Rheinmetall Defence Nederland B.V.
Next-gen vehicles for the Dutch army
Rheinmetall Defence Nederland B.V. (RD-NL) in Ede is part of the Vehicle Systems division and is a 100% subsidiary of Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH. Within the Boxer consortium, RD-NL is the Dutch partner where the Boxer armoured vehicle has been developed and built together with the German industry.
The Dutch Boxer vehicles were developed and built in Ede, and Boxer vehicles for other countries are currently being built in Ede as well as support provided in the development process. In addition to new Boxer production and development, maintenance and continued development is also done on Boxer, but also on other military vehicles.
As Rheinmetall, we want to offer our troops the best possible protection. That is our mission.
Our vision is to be the leading partner of the Dutch Ministry of Defence for military vehicles and equipment with our products and services.
We unburden the customer because we have all the knowledge and expertise needed to build and maintain Defence systems. We deploy our people to various locations across the globe to ensure that our customers can continue to use their vehicles. In this way, we are able to realise our vision.
The Netherlands – need for armoured logistics vehicle
In the 1990s, Germany and France were looking for a replacement for their ageing armoured wheeled and armoured tracked vehicles. Both countries decided to develop them together. This was the beginning of international, industrial and defence cooperation. Not long later, England joined this cooperation. The French stepped back from the project after a few years and England also withdrew. As the Netherlands also needed a new armoured logistics vehicle, it became a German-Dutch project.
The German and Dutch industries, represented by the German companies Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), Rheinmetall Landsysteme (RLS) and the Dutch company Stork (PWV), united as the ARTEC consortium, are continuing the project.
Takeover – Stork PWV becomes Rheinmetall Nederland
In 2008, Stork Pantserwielvoertuigen (Stork PWV) was taken over by the Radfahrzeugen (Wheeled Vehicles) division of RLS and the name was changed to Rheinmetall Nederland BV.
Through this takeover, RLS increased its share in ARTEC to 64%. RLS is part of Rheinmetall Defence which, along with Automotive, is one of the divisions of Rheinmetall AG. With the takeover, Rheinmetall Defence has strengthened its position in the European defence market and also its position in the Boxer programme.
Joint venture – Rheinmetall AG and MAN
Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles GmbH (RMMV) was founded in 2010. This is a joint venture between Rheinmetall AG and MAN Truck & Bus, through which the military divisions (MAN Nutzfahrzeuge & RLS Radfahrzeugen) have been merged. RMMV is therefore an important supplier of complete solutions in the military wheeled vehicles market. It supplies a wide range of armoured and non-armoured transport, command and specific vehicles for the international armed forces.
Rheinmetall has a 51% stake and MAN a 49% stake in RMMV. The merger of the military divisions resulted in Rheinmetall Nederland being renamed Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles Nederland B.V. (RMMV-NL).
100% Rheinmetall – RMMV-NL becomes Rheinmetall Defence Nederland BV
In 2019, Rheinmetall AG and MAN Truck & Bus agreed that Rheinmetall would buy back the tactical vehicle division from the joint venture with MAN so that it would become a 100% part of Rheinmetall. The cooperation in the area of logistics vehicles continues and is being continued in the joint venture RMMV. This means that Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles Nederland BV has become a 100% Rheinmetall company and that the name has been changed to Rheinmetall Defence Nederland BV as of 1 November.
RMMV-NL – production and maintenance facility for Boxer
RMMV-NL, developer and builder of the unique, modular armoured vehicle Boxer, moved from Amsterdam to Ede in January 2013. The four Dutch versions of the Boxer armoured vehicle are produced and maintained in a specially equipped facility. In addition, production is currently underway for other international customers.
The Boxer is a unique vehicle because of its modular construction.
The chassis: Drive Module, is the same for all vehicles.
The mission/deployment-specific structure: Mission Module, determines the function of the version. As well as the Drive Module, the Mission Module is placed in any Cargo, Ambulance, Command Post or GNGP versions delivered to the Dutch customer.
The advantage of this modular system is the ability to quickly adapt the vehicle for a specific mission/deployment. In addition, a new version can be developed quickly where only the Mission Module needs to be developed, which saves on costs and development time.
Products and services
As part of the Rheinmetall Defence division Vehicle Systems, we offer an integrated service package that includes:
• From its location in Ede, RD-NL is responsible for the supply of all Rheinmetall vehicles, services and materials for Development of new vehicle systems, adaptations, militarisation and continued development.
- From its location in Ede, RD-NL is responsible for the supply of all Rheinmetall vehicles, services and materials for Development of new vehicle systems, adaptations, militarisation and continued development.
- In-house production and assembly facility.
- In-Service support while the vehicle is in use), such as maintenance and repair, deployment-related support and training.
Dutch users. Based on the One-Stop-Shop concept, we produce, maintain and overhaul various vehicles, including BOXER and Fuchs in different versions. Furthermore, we supply all products that enable Dutch users to carry out maintenance and repairs themselves.
Products
Nuclear, chemical and biological detection
The NBC version of the armoured transport vehicle (Fuchs) is used by the army to detect nuclear, chemical and biological threats. The state-of-the-art "Spürfuchs" are the key CBRN units of several leading armies. The system is in service worldwide and demonstrates its effectiveness and reliability on a daily basis.
The armoured CBRN Fuchs from Rheinmetall Defence is equipped with built-in state-of-the-art detection equipment and can quickly detect the presence of nuclear, biological and chemical contamination on the ground and in the air.
300 systems in various countries
This resilient and reliable amphibious all-terrain vehicle performs its missions everywhere, even in the most difficult terrain. Almost 300 of these systems are now in use by customers around the world, including the armed forces of Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Norway, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. They have already proved very effective in numerous operations.
Unique modular vehicle and flexible use
The Boxer is a unique vehicle because of its modular construction.
The chassis: Drive Module, is the same for all vehicles.
The mission/deployment-specific structure: Mission Module, determines the function of the version. As well as the Drive Module, we place the structure in any Cargo, Ambulance, Command Post or GNGP versions.
The advantage of this modular system is the ability to quickly adapt the vehicle for a specific mission/deployment.
Key features
The key features of the Boxer are:
- Protection – survivability without compromise
- Carrying capacity – growth potential
- Performance – mobility and reliability under extreme conditions
- Modularity – the mission changes, the Boxer adapts
The Boxer has impressive flexibility to meet future military tasks and changing requirements without compromising the vehicle's capabilities such as mobility.
Successful deployments in a mission in Afghanistan have proven the vehicle's capabilities.
The concept and design of the Boxer have been tested, qualified and proven by official bodies. Shortly after delivery of the first vehicles, the Boxer went on mission and proved its capabilities and reliability in harsh environments, in dangerous situations and during difficult operations.
696 vehicles in 14 different versions
The thorough development resulted in an initial batch of 272 Boxer armoured vehicles for Germany from 2009 and 200 Boxer armoured vehicles for the Netherlands. Based on the positive experience, Germany ordered a second batch of 131 vehicles, followed by Lithuania, which ordered a total of 91 vehicles.
Therefore, 696 vehicles in 14 different Boxer versions have already been ordered so far and more will follow.
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News
10 Nov 2020: Robotics – Rheinmetall Mission Master to join Dutch Future Manoeuvre Elements trials
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By clicking on and playing this video, a connection to YouTube will be established, resulting in a data processing by YouTube (Google). By playing this video you agree to this data processing and to the setting of cookies on your device. › Further information can be found here.
Services
First-line maintenance
RMMV-NL directly supplies a large number of necessary parts, special tools and diagnostic equipment from its location.
This allows the customer to carry out first-line maintenance itself, so that the vehicles and systems remain available to the user.
Support and training
RMMV-NL also carries out maintenance and repairs for many systems on commission in its workshop in Ede. Our engineers are also used to provide support at Defence locations worldwide. Our trainers support customers with multiple training courses and answers to complex questions.
Documentation
RMMV-NL provides specific documentation for each vehicle or system. This enables the customer to use the vehicle as optimally and efficiently as possible. This technical documentation is provided for the users, but also for the mechanics. It is possible to deliver the documentation digitally, which makes it possible to use on a tablet.
Develop, test and qualify
RMMV-NL has its own department of Engineers. They develop, test and qualify new military vehicles or their components. This allows us to quickly serve the customer with adjustments or new products.
