MAN Truck & Bus UK Ltd is slated to soon deliver the last of 382 Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMV) HX 8ร8 trucks for the British Army fitted with the Enhanced Pallet Loading System (EPLS), under a GBP53 million (USD72 million) contract awarded by the Defence Equipment & Support organisation late in 2018.
This work is being undertaken at facilities in the UK with MAN Truck & Bus as prime contractor and RMMV responsible for supplying the conversion kit that is produced at its main military truck manufacturing facility in Vienna.
The RMMV HX 8ร8 upgraded with an Enhanced Pallet Loading System and carrying a standard 20ร8ร8 ISO container. (MAN Truck & Bus)
The hook loading system is made by Cargotec, which has co-operated with RMMV for various international customers including Australia, New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden. These HX 8ร8 trucks are fitted with a standard fully enclosed and air conditioned forward control cab that can accept an applique armour kit.
The upgraded vehicles are designated as the EPLS3, and are replacing the Leyland DAF 8ร6 Demountable Rack Off-loading and Pick up System (DROPS) Medium Mobility Load Carrier (MMLC) fitted with a Cargotec Mk 4 handing system with a nominal load of 16.5 tonnes, or a 20 ft ISO container system deployed by the British Army.
When compared to the older DROPS, the new EPLS3 have greater cross-country mobility (8ร8 drive rather than 8ร6).
In addition to the EPLS conversion, quantities of RMMV 8ร8 trucks have also been allocated for other battlefield missions including the MBDA Land Ceptor surface-to-air missile system. Those 8ร8s were provided to MBDA as government furnished equipment from British Army stocks.
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