Defence Notes

Rheinmetall rides high on Ukraine war and European demand

14th May 2024

The war in Ukraine has not only seen Rheinmetall and its subsidiaries up the tempo to meet demand for ammunition but also support air defence and vehicle requirements.

Naval Warfare

Elbit wins first order for export version of Crossbow unmanned turret

8th May 2024

At DSEI 2023 Elbit Systems unveiled a lightweight export model of its Crossbow 120mm mortar system being developed for the Israel Defense Forces.

Land Warfare

Germany joins CAVS 6x6 AFV R&D programme

2nd May 2024

The Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) programme started in 2019 involving Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Sweden. Germany has now been joined in the research and development (R&D) phase.

Land Warfare

Rheinmetall wins communications deal that could be worth up to €400 million

24th April 2024

The systems have been purchased under a special fund which has already been tapped into for the purchase of 60 CH-47F Block II Chinook helicopters worth up to €8 billion (US$8.7 billion) and thousands of Rheinmetall Caracal airmobile special operations vehicles worth €1.9 billion.

Land Warfare

Rheinmetall to supply 20 more Marder IFVs to Ukraine

9th April 2024

From 1970, 2,136 Marders were produced, with the latest German Army standard being the 1A5 which was upgraded for use in Afghanistan. Ex-German Marders have been in service in Chile and Ukraine, while Argentina uses the locally built VCTP, a derivative of the Marder.

Land Warfare

Japan orders three Mission Master UGVs

8th April 2024

Part of Rheinmetall's Mission Master family, the Mission Master Silent Partner (SP) is an eight-wheeled UGV designed to fulfil various logistics and battlefield support roles. Since 2017, several countries, including the UK, Netherlands and an undisclosed Middle Eastern country, have made purchases for trials and development purposes.

Land Warfare

Spain orders more than 100,000 mortar rounds

3rd April 2024

Rheinmetall has been contracted for hundreds of thousands of rockets, artillery and mortars rounds over the past two years and has expanded capability with new and expanded sites completed or in process.

Land Warfare

Rheinmetall wins $145 million contract for subsystems to replace howitzers sent to Ukraine

2nd April 2024

The Panzerhaubitze 2000 (PzH 2000) was developed in the mid-1980s to meet a German Army requirement to replace its M109 SPHs and 185 were delivered. Export orders from Greece (24), Italy (70, of which 68 were produced locally) and the Netherlands (57) increased production to more than 330 systems.

Land Warfare

Rheinmetall receives EU funding to boost artillery production for Ukrainian war effort

26th March 2024

Rheinmetall has contracts to produce hundreds-of-thousands of artillery shells for Ukraine and new funding from the EU will boost the company’s manufacturing capability.

APCs/IFVs - 6x6

Fuchs 2 Local Assembly

The Fuchs 2 will replace a variety of legacy APCs currently in service with the Algerian Army including the Panhard M3 VTT, the BTR-60 and ...

APCs/IFVs - 6x6

6x6 APC (Germany)

Programme Background Bidders and Suppliers As no programme has been officially announced, all bidders and suppliers are speculative at this time. Patria 6x6 Common Armoured ...

APCs/IFVs - 6x6

Patria 6x6 CAVS (Germany)

Programme Background  Programme History The Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) programme brings together Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Sweden to develop an armoured vehicle based on the ...

Loitering munitions

Hero-30 [Hungary]

Programme Background Strategic Partnership In October 2021, UVision Air and Rheinmetall signed a "strategic partnering agreement for loitering munitions". Under the agreement, the two companies ...

APCs/IFVs - 8x8

Land 400 Phase 2 - Boxer CRV (Australia)

Programme Background History The Land 400 Phase 2 programme will procure a replacement for the ASLAV, a derivative of the General Dynamics Land Systems Light Armoured Vehicle ...

APCs/IFVs - tracked

KF41 Lynx (Hungary)

Programme Background Since 2017, the Hungarian MoD has invested considerable funds into the modernisation of Hungary's Armed Forces. Under its Zrínyi 2026 development plan, the ...

APCs/IFVs - 8x8

Agilis (Romania)

Programme Background The Romanian government has committed to raising defence spending to enable the country's armed forces to shed its Soviet-era equipment and to ensure ...

APCs/IFVs - tracked

Project Land 400 Phase 3 (Australia)

Programme Background Requirement: 2015 RfI The Land 400 Phase 3 programme will procure a new tracked IFV to replace the Australian Army's legacy fleet of ...

Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

LUNA NG (Ukraine Aid) [Germany]

Programme Background On 14 August 2023, Rheinmetall announced that the LUNA NG had been ordered as part of an aid package for Ukraine unveiled by the German ...

APCs/IFVs - tracked

Land 400 Phase 3 (Amphibious Vehicles)

Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

APCs/IFVs - tracked

Land 400 Phase 3 (Logistics, Ammunition Carrier and Mortar Carrier Variants)

Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

HUSAR (2017 Order) [Germany]

Programme Background Requirement In 2015, the German Army launched the HUSAR programme to identify a replacement for its Airbus Defence & Space KZO and first-generation ...

APCs/IFVs - tracked

AIFV (Italy)

Programme Background The Italian Army has identified a requirement for new tracked IFVs to equip its armoured and mechanised brigades. These new vehicles will replace ...

APCs/IFVs - tracked

XM30 Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle (USA)

Programme Background Requirement The OMFV programme is the latest of several attempts to develop a Bradley replacement.  Designed to be capable of operating with or without ...

APCs/IFVs - 8x8

Boxer (Slovenia)

Programme Background Requirement As part of its broader military modernisation plans outlined in its Medium-Term Defense Plan 2018-2023, the Slovenian MoD identified a requirement for ...

APCs/IFVs - 6x6

Fuchs 2

Rheinmetall developed the Fuchs 2 6x6 between 2001 and 2005 with the international market in mind. Based on the Fuchs 1, the new vehicle has ...

APCs/IFVs - 6x6

Fuchs 1

Spanning now 8 variants, the Fuchs 1 is the German Army's longstanding wheeled armoured personnel carrier. The army received 1,125 Fuchs, with most delivered between 1979-86. ...

APCs/IFVs - 4x4

Survivor R

The Survivor R 4x4, unveiled at Eurosatory in June 2014, was jointly developed by Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles and Achleitner. Based on a comprehensively militarised ...

Land: RWS

Fieldranger Dual

The Fieldranger Dual is one of the larger systems in the Rheinmetall Fieldranger series of RWS. Designed to carry two weapons simultaneously, the Fieldranger Dual ...

Land: Integrated Defensive Systems

AVePS

The AVePS (Active Vehicle Protection System) has been designed for the protection of armoured vehicles against shoulder-fired antitank rockets and guided missiles. Approaching projectiles are ...

Land: RWS

RLS 609

The RLS 609 is a family of RWS that has been designed by Rheinmetall Defence and Kongsberg Protech Systems.  The RWS include the 609 L ...

Military vehicle engines

MTU 6V 199

The MTU 6V 199 is a six cylinder turbocharged diesel engine, designed to power medium military vehicles. The engine is available in a TE20 and ...

Land: manned turrets

E8

The E8 is a manned turret operated by a crew of one that is designed for APCs and IFVs. It is able to combat ground ...

Air: air combat simulators

Fixed Wing Flight Simulators

Rheinmetall has developed fixed-wing simulators for the Typhoon, MiG-29, Tornado, A320 and A400M. Rheinmetall is responsible for full mission simulators and cockpit procedure trainers for ...

Land: battle management systems

Rheinmetall C2 Software

Rheinmetall C2 Software support the air defence decision making process by filtering, correlating and processing data from all sensors, providing the operator with one comprehensive ...

Tanks

Panther KF51 MBT

Rheinmetall unveiled the KF51 Panther at Eurosatory 2022. The MBT uses Leopard 2 components in its bare chassis but with a brand new turret. Its main armament is the ...

Land: RWS

Qimek Russian

Rheinmetall's Qimek single-weapon RWS family includes a variant for non-NATO weapons, which combines full stabilisation, long-range day/night all-weather sights and a versatile weapon cradle for ...

Land: RWS

Nanuk Russian

Rheinmetall Canada's Nanuk RWS family includes this variant for non-NATO weapons, which combines full stabilisation, long-range day/night all-weather sights and a versatile weapon cradle that ...

Air: air combat simulators

Rotary Wing Training Systems

Rheinmetall has extensive experience in the full mission simulation of various helicopter types. The company has developed complex simulations for the following helicopter types: AS532, ...

Naval guns

SeaSnake 27

SeaSnake is a naval gun system manufactured by Rheinmetall and unveiled for the first time in 2017. It is based on the Mauser BK27. The ...