Rheinmetall unveils 6x6 Caracal air assault vehicle variant
Rheinmetall's Caracal 6x6 air assault vehicle variant, displayed at Eurosatory 2026. (Janes/Andrew White)
Rheinmetall has unveiled a 6x6 variant in its family of Caracal air assault vehicles, which joins the original 4x4 variant, already in service with Germany and the Netherlands.
The German and Dutch armed forces' have a joint bilateral procurement contract worth up to EUR1.9bn for a maximum of 3,058 Caracals.
Similar to the 4x4 Caracal, the 6x6 is designed using a Mercedes Benz G-Model chassis. It has a length of 6.1 m and a width of 1.85 m, meaning the vehicle can be carried inside CH-47 or CH-53 helicopters, or C17, C-130 or A400M transport aircraft— a critical requirement for so-called ‘fly and drive' mission profiles.
The 6x6 vehicle has a weight of 3.2 tonnes, with capacity to carry additional payload up to 3.3 tonnes, according to Rheinmetall, which unveiled the vehicle at the Eurosatory 2026 exhibition in Paris in June. This 4x4 variant can carry an additional payload of 1.2 tonnes.
The 6x6 has a top speed of 130 km/h, powered by a Mercedes Benz 6-cylinder diesel engine. Ballistic protection is offered up to NATO STANAG 4569.
Although the 6x6 is the result of an internal research and development effort by Rheinmetall, the company is hopeful both German and Dutch customers will place additional orders for the 6x6 variant, which can be facilitated through the joint bilateral procurement contract. Both customers are understood to have ordered a total of 1,500 4x4 vehicles as of June 2026.
An industry source also told Janes in June that
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