Germany’s Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles GmbH (RMMV), a joint venture of Rheinmetall AG and MAN Truck & Bus AG, yesterday said it recently signed a close to $2 billion contract with the Australian Defense Force (ADF) for a fleet of advanced logistical vehicles.
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| Rheinmetall Defense Military Vehicle |
Under its modernization program, the ADF is procuring some 2,500 protected and non-protected logistical vehicles from Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles Australia.
This order reinforces RMMV’s role as one of the world’s leading makers of military wheeled vehicles, the joint venture said in a statement.
Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles Australia overcame rival bids from top European and American competitors thanks to a compelling proposal that met the customer’s demanding specifications in every category, the company said.
After a detailed selection process the Australian military selected RMMV’s vehicles to replace the current logistics fleet, made up of vehicles from a number of different manufacturers.
The state-of-the-art RMMV systems will improve the Australian military’s operational effectiveness and mobility as well as assuring improved crew survivability, the company said. In addition, having a uniform fleet will result in efficiencies and synergy with regard to spare parts, maintenance and training, resulting in substantially lower operating costs.
Under this order, which forms part of Phase 3B of Australia’s Land 121 modernization program, Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles Australia will be supplying trucks in a number of different weight classes in various configurations. These include medium and heavyweight recovery vehicles, heavy-duty logistical vehicles, integrated load handling systems as well as medium-sized cargo bed variants with cranes, fuel and water modules and tipper bodies.
Land 121 is a multi-phase project aimed at delivering some 7,500 protected and unprotected vehicles across the range of lightweight, light, medium and heavy fleet segments. Each category will provide trailers to carry payloads and modules for specialist functions.
RMMV was chosen as preferred bidder in 2011 for the vehicles; Haulmark Trailers was the preferred tenderer for the trailers. Both contracts are now signed.
The first Land 121 Phase B vehicles are to be delivered starting in 2016, with the contract due for completion in 2020.
RMMV is the Rheinmetall Group’s center of excellence for logistical and tactical wheeled vehicles. Its Australian subsidiary will be in charge of managing this major procurement project.
The vehicles themselves will be built at the RMMV plant in Vienna, Austria, where the order will assure high capacity utilization for several years. Other tasks such as production of modules and some bodies, vehicle and C4I integration will be performed at Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles Australia and its local partner companies.