OSHAWA, Ontario — GM Defense Canada, a subsidiary of GM Defense, has been awarded a C$35.8 million contract by the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) for 90 light tactical vehicles (LTVs), with an option to procure up to an additional 18 LTVs. GM Defense Canada will also deliver training, technical manuals and additional vehicle content sourced from Canadian companies.

As part of the contract, GM Defense Canada is providing both nine-passenger LTVs and a new utility variant of the LTVs that leverage the design of a proven solution currently fielded with the U.S. Army. GM Defense Canada’s LTVs will support the NATO Enhanced Forward Presence Multinational Battlegroup in Latvia. The vehicles will enable Soldiers to move with increased speed, range and safety across complex terrain.

“We are providing this critical capability to the Canadian Armed Forces within a timeline that meets their urgent operational requirement,” said Steve duMont, president of GM Defense. “We see this contract award as the beginning of a long strategic partnership with the Canadian Armed Forces to provide enhanced tactical mobility for Soldiers today, and into the future. As we further expand into Canada and with other allied nations around the world, we will continue to leverage the vast resources of General Motors to ensure our global defense and government customers have the best capability to accomplish their mission.”

“General Motors’ support of the Canadian Armed Forces with this contract is a prime example of the meaningful contributions GM makes in Canada,” said Kristian Aquilina, president and managing director of GM Canada. “Whether it’s the supply of light tactical vehicles through GM Defense Canada, or the contributions of our Canadian Technical Centre in supporting the development of those vehicles, we are pleased GM can also make an impact in the defense space.”

GM Defense Canada’s light tactical vehicle solutions are based on the mid-size architecture of the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, featuring a high percentage of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) parts, including Chevrolet Performance components for enhanced off-road capability. Weighing less than 5000 pounds / 2232 kilograms, the light and agile tactical vehicles offer air transportability, in addition to ease of maintenance and sustainment with parts that may be accessed through GM’s global supply chain. Reliable and easy to operate, the light tactical vehicles also include active and passive safety features, meeting CAF requirements for performance and safety.

For more information, please visit www.gmdefensellc.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

• The Canadian Army’s Light Force infantry soldiers will be the primary users of the Light Tactical Vehicles and Tactical Mobility Platforms.

• The Light Forces Enhancement Project is split into two phases, and each will have a separate, competitive bidding process, which means different vehicles could be procured during each phase. Timelines for the second phase of this project will be confirmed as work progresses.

• The life expectancy for the new fleet is estimated at 15 years.

• Canada’s Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) Policy was applied to the LTV project in order to leverage economic benefits and grow the Canadian defence industry. GM Defense Canada Company will make targeted investments and business activity in Canada equal to the value of the contract.

• GM Defense Canada Company’s economic commitments are estimated to contribute $8.5 millionannually to Canadian GDP and create or maintain 60 jobs annually over a five-year period.

July 23, 2024 – Ottawa, Ontario – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

Today, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, announced that Canada is investing $35.8 million(including taxes) to deliver 90 LightTactical Vehicles (LTVs) to Canadian Army personnel deployed in Latvia under Operation REASSURANCE – Canada’s mission in support of NATO’s assurance and deterrence measures.

This announcement comes as Canada’s military footprint in Europe, including Latvia, is growing. As the Framework Nation for NATO’s Multinational Battle Group Latvia, soon to expand to NATO Multinational Brigade Latvia, Canada will have more than 2,200 soldiers persistently deployed by 2026.

“Canada’s commitment to Latvia’s security is steadfast. Through this procurement and other key investments, Canada is doing its part to help scale up the multinational NATO Battle Group in Latvia to a full-size brigade – strengthening our defensive and deterrent posture on the Alliance’s eastern flank. We will always do what it takes to provide Canadian Armed Forces members with the tools that they require to accomplish their increasingly vital missions.”

–The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence

This new fleet of vehicles will enable the Canadian Army to operate more effectively in complex terrain and isolated locations that larger vehicles cannot access. They will also be used to transport combat equipment, which will reduce the loads carried by individual soldiers.

To deliver these vehicles, Canada has finalized a contract with GM DefenseCanada Company of Oshawa, Ontario, for 36 cargo and 54 personnel variants of the vehicle. The personnel variant is designed for teams of up to nine soldiers, while the cargo variant is designed for two to four soldiers and larger cargo. Light Forces equipped with a combination of cargo and personnel variants will be able to carry weapons, personal effects, and combat supplies for 72 hours of self-sufficient operation.

The contract also includes integrated logistics support and up to two years of spare parts for the LTV fleet, as well as an option to procure up to an additional 18 LTV. The vehicles will be based on an off-the-shelf design so that they are delivered as quickly as possible.

“The LTV contract is an important step toward revitalizing the Canadian Army (CA)’s Light Forces. It will enhance our range and response times both at home and abroad. Our Light Forces can be called to deploy on very short notice in any type of environment and the Army has been seeking that type of platform in larger numbers for many years. Once received, we intend to deploy most of these vehicles to Latvia in the fall. By being positioned on the eastern border of the Alliance, these platforms will enable the quick projection of a light infantry battle group to Latvia to reinforce the Forward Land Forces (FLF) Brigade led by Canada. Through this investment, the CA is not only improving its operational readiness, but is also enhancing its deterrence posture on the eastern flank of NATO.”

–Lieutenant-General Michael Wright, Commander Canadian Army

The first five vehicles are expected to arrive in Canada later this month, and will be used as the training fleet. Initial Cadre Training by the Canadian Army is expected to begin in late August 2024, with the remaining vehicles expected to arrive in Latvia by early October 2024.

The LTV contract is the first phase of the Light Forces Enhancement (LFE) Project. LFE will deliver a specialized, new wheeled off-road vehicle capability to the Canadian Armed Forces’ Light Forces – which are rapidly deployable and optimized for terrain and conditions not suited to mechanized forces.

The LFE Project Phase 2 will see up to 222 Tactical Mobility Platforms – also in cargo and personnel variants – and up to 23 light trailers, delivered to CA Regularand Reserve Forces in Canada. As the LFE project is in two phases, each will have a separate, competitive bidding process, which means different vehicles could be procured during each phase.

Rheinmetall has been given the largest order in the company`s history concerning logistic vehicles by the Bundeswehr. The framework-contract was now signed in Koblenz and incorporates the delivery of up to 6,500 military trucks, valued up to €3.5bn incl. VAT.

After the budget committee of the Federal German Parliament had approved funding on 26 June 2024, the contract with Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMV) was signed on 1 July 2024 by the President of the BAAINBw, Annette Lehnigk-Emden and the Management of RMMV. A first call-off for over 610 vehicles, valued at €312m incl. VAT is imminent, of which 250 trucks are to be delivered in 2024. The financing of this call is mainly based on the special funds of the Bundeswehr. Rheinmetall AG will book the order in the third quarter of 2024 of the current fiscal year.

This framework-contract allows the Bundeswehr to flexibly order further quantities of already introduced unprotected transportation vehicles UTF 5t and UTF 15t-trucks for seven years. In addition to that, a new vehicle category will be introduced via the framework-contract: the 4×4 UTF 3.5t. It has a maximum of identical parts to the UTF family.

“The framework-contract is an essential contribution to a fast fulfillment of demand by the logistic forces of the Bundeswehr”, states Michael Wittlinger, Chairman of the management of Rheinmetall Military Vehicles GmbH. “The standardized vehicle family and the uniformity with vehicles of other beneficiary nations establish the HX-vehicles as the main logistic vehicles within NATO and set a standard for interoperability and logistic efficiency within the Alliance. Once again, this order reflects our leading role in the global market for logistic vehicles.”

“The extremely short period of four months from the invitation to tender to the signature of the contract underlines once more that the turning point for procuring logistic trucks has been introduced”, says Armin Papperger, CEO Rheinmetall AG. “We are thankful for the trust in the products of Rheinmetall.”

Already, the Ungeschützte Transportfahrzeug (UTF)-family has been contributing significantly to the performance of logistic units of the Bundeswehr. In July 2017, the Bundeswehr placed an order at Rheinmetall MAN for the delivery of the new family “UTF military all-terrain with 5t and 15t load capacity categories”. The UTFs are a show-case project which, especially within the procurement, has opened new ways. This was the first time that flexible framework agreements with large quantities have been concluded. Since 2017, more than 6,000 HX vehicles will be delivered to the Bundeswehr by the end of 2024, together with the swap-body loader systems (Wechselladersystem or WLS) and 70t tractor units. A large proportion of the added value at WLS and UTF – over 75 percent – is created in Germany.

UTF and WLS are based on the robust HX-family of RMMV. From the beginning, it was designed for military use and is characterized by high mobility, also in heavy terrain. The large world-wide distribution of the HX-vehicle family offers major advantages concerning interoperability and logistics, especially with respect to multinational missions. In addition to Germany, the user group currently includes the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Hungary, Singapore, Slovenia, Denmark and Ukraine. The newly placed order highlights the high acceptancy of the tried-and-tested HX-vehicles of which about 20,000 are already in use world-wide.

Rheinmetall has been commissioned by the Bundeswehr with a further delivery of 1,515 logistic vehicles, 265 of which are protected swap-body systems. This is another call-off from the framework contract for swap-body systems (WLS) signed in June 2020. This large-scale call-off is largely financed by the Bundeswehr’s special fund. In addition to the vehicles, the Bundeswehr’s procurement agency, BAAINBw, ordered 500 swap-body platforms to serve as interchangeable load carriers and 500 tarpaulin / roof bow setups. The call-off is worth over €920m gross. Delivery of the vehicles will take place in the second half of 2024 and will be completed by mid-November 2024.

“The extensive call-off from the framework contract, financed by the special fund shows the high relevance of Bundeswehr logistics in the conection with the turning point. By delivering all vehicles by the end of 2024, the special fund is helping to directly equip and strengthen the logistical capabilities and sustainability of the armed forces,” explains Michael Wittlinger, chairman of the management of Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles GmbH. “With over 4,000 vehicles delivered since 2018, our HX-series military trucks are now an essential component of the Bundeswehr’s logistical capabilities and underline the importance of Rheinmetall for logistics.”

In June 2020, the BAAINBw concluded a framework contract with Rheinmetall until 2027 for the delivery of up to 4,000 trucks with swap-body systems, of which 1,008 have already been delivered. The swap-body trucks join the successful project of Unprotected Transport Vehicles, or UTFs, and expand the Bundeswehr’s fleet of vehicles from the military HX family. The swap-body system’s core equipment is the hook-loader developed by Hiab. It can lift and set down the swap-body carriers in the Bundeswehr in virtually any type of terrain with no need for additional handling equipment. As an alternative, the vehicles can carry a swap-body platform or a container via a standardised 20-foot ISO interface. 

A large share of the swap-body trucks for the Bundeswehr will feature an armoured cab, substantially enhancing crew survivability and sustainment as well as the tactical flexibility of logistic units and formations. Swap-body trucks are used primarily for supplying combat formations with bulk consumables such as ammunition, fuel and water.

Both the swap-body systems and UTFs are based on Rheinmetall’s robust HX family of vehicles. Designed from the outset for military use, they assure excellent mobility even in rough terrain. Moreover, the widespread presence of the HX family offers major advantages in terms of interoperability and logistics, particularly during multinational deployments. At present, the user nations include, among other nations, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Hungary and Denmark. Together with the Bundeswehr and the armed forces of Germany’s partners, Rheinmetall is eager to continue writing the ongoing HX vehicles’ success story.