The Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) Land 121 Medium Heavy Truck program has delivered its final batch of Rheinmetall MAN military vehicles (RMMV-A), bringing an end to a program that has delivered almost 10,000 vehicles and pieces of equipment over its lifetime.
The program has provided the ADH with over 3500 medium and heavy trucks, 2200 trailers, 1000 modules and 2000 flat-racks, including recovery and integrated load-handling systems.
The trucks have come with a variety of modules and configurations to be able to distribute water, fuel and general stores.
Director-General Platforms Army Brigadier Colin Bassett says the investment in the program has proven its worth in local disaster relief.
“Since the introduction of this fleet of vehicle, they have been used to great effect to support Australia’s regional communities after natural disasters, including Operation Bushfire Assist and the Townsville floods in 2019 and more recently.
“These vehicles have proven their reliability in various environments and provide the government options to deploy them in a wide range of situations, from warlike situations to humanitarian aid and assistance to the community.”
In 2015 the Australian National Audit Office stated the program would be used for the acquisition of 2536 trucks, 2999 modules and 1582 trailers, with modules to be provided by RMMV-A and trailers from Haulmark Trailers.
The total budgeted cost for the project was $3.386 billion.
Government first-pass approval was first received in 2004, but the decision was made to retender in 2008.
Revised second-pass approval and the entering of contracts with RMMV-A and Haulmark Trailers was achieved in July 2013.
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