At the ongoing Eurosatory defense show in Paris (16-20 June), Rheinmetall is presenting its latest products and projects.
Making its first-ever appearance at a major European defense show, the Puma infantry fighting vehicle is on display, a globally unique joint development of Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, now in series production for the German Army. The vehicle on show is not a prototype, but the genuine article. During extensive cold, heat and live-fire trials recently carried out in Norway and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in cooperation with the Bundeswehr and German procurement authorities, the Puma performed extremely well.
In the realm of tactical wheeled vehicles, Rheinmetall is presenting “Survivor R” for the first time. Jointly developed by Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMV) and the Austrian vehicle-maker Achleitner, it features an NBC detection kit. The current version of the Boxer wheeled armored vehicle with a Lance medium-caliber turret and the heavily protected 4x4 Armored Multi Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) round out the Group’s Paris portfolio in this domain. As with the basic version of the Boxer, the AMPV was jointly developed with KMW.
For the first time, at Eurosatory Rheinmetall is displaying and demonstrating the capabilities of an Oerlikon Revolver Gun Mk2 equipped with a sensor unit. This system is of course able to exploit the full potential of Rheinmetall’s proprietary Ahead technology. Moreover, the gun can also be made C-RAM-capable with a few minor modifications.
Rheinmetall has also expanded its “one-stop shop” for 40mm systems. Besides a comprehensive range of ammunition types, the Group supplies weapon systems like the Hydra automatic grenade launcher and the Vingmate family of fire control systems.
Also on display is Rheinmetall’s new 120mm tank rounds, the DM11 and the RH31 High Explosive Super Quick, both of which have been optimized for the modern battlefield.
Along with the Active Defence System, Rheinmetall offers a number of other active and passive protection solutions. These include high-performance lightweight ballistic materials. Soft-kill solutions such as Rheinmetall’s ROSY rapid smoke/obscurant system also deliver highly effective active protection.
Lastly, Rheinmetall’s integration capabilities also extend to battle management systems that can bring together a vast range of different enablers, networked to form a hard-hitting, highly effective “system of systems”.
At Eurosatory 2014, Rheinmetall will be demonstrating this with its Iniochos battle management system and the Gladius future soldier system developed on behalf of the Bundeswehr.
