GM Defense has announced it will collaborate with German defense company Rheinmetall to offer its HX3 Common Tactical Truck (CTT) to the U.S. Army as a replacement for its existing fleet of Heavy Tactical Vehicles. GM Authority was among the first to report on the American automaker’s potential interest in the HX3 after our spy photographers caught one of these vehicles entering the GM Milford Proving Ground on the back of a flatbed truck in January.
The Army is currently looking to replace legacy heavy vehicles like the Palletized Load System (PLS), Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) and M915 Line Haul Tractor, among other vehicles in its medium and heavy wheeled fleets, and plans to evaluate various “Prototype Projects” this year for a 5,700-vehicle purchasing contract worth up to $5 billion. GM Defense competed in and won the evaluation competition for the U.S. Army’s light ground mobility vehicle contract with its Chevy Colorado ZR2-based Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV), and will now turn its attention toward the Rheinmetall-engineered and built HX3-CTT in attempt to win another federal contract.
“On the heels of successfully delivering the ISV to our Army customer, GM Defense is excited to join American Rheinmetall Vehicles on the CTT program to deliver another exceptional mobility solution for our Soldiers,” Steve duMont, president of GM Defense, said in a prepared statement. “This strategic collaboration enables GM Defense to continue showcasing our advanced capabilities, leveraging GM’s innovation and proven commercial technology.”
“With American Rheinmetall Vehicles’ HX3 as the starting point, I’m confident that together we will deliver a winning solution that meets or exceeds the Army’s requirements and provides a platform for growth and technology insertion to support our warfighters well into the future,” he added.
GM Defense and Rheinmetall describe the HX3-CTT as a next-generation military truck with an “interchangeable protected cab design, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and drive by wire operation.” The truck has an open systems architecture that can support future hybrid powertrains and autonomous operations, and is available in 4×4 to 10×10 configurations. A wide variety of variants are supported, as well, including cargo, load handling systems, tankers, and line haul tractors, with the HX already in service with various allied militaries including Germany, Australia, United Kingdom, Austria, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.
As the HX3 is already in service with allied militaries, GM and American Rheinmetall believe the truck will offer the American military an “off the shelf” capability with an established supply chain and commercial backbone that can reduce obsolescence risk/cost and expand parts availability. The truck is typically fitted with a MAN D26 Euro II diesel engine and has a gross weight rating of 38 to 50 tons.
The U.S. Army is expected to announce its contract award for its future CTT this December.
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Comments
I learnt on this site that MAN Nutzfahrzeuge (now MAN Truck & Bus), one of the parent companies of Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles, has on at least one occasion in the past collaborated with General Motors — that was with GMC for the Palletized Load System competition and the vehicle was the MAN KAT2.
It would have been nice if your piece could include that information. None of the other reporters of this announcement has that perspective.
GM/Rheinmetall will probably get the contract. As much as I bet the OSHKOSH variant will be superior (they make the current system, and have more experience in these systems ) it’s not what you know but who you know these days. GM has a lot of money in the pockets of Washington these days.