Rheinmetall to upgrade Fuchs/Fox vehicles

Rheinmetall will modernise the German armed forces’ Fuchs/Fox armoured transport vehicles under a €135 million contract announced on 12 December.

The company will upgrade 90 vehicles to the latest 1A8 standard. The upgrade gives the vehicle increased resistance to land mine strikes and improved protection against ballistic threats. 

Principal modifications include structural alteration of the hull; new seats and suspended seating in the fighting compartment to keep soldiers’ feet safely off the floor of the hull; reinforcement of the wheel housings, doors and window mountings; additional storage bins and reinforcement of the vehicle exterior.

Delivery will take place between 2017 and 2020.

Rheinmtall has already upgraded 177 Fuchs/Fox vehicles to the 1A8 standard across the mobile command post and armoured personnel carrier versions, a field ambulance, an EOD vehicle as well as an NBC detection variant and the Route Clearing Package operator vehicle. Additional Fuchs/Fox vehicles will now be reconfigured for command, APC and EOD roles, with an option for Joint Fire Support Coordination Team vehicles. 

This will bring the total number of 1A8 Fuchs/Fox vehicles deployed by the German military to 267.