NEWTOWN, Conn. - Through 2013 and 2014, the joint-company Rheinmetall-MAN Military Trucks (RMMV) has received a significant windfall of new orders from an array of international customers, cementing its position as one of the world's predominant market forces in the sphere of military logistics vehicles.
In April 2013, the Danish Ministry of Defense signed an order with RMMV for 14 Heavy Tactical Protected Recovery vehicles. Deliveries were scheduled to begin in 2014 and are slated for completion by mid-2015.
In May 2013, the New Zealand Ministry of Defence signed a $113 million contract with RMMV for the acquisition of 194 logistical vehicles.
The order consists of a mix of 6-, 9- and 15-tonne vehicles and also includes a number of specialized variants intended to perform engineering and vehicle transport and recovery roles.
RMMV-Australia delivered the first batch of 40 HX60 6-tonne vehicles to the New Zealand Defense Force in December 2013. The NZDF intends to use these vehicles to replace its aging stocks of Unimog and Mercedes logistics vehicles.
Subsequently, RMMV delivered the first tender of 14 Medium-Heavy Operational trucks in the 9-15 tonne weight range to the NZDF in April 2014. The delivery of all 194 vehicles is scheduled for completion by the end of 2014.
In July 2013, Australia signed a contract with Rheinmetall-MAN Military Trucks for the acquisition of up to 2,500 new logistical vehicles. The order is intended to replace the entirety of Australia's existing medium and heavy field truck inventories, and also includes many specialized variants such as heavy-recovery vehicles. The acquisition forms one component of the Australian Army's ambitious LAND 121 modernization program. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2016.
In May 2014, Norway and Sweden announced the formation of a joint purchasing framework for the procurement of a large tender of new RMMV logistics vehicles.
Including potential follow-on orders that are integrated under the joint-framework agreement, the Swedish and Norwegian Armed Services could acquire as many as 2,000 new-build RMMV logistics vehicles, with deliveries intended to begin in 2015 and continue through 2026. The complete 2,000 vehicle procurement would amount to a cost of over $1.3 billion.
In addition, RMMV and the joint-procurement body have outlined a 30 year service agreement covering the new vehicles, worth approximately $1.4 billion, in order to provide both operators with long-term access to RMMV's maintenance and support network.
The first tender under this framework is to consist of an approximate total of 335 logistics vehicles manufactured in 14 different configurations. Of this initial order, 215 vehicles are slated for delivery to Sweden and around 120 to Norway. Deliveries are scheduled to begin sometime in 2015.
Norway signed its initial procurement contract under this framework in April 2014, for an unspecified number of RMMV logistics vehicles worth $167 million.
Reports indicate that the Norwegian acquisition consists of approximately 120 vehicles, produced in nine different variant configurations. However, an exact figure remains uncertain at the present time, pending final decisions regarding the Norwegian Army's specific variant requirements.
Delivery of this first batch of Norwegian vehicles is scheduled to launch in 2015, with the order due to be completed by mid-2017.
In April 2014, not long after the creation of the joint-procurement framework, the intended signing of the initial Swedish contract of 215 vehicles was delayed due to potential incompatibility between the procurement laws and regulations of Sweden, an EU member, and those of Norway.
Despite this setback however, the Swedish deal and the country's participation in the joint-purchasing arrangement was able to move forward unhindered once these legal issues were resolved, and the 215 vehicle contract was formally signed in May 2014.
From this initial 215 vehicle order, 51 models are to be outfitted with protected driver's cabs in order to provide the crew with improved protection and survivability against small arms and mine and IED threats.
RMMV is also participating in Canada's logistics vehicle procurement competition.
The Canadian Army intends to pursue long-term procurement of up to 1,500 new logistics vehicles as the cornerstone of its Medium Support Vehicle System (MSVS) modernization program. The new vehicles will be built in five different configurations: cargo, cargo with material-handling crane, cargo mobile repair truck, load-handling system, and gun tractor. The Canadian Army and MoD are currently performing vehicle evaluations and are expected to come to a final decision by mid-2015.
However, RMMV faces stiff competition for the Canadian contract from contending contractors Mercedes-Benz Canada, Stewart and Stevenson, Oshkosh Defense, and the partnership of Navistar Defense and Tatra.
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