Bundeswehr orders nearly 1,400 logistic vehicles from Rheinmetall

The Bundeswehr has ordered 1,388 logistic vehicles from Rheinmetall, including 425 UTV 4×4 (pictured) and 8×8 vehicles. (Rheinmetall)

The Bundeswehr has ordered 1,388 logistic vehicles from Rheinmetall, the company announced in a press release on 4 August.

The EUR770 million (over USD892 million) order is for 963 vehicles with swap-body systems, some with protected driver cabins, as well as swap-body flatbeds and tarpaulins, in addition to 425 4×4 and 8×8 unprotected transport vehicles (UTVs). Rheinmetall said all the vehicles would be delivered by the end of 2025.

On 30 July, the budget committee of the Bundestag, Germany's federal parliament, approved the procurement, Germany's Federal Ministry of Defence announced on its website on 5 August, emphasising the requirement for rapid delivery.

The Bundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr (BAAINBw) – Germany's Federal Office for Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support – signed a EUR3.5 billion framework contract with Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMV) on 1 July 2024 for up to 6,500 UTVs, which the company said was the largest order that it has received for logistic vehicles.

The framework contract gives the Bundeswehr the flexibility to order more 5 and 15 tonne UTVs as required over a period of seven years, according to the BAAINBw and Rheinmetall. The call-off under the latest contract includes Rheinmetall's new 3.5 tonne 4×4 UTV designed to have parts with maximum commonality with other trucks in the family.

In July 2017, the Bundeswehr ordered its first 5 and 15 tonne UTVs. Since then, Rheinmetall has delivered around 7,000 HX vehicles together with swap-body systems and 70 tonne semitrailer units to the Bundeswehr. UTVs and swap-body systems are based on RMMV's HX vehicle family, which are designed for military employment, including high mobility in difficult terrain.