DÜSSELDORF (dpa-AFX) - The German armed forces have ordered 367 military trucks from the Rheinmetall defence group. The order is worth more than 285 million euros, the company announced in Düsseldorf on Thursday. Accordingly, delivery is scheduled to take place by the fall. In 2020, the German Armed Forces Procurement Office and Rheinmetall had concluded a framework agreement that allows the order of 4,000 trucks - called Wechselladersysteme (WLS) - and is valid until 2027. Since then, a good 600 have reportedly already been delivered. Now more are being added.

The trucks will be used to transport spare parts, ammunition, fuel, food and water, for example. The Bundeswehr order also includes 1830 load carriers, so-called swap bodies. There are many more load carriers than vehicles, because there are always several load carriers in circulation. This means that a truck can drive up, unload one flatbed with its cargo and then quickly pick up another ready flatbed with its cargo. We are not talking about containers here, these are transported by other trucks.

Unloading and picking up cargo carriers is automated - so the crew can stay in the armored driver's cab, where they are better protected in combat. Military trucks are a best-seller for the defence company. Rheinmetall trucks are also used in countries such as Great Britain, Australia, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Hungary and Denmark./wdw/DP/stw