PARIS–Germany’s Rheinmetall launched its first product Monday out of a new partnership with the Australian defense industry, showcasing its first automated loading system for military trucks.
Rheinmetall officials at the Eurosatory conference here presented the Automated Load Handling System (ALHS), made by Australia’s Supashock for the German manufacturer’s HX 8×8 truck, which is designed to increase truck operator situational awareness in harsh battlefield environments.
Australian Minister of Defence Industry Christopher Pyne attended the event and pointed to Supashock’s partnership with Rheinmetall as a sign of his country’s continued to push to grow its defense exports role.
“The relationship between Rheinmetall and Supashock is an excellent model for how the Australian government wants to see overseas primes engage with our sophisticated advanced manufacturing companies,” Pyne told Defense Daily. “This partnership has created a disruptive technology which I think will be tremendously successful because it protects the soldier inside the cab, but it also achieves the collection of the load and moving away from the scene of danger.”
Pyne is overseeing Australia’s $200 billion increase in military capability spending over the next 10 years, as his government continues to implement a plan to become a top 10 country for global defense sales.
The partnership between the two companies began in 2017, and Rheinmetall owns a 49 percent share of Supashock.
“I think a lot of countries and companies will be very interested in this kind of technology,” Pyne said.
The ALHS is used to automatically carry containers and heavy cargo onto Rheinmetall trucks without having to exit the vehicle cab and operate the machine.
“This is an add-on to our existing portfolio. The main reason for developing this is it makes sure the crew can manage all elements of the load handling system inside the cabin. With this new development for the portfolio we ensure that everything can be handled from inside the cabin,” Helmut Landler, Rheinmetall’s chief engineer for military fleet trucks, told Defense Daily.
Rheinmetall officials said there have been no contracts secured for the ALHS, but there continues to be interest from the European market.
“There is big demand for these load handling system, especially with NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force. We expect in Germany a high quantity of demand as well,” Alexander Westermann, Rheinmetall vice president of sales for Germany, told Defense Daily.
Supashock has also started developing a sensor-connected suspension system for Rheinmetall trucks, according to Westermann.