Military trucks are designed to transport personnel, equipment and supplies to support operations. Operating in harsh and dangerous environments requires the integration of advanced capabilities and technologies into vehicles. Rheinmetall and oshkosh recount Norbert Neumann on their most advanced truck systems.

Military trucks are available in different sizes and with various capacities. They range from suitable commercial trucks to heavy-duty tactical vehicles specifically designed for a wide range of applications.

Although their purpose may seem basic, two of the biggest manufacturers, Oshkosh Defense and Rheinmetall, demonstrate exactly what goes into making military trucks protected, efficient and agile.

Oshkosh Defense Trucks

The US Army released its draft requirements for the Common Tactical Truck (CTT) – formerly Next-gen Future Truck – last year. The Army suggested in a recent industry advisory that CTT’s initial production contract could be worth $5.1 billion and cover 7,000 to 10,000 vehicles.

The program will likely open with a multi-phase prototyping effort and five contracts to be awarded. Each bidding manufacturer must deliver three test vehicles.

Global Defense Technology understands that US-based Oshkosh Defense will participate in the CTT offering and is making continuous upgrades to its FHTV fleet to meet current demands.

Oshkosh has been producing heavy payload vehicles for the U.S. military for more than 45 years, with the first M911 Heavy Equipment Transporter (HET) delivered in 1976. The company’s approach is to keep customer needs in mind. front and involve them in development processes. Each vehicle is specifically designed not only to meet military requirements and harsh combat environments, but also to satisfy customer requirements.

Pat Williams, Oshkosh Defense Vice President and General Manager for US Army and US Marine Corps Programs, said, “We are leveraging our vast experience to take these [customer] requirements and develop tailor-made solutions that adapt to a wide range of mission packages. This provides our customers with the flexibility to use our vehicles to support multi-domain operations as the battlefield continues to evolve.

The place of the HET M911 is now taken by the upgraded A1 variant and its 700 hp Caterpillar C18 engine and single-speed transfer case.

But the US Army’s heavy tactical fleet has relied on the Oshkosh Extended Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) since 1981. The 8×8 comes in eight variants, including cargo, tanker, load handling and the guided missile carrier, with nearly 39,000 trucks. built and commissioned.

The versatile nature and many variations of the trucks clearly make them appealing, but the success of the vehicles, says Williams, is in the design.

“The heavy tactical vehicle family’s flexible architecture also allows it to integrate technology capabilities such as autonomy, on-board power, condition monitoring and advanced driver assistance systems at minimal cost to customer,” he adds.

The company is also working on the development of alternative fuels to reduce its carbon footprint and is ready to meet the challenges of heavy vehicle hybridization.

Williams says, “For many years we have been developing, testing and evolving hybrid-electric variants of our wheeled tactical vehicles. For example, our ProPulse diesel-electric hybrid system has proven effective on both the HEMTT A3 and medium tactical vehicle replacement, dramatically improving fuel economy and serving as an on-board generator with enough power to power an entire airfield or hospital.

Rheinmetall HX Series

Another major supplier of military truck systems is German manufacturer Rheinmetall. Recently, the company delivered three of its 44m 8×8 Heavy Recovery Vehicles (HVR) from its HX line of pure military truck systems to the New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF).

The series is part of the Rheinmetall MAN military vehicle (RMMV) family and has won contracts around the world, including Australia, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

The contract comes in support of the 200 HX RMMV vehicles purchased by the NZDF in 2013 for NZD 113 million ($76.3 million). The new HX 44m trucks will not only complement the existing RMMV fleet, but will also support other ground roles for the New Zealand Army.

The HX 44M is the second generation HX model and represents a significant leap in technology from the first generation models delivered in 2013 and 2014, which are also used by the UK Armed Forces. The new HVR has enhanced recovery and mobility capabilities specifically developed to meet NZDF requirements.

Rheinmetall New Zealand Director Marty Roelofs says: “Key improvements include a wading depth of 1500mm and a dedicated self-recovery winch/drive system, which allows both the power of winching and pulling the motive power to the self-recovering vehicle.

“The continued development of these Rheinmetall MAN platforms and the close working relationship between the NZDF and Rheinmetall allow the HX44M HRV to maintain the up-to-date technology required to meet end-user needs.

“Rheinmetall maintains staff embedded within NZDF to provide technical advice and support on all of its products. Our Center of Excellence for Military Vehicles in Brisbane also provides extensive engineering and design support for Rheinmetall vehicles, if required.

The New Zealand HX 8X8 is equipped with a 440hp D2066 Euro 5 engine and a ZF Ecolife seven-speed automatic transmission that allows the trucks to reach 90 km/h. The 2.55m wide truck can climb slopes of up to 60% and cross trenches 1.4m wide and 1.5m deep.

HRVs are the first trucks to use a so-called integrated armored mobile cab that allows easy configuration of vehicles to meet different operational needs.

Roelofs says, “This is a new capability that allows vehicles with an unarmored cabin for training or in a low-threat environment to be easily armored with a fully equipped and prepared armored cabin.

According to a Rheinmetall video, the exchange can be completed in less than 10 hours by two people. The company will also provide a dedicated training team to conduct initial vehicle training with the NZDF.

Rheinmetall plans to start producing the third generation of HX vehicles (HX3) next year. The new trucks will be equipped with assistance systems designed to increase the safety of personnel and civilians. Future capabilities include improved situational awareness and an advanced driver assistance system that reduces driver fatigue and stress throughout the drive and intervenes in a moment of inattention.