German defense vehicle specialist Rheinmetall has developed a new version of the Fuchs/Fox wheeled armored transport vehicle.
The new variant features a high roof and can serve in roles ranging from tactical operations center to armored field ambulance.
Rheinmetall is presenting a demonstrator configuration of the armored field ambulance on October 14-15 at the Congress of the Gesellschaft für Wehrmedizin und Wehrpharmazie, a German NGO dedicated to military medicine and military pharmaceuticals, which takes place in the Rhein-Mosel-Halle convention centre in Koblenz.
The 6×6 vehicle’s modernized exterior design and greater height are particularly striking. The interior volume now measures twelve cubic meters, with headroom increased to 1.60 meters from the previous 1.26 meters.
The armored field ambulance version of the new high-roofed Fuchs/Fox can carry four wounded personnel, two lying down and two seated. Furthermore, the vehicle is equipped with an advanced 360-degree panoramic vision system. Featuring fusion and a daytime/night-time capability, it is identical to the system used in the Puma infantry fighting vehicle.
A NATO generic vehicle architecture-conformant connection to additional sensors or a weapons station is possible, as is the use of virtual reality goggles, which enable the crew to “see” through the armor.
In a manner analogous to the Puma, the Fuchs/Fox is also able to communicate with dismounted forces, including medics in this case, who are equipped with a special variant of the Future Soldier – Expanded System (IdZ-ES) soldier system.
The modernized Fuchs/Fox also features a new, more powerful engine, a new transfer case, a new brake system and a digital electrical system. All these things improve the vehicle’s off-road performance and make it easier to operate.
The high-roof Fuchs/Fox demonstrator was developed at the Rheinmetall Landsysteme in Kassel in the German state of Hesse, the vehicle’s birthplace.
Numerous variants of the Fuchs/Fox armored transport vehicle have formed part of the Bundeswehr inventory since 1979, with over a hundred once deployed in Afghanistan.
To date, some 1,600 Fuchs/Fox vehicles have been built.
