German and Dutch armed forces award Rheinmetall contract for 3,058 Caracal airmobile platforms, as the company announced on July 10.
On July 5, the German government unveiled its plans to acquire 60 Chinooks, fleet service boats, and 3,058 airborne vehicles for troops. Subsequently, it was revealed that Rheinmetall would be the contractor responsible for supplying the airborne vehicles.
Valued at €1.9 billion, the long-term framework agreement covers a total of 2,054 vehicles designated for Germany and 1,004 for the Netherlands. Initially, a definite order has been made from the framework agreement for 1,508 vehicles amounting to around €870 million.
The tendering process for the “Deployment System Airmobile Platform” commenced in October 2022 and underwent two fast-paced proposal phases due to heightened security concerns and the urgent need for new capabilities in national and collective defense, stated the company in the announcement.
The Caracal is the result of a collaboration between Rheinmetall, Mercedes-Benz AG, and Armoured Car Systems GmbH. Initial prototypes are set to be delivered as early as the first quarter of 2024, followed by series production delivery scheduled to commence in early 2025.
“Final assembly of all German and Dutch vehicles will take place at our plant in Ede in the Netherlands and at VDL Special Vehicles B.V. in Eindhoven, our designated partner company. Having two assembly locations will let us quickly scale up production while simultaneously contributing to sustained value added in the Netherlands, our partner country”, noted Dr Bernhard, managing director of Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH.
The Caracal, a less-than-10-ton 4×4 all-wheel-drive vehicle, is an adaptable mobile platform specifically engineered to fulfill the demands of airmobile formations and special operations forces, states Rheinmetall.
