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Top attacks have proven effective against heavily armoured vehicles in Ukraine. A new family of uncrewed aerial system-delivered munitions is looking to press that advantage further.
Rheinmetall has supplied 40 trucks to Slovenia following an order placed on 5 December under Germany's Ringtausch equipment transfer scheme. (Photo: Rheinmetall)
In a further exchange of equipment, Rheinmetall has provided Slovenia with military swap-body trucks financed by the German government.
Forty new-build vehicles, based on the UTF unprotected model produced for the German Armed Forces, have been handed over to the Slovenian military in Ljubljana. This arrangement equates to a sale in the lower two-digit million-euro range.
Slovenia is in turn providing military aid to Ukraine including 28 M-55 tanks which were delivered in October.
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In addition to the trucks, Slovenia is receiving loader platforms, palletised water tank modules, and a service package including training.
The exchange is based on a declaration of intent from 21 September by the German and Slovak defence ministers, with an order being placed with Rheinmetall on 5 December.
Delivery was largely completed by mid-December, although some components and training modules will be shipped over the next two years.
Top attacks have proven effective against heavily armoured vehicles in Ukraine. A new family of uncrewed aerial system-delivered munitions is looking to press that advantage further.
The Israeli company hopes that producing its Sigma artillery system wholly in the US will help it win a key US Army contract, but it will be up against the popular CAESAR Mk II wheeled weapon and the K9 tracked.
Germany has ordered 84 RCH 155 self-propelled guns, as system incorporating Boxer 8×8 vehicles and the Artillery Gun Module, and 200 Puma Infantry Fighting Vehicles while the UK has committed to a single Early Capability Demonstrator RCH 155.
While integration of guided weapons on modern armoured vehicles usually takes the form of a podded launcher on the turret exterior, recent developments suggest the concept of firing missiles from a tank’s main gun could be seeing a revival.
The order is a further boost for the Common Armoured Vehicles System programme which has notched notable successes in the past 12 months. The first vehicle, made in Finland, will be delivered next year with local production expected to ramp up in 2027.
The French and German governments signed an agreement in June 2018 to cooperate on the development of a new main battle tank under the Main Ground Combat System programme but the effort has struggled. This new agreement may damage it further.