German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall (which makes the main gun on the Leopard 2) has announced that it was awarded a contract from Norway to deliver almost 300 advanced TG3 MIL 8×8 military trucks.
The contract was signed on 31 May 2023 in Oslo by Gro Jeare, director of the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA), and Michael Wittlinger, chairman of the board of management of Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles GmbH (RMMV).
As noted by the company, the contract is worth over €150 million ($160 million).
In terms of volume, it is the largest single call-off of trucks to date under the framework contract concluded between Rheinmetall, Norway and Sweden. Earmarked for the Norwegian armed forces, the package encompasses multiple vehicle variants, including hook loader trucks, special vehicles with crane and hook loader systems as well as trailers and flatracks.
The primary purpose of the vehicles will be to enhance the transport capacity and operational capabilities of the Norwegian military. The latest call-off represents less than half of the necessary logistic vehicles covered by the framework contract, meaning that follow-up orders from Norway and other Scandinavian nations are likely.
“We see this follow-up order as clear proof of the professional and partner-like cooperation in recent years as well as the compelling performance of our products”, declares Michael Wittlinger. “As we see it, the fact that more and more NATO armed forces are opting for our TG and HX vehicles is an important step toward greater interoperability and resilience. We take our responsibility to supply the best possible systems here very seriously.”
The roots of the successful Scandinavian logistic truck project reach back to 2008, when a project group of the Norwegian armed forces drew up a specifications catalog for new military logistic trucks. RMMV’s proposal won the day in 2013. Together with its Swedish opposite number, the FMV procurement agency in Stockholm, the NDMA signed a framework agreement on 31 March 2014 with RMMV for the supply of military logistic trucks. A related agreement covers the long-term provision of service support by RMMV. Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles GmbH RMMV is joint venture company in which Rheinmetall AG holds a 51% stake and MAN Truck & Bus SE the remaining 49%.