Rheinmetall Wins €900M Contract To Replace German Army's KAT-I Tactical Trucks

Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles has entered into a framework agreement with the Bundeswehr, the unified armed forces of Germany, to supply over 2,200 state-of-the-art trucks.

Awarded by the Federal Office for Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) and structured to run seven years, the framework contract covers a total of 2,271 HX2 family vehicles with a gross value of around €900 million.

As a first step, an initial lot of 558 trucks with a gross value of roughly €240 million has been taken under contract, including special tools and training support. Most of the key components – the engines, axles, transmissions and build-ons – will be produced in Germany, though the vehicles will be assembled at the Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMV) plant in Vienna. Delivery of the first lot will take place during the 2018-2021 timeframe.

Under the Bundeswehr’s Unprotected Transport Vehicle (UTF) programme, new vehicles from the Rheinmetall HX2 family are set to replace the aging KAT I generation of trucks made by MAN.

The latest generation of HX2 vehicles from RMMV meets all of these criteria. It is the outcome of decades of experience in developing, building and – by no means least – servicing military vehicles. With some 10,000 vehicles now in service around the globe, the HX2 numbers among the world’s most widely used military trucks, with abundant operational experience.

The HX2 family comes in variants ranging from 4x4 to 10x10, configured for a multitude of different missions: cargo trucks and heavy-duty recovery vehicles, tankers and system platforms as well as folding-road and bridge-laying systems. The engines that power these trucks are designed for outputs of up to 680 HP.