Clearer military requirements could unlock UGV market growth
Western armies continue to test uncrewed ground vehicles, but wider procurement will depend on turning ambitions for autonomy into defined operational roles and funded requirements.
Norwegian Army puts new logistics vehicles into service
HX 8x8 trucks were included in a batch of 109 military logistics vehicles recently received by the Norwegian Army. (Photo: RMMV)
More than 100 logistics vehicles have been commissioned by the Norwegian Army under an 11-year framework agreement with manufacturer Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles.
The Norwegian Army on 23 August officially commissioned 109 new military logistics vehicles from Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMV), including 24 HX 8x8 trucks with hook lift systems; 56 TGS 6x6 heavy-duty tractor trailers; and 29 TGS 4x4 and 6x6 vehicles.
‘Some of these trucks feature an integrated armoured vehicle cab for protecting the crew from ballistic threats and shrapnel,’ RMMV noted in a 30 August announcement. ‘Furthermore, they can also be equipped with state-of-the-art communication and command-and-control systems as well as remote-control weapon stations.’
RMMV added that the vehicles were transferred from the Norwegian defence procurement agency NDMA to the army in a ceremony at Sessvollmoen military base near Oslo.
These vehicles were supplied to Norway under an 11-year framework agreement signed in 2014 between NDMA, its Swedish counterpart FMV and RMMV.
RMMW (a JV between Rheinmetall and MAN Truck & Bus) also holds a contract to provide the Norwegian armed forces with long-term service support for military logistics vehicles until 2025.
Noting that the framework agreement with Norway and Sweden ‘is RMMV’s most complex project to date’, chairman Michael Wittlinger added that the order for both countries ‘encompasses 38 different truck configurations and trailer variants, making this a very multifaceted programme’.
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