| Rheinmetall Caracal | |
|---|---|
 A Caracal prototype in Dutch service | |
| Type | Military light utility vehicle |
| Place of origin | Germany |
| Service history | |
| In service | Expected 2025 |
| Used by | See Operators |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Rheinmetall Mercedes-Benz ACS Armoured Car Systems VDL Groep |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 2,900 kg (6,400 lb) |
| Length | 4,735 mm (186.4 in) |
| Width | 1,810 mm (71 in) |
| Height | 1,850 mm (73 in) |
| Main armament | 1 × 40 mm HK GMG or .50 caliber M2 Browning heavy machine gun or Spike LR2 anti-tank guided missile |
| Engine | Mercedes-Benz 6-cylinder diesel engine/EURO3 249 hp (186 kW) |
| Payload capacity | 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) |
| Maximum speed | 130 km/h (81 mph) |
| References | |
The Caracal, is a German military light utility vehicle developed by Rheinmetall in cooperation with Mercedes-Benz and ACS Armoured Car Systems.
The vehicle was selected by the German Army and Royal Netherlands Army in 2023 as part a joint airborne vehicle replacement program. The vehicle has been undergoing trials since 2024 and is due to enter service in 2025 within the Rapid Forces Division and 11th Airmobile Brigade.
Description
The Caracal is based on the military 464 series of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class; this is a so-called militarised version based on the original G 461 with rigid axles and is manufactured in Graz (Austria). The W 464 platform has been in production since August 2023. The modular structure of the vehicle is supplied by ACS Armoured Car Systems. Rheinmetall serves as general contractor and deliver the vehicles in the required variants after final assembly. Rheinmetall will also develop the armament kits, qualify the vehicles and provide logistical support. Final assembly is done in the Netherlands, at Rheinmetall Nederland in Ede VDL Groep in Eindhoven.
Armament and armour
The Caracal is equipped with two weapon mounts; one swing mount for the vehicle commander and a ring mount. The swing mount can be equipped with a MG3, MG4, MG5 in German service, or an FN Minimi or FN MAG in Dutch service. The ring mount can be equipped with an MG6, .50 M2 Browning or GMG automatic grenade launcher. In addition, the Caracal can be fitted with a Spike LR2 launcher. The Caracal has also been displayed with a quadruple bank of launchers for HERO-120 loitering munitions. For protection purposes, the vehicle can be equipped with Rheinmetall's smoke grenade dischargers, the so-called Rapid Obscuring System (ROSY).
In terms of armour, Rheinmetall provides optional modular ballistic and mine protection packages. When fitted, the armour package conforms to the STANAG 4569 protection level 1, including the Fragment Simulating Projectiles (FSP) test.
Air transportability
Up to two vehicles can be transported as internal load (in the short wheelbase version) or one underslung by the CH-47F Chinook and CH-53K King Stallion helicopters. Moreover, the Caracal is air-portable with Boeing C-17 Globemaster, Lockheed Martin C-130, Embraer KC-390 and Airbus A400M transport arcraft.
Background
Dutch replacement project
In October 2018 the Netherlands ministry of Defence awarded a contract to Mercedes-Benz for the delivery of 515 vehicles as part of the project Vehicle 12kN Air Assault. Three years later, the Dutch MoD decided to terminate the contract as the supplier could not meet the protection requirements with regard to artillery threat in combination with the required payload.
As a result of the operational urgency, obsolescence of the airborne vehicle fleet and the integration of the 11th Airmobile Brigade into the German Rapid Forces Division, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed with Germany in June 2022 for the joint acquisition of an airborne vehicle with a payload capacity of 12 kN. The requirements for the airborne vehicle were harmonised with Germany in order to achieve an identical, interoperable and interchangeable vehicle. To this end, a new and joint programme of requirements has been established for the binational project, with a focus on airmobile operations high in the spectrum of violence and in the context of the first main task.
Procurement
In the replacement program, the Caracal competed with the Defenture ATTV family of vehicles. Specifically for this program, Defenture joined forces with Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. Both companies made an offer which conformed to the requirements. In the end, based on the operational and technical requirements and a substantial price difference, the Caracal was downselected.
The German Armed Forces and Netherlands Armed Forces agreed on key points in a framework agreement with Rheinmetall: The German Armed Forces want to procure a total of up to 2,054 vehicles and the Netherlands Armed Forces up to 1,004 vehicles. The framework agreement has a total value of up to €1.9 billion gross and the German share will be financed from the German armed forces' special fund.
The vehicles are to be used in variants for personnel transport, logistics, as well as medical vehicles and will replace the Wolf and the Mungo in the Rapid Forces Division. The Netherlands will use the Caracal in the 11th Airmobile Brigade, where it will replace the Luchtmobiel Speciaal Voertuig, Mercedes-Benz G280 CDI among others. Delivery of the first test models took place in the first quarter of 2024, with series delivery scheduled to begin in early 2025.
As a first step, 1,508 vehicles - 1,004 for Germany and 504 for the Netherlands - worth around €870 million including VAT were ordered from the framework contract. According to Rheinmetall, the final assembly of the vehicles will take place entirely in the Netherlands at sites of VDL Groep and Rheinmetall Nederland.
In November 2023, it was announced that Ukraine would receive 5 vehicles as part of the upgrade aid. A further delivery of 20 additional vehicles was announced in February 2024.
Operators
The following list of military users mainly contains states in which the Rheinmetall Caracal is or will be in active military service;
Germany (1,004 on order)- 1,004 Caracal airborne vehicles for use within the Rapid Forces Division of the German Army. Deliveries expected from 2025 onwards.
Netherlands (504 on order)- 504 Caracal airborne vehicles for use within the 11th Airmobile Brigade of the Royal Netherlands Army. Deliveries expected from 2025 onwards.
Ukraine (25 on order)- 25 Caracal airborne vehicles for use within the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
References
- ^ "Caracal - Air assault vehicle" (PDF). rheinmetall.com. Rheinmetall Land Systems. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- "Nederland en Duitsland kopen samen luchtmobiele voertuigen". defensie.nl (in Dutch). Ministerie van Defensie. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- van Osbree, Gerard (25 August 2024). "Caracal, het nieuwe luchtmobiele gevechtsvoertuig". dutchdefencepress.com (in Dutch). Dutch Defence Press. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- "Rheinmetall Caracal Airborne Platform In Focus". joint-forces.com. Joint-Forces. 18 June 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- ^ van der Maat, Christophe (15 June 2023). "Kamerbrief DMP D(2)-brief resultaten verwervingsvoorbereiding project 'airborne vehicles'". rijksoverheid.nl (in Dutch). Rijksoverheid. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- Geiger, Waldemar (15 June 2023). "Caracal Chosen by Dutch and German Airborne Forces". European Security & Defence. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- Hoffmann, Oliver (14 November 2023). "Rheinmetall to supply Ukraine with over 30 Leopard 1 systems on behalf of German government". rheinmetall.com. Rheinmetall. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- Heiming, Gerhard (26 February 2024). "Weitere 20 Luftlandeplattformen Caracal für die Ukraine". Europäische Sicherheit und Technik (in German). Mittler Report Verlag GmbH. Retrieved 30 December 2024.