By upgrading the Bundeswehr`s fleet of armoured vehicles and making unmanned aircraft available, Rheinmetall continues to make an important contribution to safeguarding German soldiers during deployed operations.
By 2012, Rheinmetall will have modernized 65 of the Bundeswehr's Fuchs/Fox armoured transport vehicles, significantly improving their level of protection. The net value of this order comes to roughly €33 million.
The Fuchs/Fox 1A8, more than thirty of which are already deployed in Afghanistan, is currently the best-protected wheeled vehicle in the Bundeswehr inventory. Thanks to its high reliability and excellent off-road performance, the Fuchs/Fox has long been one of the world's most successful and versatile military vehicles.
Compared with its predecessors, the 1A8 version offers substantially improved protection against mines and roadside bombs, both of which constitute widespread threats in Afghanistan.
The upgrade just ordered by the Bundeswehr will significantly expand the operational spectrum of all these Fuchs/Fox vehicles, which come in many variants and have proved indispensable in multiple military missions.
Specifically, 43 Fuchs/Fox armoured vehicles, including APC, command and medevac variants, will be upgraded to 1A8 standard, with the emphasis on improved protection from mines and IEDs. A further 22 vehicles will be reconfigured for new roles such as fire fighting, bomb disposal and mine clearing.
The Bundeswehr currently has a total requirement of 134 Fuchs/Fox 1A8 armoured transport vehicles. Of these, 21 vehicles were already ordered in 2008 in response to an immediate operational requirement (contract value: €13.3 million), while a contract worth €36.6 million was issued in 2009 for retrofitting forty more vehicles. Furthermore, eight Fuchs/Fox armoured NBC reconnaissance vehicles are to be upgraded at a later date.
Rheinmetall
17.09.2010