KEY POINTS:
A welding fault has put 26 of the Army's 105 light armoured vehicles (LAVs) out of action.
When the LAVs were bought in 2005 for $700 million, the Government said the Canadian-built vehicles were the best on the market for New Zealand's purposes.
"A weld crack on a bracket that connects the steering and suspension to the vehicle's hull was discovered during maintenance," Defence Minister Phil Goff said.
"The weld repair process is relatively simple but takes around 15 hours per vehicle due to the requirement to disconnect the vehicle's extensive and sensitive electronics components."
Mr Goff said six LAVs were under repair and 20 were waiting to be repaired.
"At all times during the repair process an adequate number of vehicles has been available for training or operational use," he said.
Under the purchase contract, the manufacturer will have to pay for the repairs.
Mr Goff said the work should be completed by the end of the month.
- NZPA
