Rheinmetall is displaying the Caracal 4×4 airborne vehicle with a multicanister launcher with four Hero-120 loitering munitions at Eurosatory 2024. (Janes/Nicholas Fiorenza)
Rheinmetall is displaying the Caracal 4×4 airborne vehicle with Hero-120 loitering munitions at the Eurosatory 2024 defence exhibition held in Paris from 17 to 21 June. It is one of 30 versions of the vehicle, a Rheinmetall representative told Janes .
The vehicle on display has four Hero-120 launchers in the rear. The loitering munition has a 4.5 kg warhead and a range up to 60 km, according to Janes Weapons: Air Launched .
Another new version of the Caracal carries an 81 mm slung mortar in the rear. Other versions include command-and-control, communication, personnel, team, heavy weapon, supply, recovery, and medical evacuation vehicles.
Germany's Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (Bundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr: BAAINBw) signed a framework contract with Rheinmetall Landsysteme on 10 July 2023 for up to 3,058 Caracal 4×4 airborne vehicles for Germany and the Netherlands. The multi-year framework agreement for up to 2,054 German and 1,004 Dutch vehicles is valued at up to EUR1.9 billion (USD2 billion), Rheinmetall announced on 10 July 2023.
As a first step, Germany is procuring 1,001 and the Netherlands 504 airborne vehicles worth EUR870 million, with the German share of this amount coming from the EUR100 billion Sondervermögen special fund approved after Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
The Rheinmetall representative expected deliveries of the first vehicles under the joint German-Dutch programme during the third quarter of 2024.
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