General Dynamics [GD] European Land Systems has entered a contract with the German Bundesamt fur Wehrtechnik und Beschaffung (BWB) for the delivery of 198 EAGLE IV protected Command and Function Vehicles, including 25 vehicles that were delivered earlier under an agreement reached in July.
The contract has a total value of approximately $141 million, including provision for development of a logistics and service-support organization.
This contract is the largest order ever awarded for the new EAGLE IV vehicle, the company said. The 198 vehicles now under contract will be manufactured in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland, and Kaiserslautern, Germany. Deliveries will begin in 2008 and will extend to 2010.
Within the framework of the “GFF Klasse 2” program–protected Command and Function vehicles–unprotected carrier vehicles of the Bundeswehr will be replaced by the EAGLE IV to improve the safety of German soldiers wherever they may serve. Due to its high deployability, agility and tactical mobility, the EAGLE IV is suitable for the entire mission spectrum for this class of vehicles. The EAGLE IV can be used for various missions by applying modular add-on kits. Furthermore, the substantial payload capability–which is significant, despite the high level of crew protection–supports the growth potential required to fulfill future requirements. For self-protection, all vehicles will be equipped with a remotely controlled weapon station of the KMW FLW 100/200 type.
In addition to its crew-protection and mobility advantages, the EAGLE IV also enjoys low operation and training costs. Lifecycle costs of the vehicle fleet will be further minimized by the high degree of logistic commonality among the EAGLE IV and the DURO IIIP tactical truck, which has already been successfully introduced in the German Bundeswehr as the RLS YAK. The vehicles share many essential components, such as the engine, transmission, axles, wheel drives, differentials and brakes, helping reduce costs. The German Bundeswehr will share the cost advantage of a common EAGLE IV and DURO IIIP fleet previously enjoyed only by Denmark.
In announcing the order, Lutz Kampmann, vice president of Wheeled Vehicles for General Dynamics European Land Systems, said, “This order is an important milestone for the international success of our EAGLE IV as well as for the continuous development of our relationship with Germany as a key customer. The contract demonstrates the German Bundeswehr’s confidence in our products, particularly in the DURO IIIP vehicles which since 2003 have proven themselves in peace missions in Afghanistan and other places.”
The order also will open doors for other customers for EAGLE IV, he said.
The baseline development of the EAGLE IV was completed with the roll-out of the first prototype at the end of 2003. Two years later, the Danish army ordered 90 vehicles. At the beginning of 2006, the German BWB purchased two EAGLE IV demonstrator vehicles for intensive comparative tests. In these tests, the EAGLE IV proved its superior mobility, a high level of protection for the crew, a large usable volume, and a high payload.