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Archive for the ‘International’ Category

Rheinmetall Wins Follow-Up Order from Vienna: Austrian Army Procuring More Trucks –  Potential Additional Sales of Over €300 Million

Thursday, December 21st, 2023

Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMV) has just scored another significant sales success in Austria, winning a request for tenders for a further lot of logistic vehicles for the Austrian Army. A corresponding enlargement of the existing framework agreement with Bundesbeschaffung GmbH (BGG) of Vienna, the Austrian procurement organization, envisages delivery of up to 300 trucks, primarily from the HX family of vehicles. The expanded contract for the newly won lot runs for 48 months and offers the possibility of flexible call-offs of vehicles with an aggregate value of over €300 million. 
In spring 2023, Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles won all six military lots in a request for tenders for a total of 23 lots of trucks. The resulting framework contract runs for seven years and envisages delivery of up to 1,375 vehicles from RMMV’s HX, TGS and TGM series. Order volume could be as high as €525 million. For Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles, the award of an additional lot brings the framework contract volume to over €825 million. 


The expansion of the framework agreement concluded just last spring forms part of a comprehensive modernization of the Austrian Army, whose “Build-up Plan 2023” calls for substantial investment in the country’s military capabilities. Improving the mobility of forces in the field is a key element of the plan, reflected in the now well-endowed BBG framework agreement.  

Austrian defence minister Klaudia Tanner recently visited the RMMV plant in Vienna’s Liesing district, where she praised the work of the Viennese staff: “I’m impressed by the professionalism of the work being done here. And I’m very glad that the Austrian armed forces have such a reliable partner as RMMV at their side.”  

“The expansion of the framework agreement with Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles GmbH is another strong sign that the Austrian Army is modernizing, but this applies all the more so to the Austrian economy”, declares Michael Wittlinger, managing director of RMMV. We’re proud not only of our Vienna plant’s contribution to Austrian value added, but also of being able to enhance the resilience, autarky and sustainment of the Austrian Army.”   

The Austrian Army has been a very good customer of RMMV for many years, with vehicles from the company’s TGM, TGS und HX lines successfully in service.  Under the new framework agreement, the first half of 2023 witnessed an order of 850 TGM trucks with a double cabin and swap body build-on system as well 15 HX81 armoured recovery vehicles, including an 8-axle trailer. Furthermore, HX trucks with a three-sided tipper build-on and rear crane are slated for delivery in the next few years, as are TGS 8×8 vehicles with a Palfinger hook system.  At the end of 2021, moreover, the Austrian Army placed an order with RMMV for exchangeable integrated armoured cabins.  These can be mounted on existing HX vehicles in very short order in line with operational requirements. 

RMMV is a joint venture company in which Rheinmetall AG holds a 51% stake, with the remaining 49% held by MAN Truck & Bus SE.

Ventum Gear – Burrito Multi Pouch

Wednesday, December 20th, 2023

Ventum Gear is headquartered in my German hometown of Würzburg where I was stationed in the late 80s.

Featuring printed US Cordura and European assembly, the Burrito Muoyi Pouch can be used as a waist bag, attached to a vest, or as a dangler.

The front pocket is suitable for flat items such as casualty cards or a rescue blanket. Additionally, there is a concealed pocket on the back.

Inside the bag, emphasis was placed on a bright velour to keep it organized even in low light conditions.

In addition, the main compartment now has a water drainage eyelet and four fixation loops. In combination with some paracord, the bag can also be used as an admin or electronics pouch.

Finally, there is an elastic holder for a tourniquet on the bottom of the bag.

They have two new special editions online:

Hawaii

Collaboration with Black Flag Tactical

Further Call-off from Rheinmetall Framework Agreement: Ukraine Receives Artillery Ammunition – Order Value in the Triple-Digit Million Euro Range

Tuesday, December 19th, 2023

The German Bundeswehr has again called off 155 mm artillery ammunition from Rheinmetall under the framework agreement. Rheinmetall has been commissioned to supply a total of several tens of thousands shells of various types for the Ukrainian armed forces. The order is worth a three-digit million euro amount. Delivery is scheduled for the course of 2025. 

The new call-off continues the series of artillery ammunition orders previously placed by the Bundeswehr for the Ukrainian and German armed forces. In July 2023, Rheinmetall concluded a new framework agreement with the Bundeswehr in the artillery sector. It covers the delivery of several hundred thousand shells, fuses and propelling charges. The new framework agreement runs until 2029 and has a potential gross order volume of around €1.2 billion (including VAT).

The need to replenish stores of ammunition caused by the war in Ukraine is resulting in major artillery ammunition contracts for Rheinmetall. 

Rheinmetall’s family of artillery ammunition includes, among other ordnance, the high explosive DM121, the DM125 smoke/obscurant shell, the DM121 SMArt search-fused round (jointly developed with Diehl Defence), as well as the RH68 practice version and the range-optimized RH1901 and RH1902 smoke/obscurant shells. The Group’s product portfolio also encompasses the versatile Assegai family of 155mm artillery ammunition made by Rheinmetall Denel of South Africa. It includes insensitive munitions (IM), conventional high explosive (HE) rounds, as well as smoke/obscurant, illumination, infrared illumination, and other shells. With its boat tail (BT) and base bleed (BB) configurations, the Assegai family displays a ballistic equilibrium, ensuring that the entire ammunition spectrum can be used at its maximum effective range of approximately 40 kilometres. Under the framework contract, the Bundeswehr will be introducing the tried-and-tested Assegai ammunition family.  Rheinmetall also offers the artillery family from Rheinmetall Expal Munitions, including the 155mm M107 and 155mm Extended Range.

CLAWGEAR BDU – RAIDER ATS, OPERATOR ATS and RAIDER CLASSIC

Tuesday, December 19th, 2023

STEYR, AUSTRIA (18.12.2023). The Swiss-Austrian brand CLAWGEAR® today announces the availability for purchase of its range of OPERATOR AND RAIDER battle dress uniform products. Designed specifically for military and law enforcement professionals, the product lines deliver state of the art technical textiles solutions and ergonomic design in a modern battle dress uniform.

“2023 was a somewhat challenging year for us and our customers” said CFO Christian Flixeder. “However, after a lot of hard work, our team has made a huge effort to get the products available before the winter holiday season begins.”

“All the new BDU products were designed from scratch using ergonomic shaping to maximize range of movement and material surface area. We also took this opportunity to consolidate our supply chain and vendor base to futureproof our growth added Business Unit Leader Stevie Malcolm. “This has allowed us to be ready to serve our dealers with not only the RAIDER & OPERATOR product lines today, but also to introduce new solutions that solve future problems for our users much faster.”

The new products will be available at CLAWGEAR® dealers and our own online store from 19 December 2023.

CLAWGEAR® OPERATOR & RAIDER ATS

CLAWGEAR® products with ATS technology are the lightest, fastest drying and most durable battle dress uniform available for professional law enforcement and military personnel. The products, utilise the CORDURA® T420HT fibre in a rip stop weave. This allows them to be 16% lighter; 4 times more breathable; 60% faster drying time when compared with conventional textiles. And with the CLAWGEAR® DARKSTONETM technology high wear areas are 60 times more durable.

CLAWGEAR® RAIDER CLASSIC

CLAWGEAR® CLASSIC products allow users with a less demanding mission profile to benefit from the similar functionality using a more conventional material. Based on the RAIDER platform, the 50% polyamide and 50% cotton features a ripstop weave in a 220GSM (6.5OPSY) weight textile. The RAIDER CLASSIC is available in male fit and from March 2024 in female fit.

www.clawgear.com/en/c/clothing

Colt CZ Group SE Acquires Traditional Czech Manufacturer of Small Caliber Ammunition Sellier & Bellott

Monday, December 18th, 2023

Prague (December 18, 2023) ? Colt CZ Group SE (“Colt CZ”, the “Group” or the “Company”) hereby announces that on December 18, 2023, it executed an agreement with CBC Europe S.à r.l. (“CBC”) to purchase 100% interest in Sellier & Bellot a.s. (“Sellier & Bellot”).

Colt CZ shall acquire 100% of shares of Sellier & Bellot for the combination of the cash consideration in the amount of $350 million and a new issue of Colt CZ common stock leading to a 27–28% CBC’s stake in the share capital of Colt CZ Group post transaction. The final number of CBC shareholding in Colt CZ Group will be determined depending on the audited financial results of both companies for the year 2023. The acquisition will be financed through a combination of the Company’s existing cash resources and debt financing. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval in various countries and is expected to close in the first half of 2024.

“We are proud to welcome one of the oldest and most important producers of small caliber ammunition, Sellier & Bellot, to Colt CZ Group. This acquisition fits into our long-term strategy to expand not only in our core segment of small arms, but also in related areas, with ammunition being a natural complement to our products. We look forward to working with the management of Sellier & Bellot, its employees, partners, and customers, as well as the new opportunities that the connection with Sellier & Bellot will undoubtedly bring to our entire Group,” said Jan Drahota, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Colt CZ Group. “We are pleased that CBC believes in our story and our strategy and is to become the second largest shareholder of Colt CZ Group,” added Jan Drahota.

“The successful contribution of one of CBC Global Ammunition Group’s flagship companies to Colt CZ Group in exchange for a significant shareholding marks the starting point of an impactful strategic collaboration. We are convinced of Colt CZ management’s long-term vision and believe the transaction will lead to remarkable value creation between the ammunition and firearms segments. Our subsidiary Magtech Ammunition will continue to serve as the dedicated sales entity for Sellier & Bellot products in the United States. This ensures exceptional customer service and reliable distribution to further preserve Sellier & Bellot’s trajectory of growth in the most relevant ammunition market,” comments Fabio Mazzaro, CFO of CBC Global Ammunition LLC.

“I am delighted that Sellier & Bellot, after many successful years in the CBC Group, will become part of Colt CZ Group, which has Czech roots and, at the same time, an international presence. We are convinced that the connection with Colt CZ Group will bring a great future for Sellier & Bellot. We will continue to build our traditional brand and work closely with the Colt CZ Group team in developing our products to deliver the best solutions to our customers,” said Radek Musil, CEO of Sellier & Bellot.

Sellier & Bellot is a traditional Czech ammunition manufacturer which ranks among the oldest engineering companies in the Czech Republic and worldwide. The company’s products have been manufactured under its trademark since 1825. The company’s product portfolio includes a wide range of hunting and sporting ammunition and components for pistols and revolvers, rifles, shotguns and rimfire cartridges. Sellier & Bellot is also a major supplier of small caliber ammunition to military and law enforcement customers worldwide. The company has approximately 1,600 employees and operates its main production facility in Vlašim, Czech Republic.

CBC Global Ammunition LLC and CBC Europe S.à r.l. are the holding entities for a group of companies internationally active in the ammunition sector: CBC Brazil, Magtech Ammunition, MEN, SinterFire, New Lachaussée and Fritz Werner. Together, this strategic alliance forms one of the largest ammunition corporations in the world, with a combined experience of more than 300 years in the manufacturing of small and medium calibers.

 

Rheinmetall and Airbus Transfer Another Simulator for Europe’s A400M Transport Aircraft to the Bundeswehr

Sunday, December 17th, 2023

The tech enterprise Rheinmetall and the European aeronautics and space company Airbus have transferred an A400M cargo hold simulator to the Bundeswehr’s 62nd Air Transport Squadron (LTG 62) at Wunstorf in Lower Saxony.

The Cargo Hold Part Task Trainer (CPTT) complements existing simulators and training systems at the German Air Force’s A400M Training Centre.  In Wunstorf, cargo hold crews already train (among other things) on the advanced Cargo Hold Trainer Enhanced (CHT-E).

Airbus, manufacturer of the European A400M military transport aircraft, contracted with Rheinmetall in February 2021 to supply two CPTT training simulators to the Bundeswehr’s Wunstorf and Altenstadt bases. The order was worth a figure in the lower-two-digit million-euro range. The Air Movement Training Center in Altenstadt already took delivery of the training simulator at the end of 2022. Cargo personnel and paratroopers have been successfully training on the system ever since. The transfer of the second Rheinmetall simulator brings this elaborate project to a successful close.  

The A400M CPTT is an exact replica of an A400M cargo hold, enabling cargo crewmembers, paratroopers and ground personnel to train in a highly realistic environment. The CPTT makes it possible to practise mission-specific alteration of the cargo hold, load preparation, loading and unloading, in-flight and ground procedures as well as cooperation between crewmembers.  The system is equally suitable for initial and advanced training as well as refresher courses and mission rehearsal purposes.  

Complex scenarios and emergency situations can be practised in complete safety. This way, training never ties up the original equipment, which remains available for actual operations. In addition to training operations, the CPTT enables users to evaluate, test and qualify procedures and configurations for new load types.  

Besides the CPTT Rheinmetall has supplied various A400M user nations around the globe with other cargo training devices such as the Load Master Work Station Trainer/LMWST and the aforementioned CHT-E.  With the transfer of the CPTT to LTG 62, a total of ten highly realistic A400M simulator systems from Rheinmetall are now assuring a high standard of training and instruction in the A400M cargo domain. 

In 2019 Rheinmetall transferred a CPTT to the Royal Malaysian Air Force. Moreover, CHT-E simulators have already been supplied to the Airbus International Training Centre (ITC) in Seville, the Royal Air Force in Brize Norton, the German Air Force in Wunstorf, and the French Army in Toulouse. There is an LMWST at the Airbus ITC in Sevilla, one at France’s national A400M training centre in Orléans, and another at the Royal Air Force National Training Centre in Brize Norton.

NFM Group CEO Meets President Zelenskyj

Sunday, December 17th, 2023

The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj is on his first visit to Norway. The purpose of the visit is several meetings where Norway’s ongoing support for Ukraine is among the topics. Norway has been a significant contributor to Ukraine and intends to continue supporting Ukraine’s defence efforts.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj’s visit to Norway yesterday, was a surprise and marked his first trip to the country. During his visit, Zelenskyj had discussions with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere and other Nordic leaders, focusing on gathering more support for Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia.

These talks were part of Zelenskyj’s broader efforts to strengthen Ukrainian air defence and save lives in the war-torn country. Additionally, Zelenskyj attended a summit with leaders from the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, all key allies of Ukraine.

Lindnerhof Taktik Presents: The Story of Sepp – The Lindnerhof Founder

Saturday, December 16th, 2023

Lindnerhof Taktik was founded by German Special Forces operator Josef Sixt, who is known as Sepp. This is his story…

Join us in this exclusive edition of Warrior Talk, hosted by the company’s CEO, Jakob Kolbeck. Sepp will unveil the inception of Lindnerhof, pivotal role shifts, and the brand’s customised gear solutions for military and law enforcement professionals.