Rheinmetall has been contracted by the Swedish company BAE Systems Bofors to deliver 48 all-terrain HX truck cab chassis with protected cabins, the company announced on 23 May 2024.
The highly mobile 8×8 military vehicles from Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMV) will serve as carriers for the Swedish armed forces’ Archer self-propelled howitzers (SPHs). The contract, which was concluded in March 2024, is worth around EUR 71 million. Deliveries are foreseen to start in the third quarter of 2024 and be completed by the end of 2027.
Besides the vehicles, the order also includes additional service and maintenance provisions. The HX vehicles are specially adapted to the requirements of a 155 mm wheeled howitzer, for example by being able to withstand the pressure wave when firing, and provide the operator with a high level of off-road mobility. The hardened Rheinmetall integrated armoured cabin contributes significantly to the protection of the crew during deployment in high-risk scenarios.
This contract constitutes the first series integration of the Archer system on the HX truck family. The integration of the system will be performed by BAE Systems Bofors.
The Archer wheeled artillery system is currently being used by the Swedish Armed Forces on a Volvo A30D 6×6 platform, which will now be replaced by the new HX 8×8 systems.
Sweden ordered 48 Archer self-propelled howitzers, for integration on RMMV trucks, in September 2023.
High-mobility trucks from RMMV’s HX2 series are already in service with the Swedish armed forces in large numbers, for example as logistics trucks and as carrier vehicles for the Patriot air defence missile system. Thanks to the ‘family concept’ of the HX vehicle family, the new artillery system can be seamlessly integrated into the existing logistics of the Swedish armed forces.
“With this order, Rheinmetall is making a further contribution to increasing interoperability within NATO,” the company noted in a press release. Vehicles of the HX family have been introduced in a growing number of armed forces of the defence alliance and allied nations. In addition to Sweden, other nations such as Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia, Denmark, Austria and Norway are also using HX military trucks in large numbers and in various configurations.
“The use of similar systems offers synergy potential in the areas of training, deployment, maintenance and repair,” Rheinmetall stated.
