Slovenia received 40 trucks with interchangeable superstructures as part of the Ukrainian transfer scheme
The Slovenian army has received 40 new palletized cargo handling systems from German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall after negotiations to send military aid to Ukraine.
Under a tripartite agreement, Rheinmetall supplied the Central European country with state-of-the-art trucks with swappable superstructures in exchange for 28 Soviet M-55S tanks Slovenia sent to Ukraine in September.
The swap scheme was Berlin’s response to repeated calls from Ukraine for German Leopard tanks by the chancellor Olaf Scholzthe government previously refused.
In addition to the vehicles, the Slovenian Army received variable loading platforms, five palletized water tank modules and an initial service package that includes training.
#Ringtausch: #Rheinmetall supplies #Slovenia 🇸🇮 with the most modern exchange box #truckshttps://t.co/wEPlDJQGpc #defense #military #army #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/csKgBRx4WB
— Rheinmetall (@RheinmetallAG) December 14, 2022
Palletized cargo handling systems
Palletized cargo handling systems provide increased survivability, maintainability, and tactical flexibility for military logistics.
The vehicle is equipped with a hook loader, which allows picking up or putting down flat racks on all terrains without additional handling equipment.
In May this year, Rheinmetall officials delivered over the turnkey for a new generation of trucks to the German Armed Forces under an agreement in June 2020 for 4,000 vehicles.
According to the German company, the palletized systems are installed on HX military trucks to ensure similarity with existing Unprotected Transport Vehicles (UTF).
“UTF is a flagship project that paved the way for new procurement methods,” Rheinmetall Michael Wittlinger said.
“This was the first large-scale flexible framework agreement. Additional vehicles were recalled and delivered with funding from the German government’s pandemic recovery package. By the beginning of May, 3,000 vehicles had been transferred to the customer – almost a thousand more than what was foreseen in the original framework contract for delivery until 2024.”