An international partner has awarded Rheinmetall an order to supply Fuchs 2 components for producing the wheeled armoured vehicle at a factory in the partner country. The current follow up orders also include kits for conversion and the supply of spare part packages.
Booked in December 2023, the order is worth a figure in the three-digit million-euro range. Delivery of the kits — both for production and conversion — starts this year and will be complete in 2028.
The production facility in the partner country has seen an increase in added value in recent years as well as investments to ensure high-quality machining, welding and surface treatment. This long-standing strategic partnership is thus entering a new, promising phase, including the potential export of Fuchs 2 vehicles produced in the partner country.
The Fuchs success story continues with this large-volume order. As a versatile 6×6 wheeled armoured vehicle, it has been in service with the Bundeswehr as for almost half a century.
Around 1,800 Fuchs vehicles have been built to date. The armed forces of many nations deploy various versions of the vehicle, which can be used as an armoured personnel carrier, mobile command post, field ambulance or for NBC reconnaissance. The German Bundeswehr has fielded multiple versions of the Fuchs 1 since 1979, deploying over a hundred of these vehicles in Afghanistan and elsewhere. The Fuchs 2 is an advanced version of the Fuchs 1, featuring a larger interior, a more powerful engine, an updated chassis, improved modern protection, and a digital electrical system.
The Bundeswehr has a total of around 940 Fuchs vehicles in its inventory, 272 of which are version 1A8. This version of the Fuchs 1 offers substantially better protection against mines and improvised explosive devices compared to earlier models; it also features enhanced protection against ballistic threats. Among the principal modifications found in the Fuchs 1A8 are structural changes to the hull, new seats and seat suspension systems in the fighting compartment for decoupling from the floor of the hull, reinforced wheel housings, doors and window mountings, additional storage boxes and reinforcement of the vehicle exterior.
Source: Rheinmetall news release
