OTTAWA — The Canadian army in Afghanistan will take delivery of the first 60 new replacements for the much-maligned Iltis jeep in February, months ahead of schedule, military officials revealed Tuesday.

The Royal 22nd Regiment in Valcartier, Que., which begins filtering into Kabul this month, already has received prototypes of the German-made Gelaendewagens, dubbed G-Wagons by the Canadians, one military source said.

And Capt. Cindy Tessier, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Forces, acknowledged that a $126-million contract for 802 of the four-door patrol vehicles was signed Oct. 21, 19 days after two Canadian soldiers riding in an unarmoured Iltis were killed by at least one anti-tank mine southwest of their base in the Afghan capital.

The incident sparked a heated political debate back in Canada over use of the two-tonne jeep, which was blown beyond recognition by what may have been up to three mines, each designed to take out a 60-tonne battle tank.

No patrol vehicle in the NATO-led, 32-nation force could have survived the blast, officials said at the time. Maj.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, Canada's top soldier in Afghanistan, told members of the 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, on Oct. 25 that the three-tonne G-Wagon is no better.

But the contract with Mercedes Benz Canada, the only bidder, was accelerated nonetheless, Tessier said in an interview.

"They had good co-operation and they were able to expedite delivery with an opening in the production line," she said.

"There was never any original intention of delivering these overseas. The decisions all happened in the last couple of months."

Mercedes will deliver another 40 vehicles to the troops in Kabul in March, as well as a comparable number of armour systems that will add about 600 kilograms to their weight.

Mechanics in Kabul, beset by problems with the 19-year-old Iltis, said last August the four-door, roofed Mercedes, which has yet to receive an official Canadian name, could not be delivered for at least a year.

German and other forces patrolling the city use a similar vehicle known as the Wolf. The British use Land Rovers and the French drive Renault light trucks.

In an address to 400 troops, a few weeks after Sgt. Robert Short and Cpl. Robbie Beerenfenger were killed, Leslie said the ideal patrol vehicle doesn't exist.

"The type we're getting is essentially a slightly bigger Iltis," Leslie said. "Quite frankly, it's not much different than that which we have now.

"Is that a suitable vehicle for the light-infantry battalions to do their business? I've got my doubts."

Soldiers complain that the Iltis is small, under-powered and undependable.

Built by Bombardier of Montreal, the German-designed Iltis - meaning 'ferret' - was supposed to perform the same function as the dependable old Jeep that became the signature vehicle of the Second World War and Korea.

In Afghanistan, the four-cylinder, gas-powered vehicles were the primary transport for Canadian light infantry soldiers, though they have been confined to operating on hard surfaces since the explosion in a creek bed last October.

They have been prone to break-downs.

But Warrant Officer Wayne O'Regan, production manager in the repair shop at the Canadian base in southwest Kabul, said in August it was not a good idea to send the replacements straight to Afghanistan.

"There are issues in bringing a new vehicle into the Canadian Forces and then bringing that brand new vehicle into an operational theatre," said O'Regan, a Montreal native.

"We don't know what type of problems we're going to have. Plus, there's (the matter of) also getting the parts, all the tooling, all the training in.

"You have to familiarize the crews, and our mechanics have to be familiar with repairing it. That could take a year."

Kabul's high altitude - about 2,100 metres - has contributed to carburetor problems in the Iltis, usually requiring just a quick adjustment.

Dust caused problems with air filters and alternators, requiring rebuilds or replacements. And some batteries inexplicably wouldn't hold a charge, a problem unique to the Iltis.

Aspects of the open Iltis design have also posed security issues in Kabul. The Canadians find themselves particularly vulnerable in crowded markets and traffic jams.