Bundeswehr places second UTF order for 5-, 15-tonne trucks

The German Bundeswehr has an order with Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMV) for a second batch of unprotected transport vehicles, the company announced on 12 June. The order, which calls for 252 trucks, falls under the seven-year framework UTF (Ungeschützte Transportfahrzeuge) contract, which was awarded to RMMV in July 2017 and is worth up to EUR900 million (USD1 billion) for 2,271 trucks.

The June order calls for 161 5-tonne and 91 15-tonne trucks, and is valued at EUR92 million. The 252 vehicles ordered are to be built at RMMV’s Vienna plant and delivered during 2019. Deliveries will follow those of the original 558 trucks ordered at contract signing. This initial award included specialist tools and training support, valued at about EUR240 million.

These new HX2 range trucks are replacing the Bundeswehr’s KAT I generation made by MAN, the oldest examples of which were delivered in 1976. UTF calls for cargo variants only, with other types, including a load handling system, to be procured separately. UTF deliveries involve two HX2 models, the HX42M 6×6 5-tonne and the HX44M 8×8 15-tonne.

The Bundeswehr required a family of trucks with about 90% commonality between models, and the 5-tonne and 15-tonne versions are powered by MAN's latest D20 10.5-litre, 6-cylinder engine that develops 440hp (328 kW) and meets EURO 5 emissions requirements. The Bundeswehr also required UTF trucks to be legislatively compliant by default, but it waived the current EURO 6 emissions level as engines so-compliant are typically not suited to prolonged operation on military and/or low-grade fuels.