Germany’s Rheinmetall and the US company Honeywell have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish strategic co-operation in various fields of technology, including on new visual systems and auxiliary power units for vehicles, among other things, Rheinmetall announced on 30 September 2024.
Together, the companies intend to develop new visual systems that leverage the existing capabilities of the Honeywell 360 Display: a driver vision system that includes a variety of thermal imaging and daylight cameras distributed around the vehicle. With the system, a pair of glasses mounted on a driver’s helmet uses augmented- and mixed-reality technologies to deliver advanced levels of situational awareness and provide a 360-degree view – even without direct vision through windows or periscopes. The Honeywell 360 Display would provide a significant capability boost for existing fleets of tactical vehicles as well as newly developed platforms.
Honeywell and Rheinmetall also intend to collaborate on auxiliary power units that are used in tactical wheeled and tracked vehicles when they are not moving under their own power. With auxiliary power units, the operating time and operational readiness of a turret system can be significantly increased while still maintaining a low thermal and acoustic signature. Auxiliary power units are a supplement to battery storage and can also be of great interest for stationary tasks, including in the protection of critical infrastructure or properties.
The planned strategic co-operation also aims to explore other areas of collaboration between the two companies, including localised maintenance and support for other Honeywell products installed on strategic platforms used by the Bundeswehr.
By leveraging their collective resources, Rheinmetall and Honeywell intend to pursue joint approaches in the field of industrial high-energy applications, specifically in building automation (such as air conditioning and ventilation, lighting and access control) and overarching thermal management. The companies will explore how a compact solution consisting of a high-performance battery coupled with an auxiliary power unit and a cooling system could supply the necessary electrical primary energy, including the dissipation of heat, for future weapon systems.
Rheinmetall and Honeywell are also in talks about closer co-operation with regard to capabilities in the areas of counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (C-UAV) systems and electronic warfare. As the co-operation progresses, the implementation of the individual measures will be specified in the coming weeks and months.
“From auxiliary power units and visual devices to building automation, the list of potential areas of co-operation for our two companies is long,” Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger was quoted as saying in a company press release. “We are grateful to have gained Honeywell as a strategic partner, given their long history of innovation and broad technological portfolio.”
Matt Milas, president of Honeywell Aerospace’s Defense and Space business, added, “We are excited to collaborate with Rheinmetall AG to bring our cutting-edge technology to support the missions of our allies across the world. New and existing programmes will benefit from our joint development, production and sustainment efforts across an extensive list of global defence platforms.”
