Well protected in the crane vehicle

The Liebherr-Werk Ehingen GmbH, the world leader in mobile cranes, has commissioned Rheinmetall to supply protected driver cabs and crane cabins for the new crane vehicle generation of the German Armed Forces. Rheinmetall will deliver a total of 71 protected driver cabs and crane operator cabins for 38 newly developed protected mobile cranes G-LTM and 33 units of the also brand-new protected recovery crane vehicle G-BKF starting in 2018. The orders have a value in the double-digit million range and will be completed by 2021.

The driver cabs provide the crew protection against ballistic, mine, and IED threats, and are also equipped with an NBC protection ventilation system. The crane cabins offer ballistic protection to the crane operator during crane operations. Both cabins are identical for G-LTM and G-BKF.

The contract is of great importance to Rheinmetall in several respects. It is another OEM manufacturer supplied with integrated protection solutions by the Protection Systems business unit. The project is also considered a flagship project for the excellent cooperation between industry and the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw). Thanks to integrated verification management, a very short development cycle was realized: the project started in 2013, the demonstrator was completed in 2016, and the delivery of the first production vehicles begins in 2018. More information about the mobile and recovery cranes from Liebherr for the German Armed Forces.

Rheinmetall Defence online: http://rheinmetall-defence.com