When a Czech uses the term "hare in a sack," he is usually referring not to a long-eared animal but to something that has the potential to be a dud. A hurried purchase, say, that could yield some unpleasant surprises.

And that's just what critics here have dubbed the 199 Austrian-made armored vehicles called Pandur II that the Army plans to buy during the next six years.

As the government prepares to sign a 23.6 billion Kč ($1 billion) contract with Steyr-Daimler-Puch (SDP), the Austrian company that manufactures the vehicles, critics are calling this deal — the biggest purchase the Army has made in years — too hasty and imprudent.

Miloš Titz, deputy chairman of Parliament's Defense and Security Committee, who is one of the purchase's most outspoken critics, says buying the Pandur II could be a big mistake.

"I am unconvinced that enough testing has been done," he says. "The whole deal seems too hurried to me."

Steyr will supply the Army with the eight-wheel armored vehicles intended as transport mainly during peacekeeping missions and in assisting during natural disasters, but also usable in combat zones.

Part of the deal is that Czech companies would manufacture components, which means new jobs for this country. The contract also includes a clause that would give the Army the option to buy 35 more carriers if the need arises. The vehicles will be equipped with U.S.-made 30 mm guns — Mk44 cannons manufactured by Alliant Techsystems — a $20 million item the country will get along with the Pandurs.

The problem, those opposed to the deal say, is that the vehicles haven't been properly tested as to how well they work in conjunction with the guns. Hence the "hare in the sack" accusations.

The Czech media have already dubbed the Pandurs "armored Pendolinos" after the constantly malfunctioning high-speed train that Czech Railways bought in 2003.

Another problem, say industry insiders, is the timing.

Jiří Hynek, president of Association of the Defense Industry of the Czech Republic, an independent group of more than 100 companies in the defense sector, says it would be better to hold off on the purchase at a time when NATO is working to unify different countries' weapon technologies.

"What if the Pandurs end up not being compatible?" Hynek asks. "I'm sure it wouldn't have hurt to wait and see what the other countries end up buying."

The Czech Republic isn't the only country that plans to use the Pandurs. Portugal has also been negotiating a deal with SDP. The carriers are already in service in Belgium, Austria, Slovenia, Kuwait and Gabon. According to Steyr representatives, the United States is next on the list for Pandurs.

SDP won the tender for the armored vehicles last fall, beating out the Finnish-made Patrias in the final round of the government's selection. Patria recently filed a complaint with the Czech Anti-Monopoly Office, but the agency rejected the complaint. The Finns now plan to appeal.

Cost was one of the deciding factors in choosing Pandurs, says Titz. The Patrias would have cost at least 1.5 billion Kč more.

Titz also speculates that another reason why the country chose Pandurs was economic. Herwig Jedlaucnik, Steyr's regional marketing director, confirmed that a company based in Nový Jičín, Vojenský opravárenský podnik 025, will be producing the basic version of the vehicle.

Of course, some wonder why the Czech Republic needs 199 armored vehicles at all. But Monika Machtová, spokeswoman for the Defense Ministry, says upgrading its technology is one of the Army's current priorities.

The country has a fleet of 40-year-old terrain vehicles: the OT 64s that were barely capable of rolling out to guard Radio Free Europe in the weeks after 9/11 without breaking down. Experts agree that repairing these would be a waste of money. "Trying to upgrade the OT 64s," says Titz, "would be like trying to make a Mercedes from a decrepit Trabant."