The British Army has received the first 20 of 500 support trucks from Rheinmetall as part of an ongoing effort to expand the military’s ground-based logistics fleet.
Signed last February, the 282-million-pound ($357.8-million) procurement covers the delivery of Rheinmetall’s MAN HX family of multipurpose vehicles that are tailor-made for protecting assets on the move.
The UK’s Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) noted that the trucks will be used to transport critical troop supplies including ammunition, water, food, and support materiel to operational sites.
The initial tranche was distributed to the Field Army’s 7 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps in Dalton Barracks, which will now begin training on the vehicles.
Another 40 trucks are expected to arrive before April 2025 for corresponding preparations, while all 500 will be fielded by September 2025.
“Field Army welcome the fielding of these critical vehicles to begin to close the gap in the logistic lift capacity required to deliver and sustain war fighting at scale,” Field Army Headquarters Officer Col. Andy Elliott stated.
“Delivering capability at pace challenges procurement processes and policies and lessons from this project can be applied to streamline future acquisitions, vital as the Army seeks to double lethality by 2027.”
Supporting Europe, NATO Goals
DE&S said that the rapid procurement of the Rheinmetall HX Vehicles in just a year significantly increases assistance to the army’s growing commitments with international allies, such as Operation MOBILISE to prevent a larger war in Eastern Europe and the anticipated NATO New Force Model military structure modernization program.
“This collaborative venture, between Rheinmetall and the UK MOD, to deliver military capability at pace has been a supreme effort by both teams,” Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicle Managing Director Rebecca Richards commented.
“It sets the bar for delivering new capabilities and highlights what is possible when NATO allies operate on a bi-lateral basis in their procurements.”
Rheinmetall’s HX Truck
The MAN Military Vehicle HX system is offered in nine base variants and powered by a Euro 4 diesel engine with 440 horsepower.
It can transport cargo weighing 17,000 kilograms (37,479 pounds) and has a fuel capacity of 400 liters.
The platform has a top speed of 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour and a range of 800 kilometers (497 miles).
