207.8 million euros./REL