Billion dollar deal for Rheinmetall
Bundeswehr appoints Wiesel’s successor
March 21, 2024, 4:50 p.m
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In the coming year, the Bundeswehr wants to gradually phase out the weasel. The light tracked vehicle is to be replaced by the “heavy weapon carrier infantry”. To ensure delivery as quickly as possible, the Rheinmetall Group also includes its location in Australia.
Rheinmetall has secured a new major order worth billions from the Bundeswehr. The Düsseldorf-based arms company is supplying the troops with up to 123 armored vehicles, Rheinmetall said. The order has been signed. The Bundestag Budget Committee had already approved the corresponding proposal in March. The contract value also includes services and is around 2.7 billion euros.
The new system replaces the Wiesel.
(Photo: picture alliance/dpa)
Delivery of the “Infantry Heavy Weapons Carrier” based on the Boxer wheeled armored vehicle is scheduled to begin in 2025. He is then supposed to replace the weapons carrier Wiesel in the Bundeswehr. According to the Bundeswehr, the last examples will be handed over in 2030.
“In order to be able to provide the army with the combat vehicles it needs as quickly as possible, we are integrating not only our German but also our Australian locations into our Rheinmetall network,” said Rheinmetall boss Armin Papperger. In Australia, Rheinmetall is the largest supplier of military vehicles to the armed forces there.
The system has a crew of three and weighs 38.5 tons. It is armed with a machine cannon, a rocket launcher and a machine gun. According to the information, the 710 hp engine accelerates the wheeled armored vehicle to up to 100 kilometers per hour.
The Russian attack on Ukraine brought about an economic turnaround for Western arms companies like Rheinmetall. The industry is now needed more to strengthen the Bundeswehr and the troops of the NATO countries.