Daimler Truck: The order is for a military variant of the Mercedes-Benz Zetros. Photo: PR
Frankfurt. Daimler Truck, together with its partner Arquus, has received a major order from the French Ministry of Defense for 7,000 military trucks. The order covers the delivery of the vehicles over a period of more than ten years, the companies announced on Thursday.
It is a military variant of the Mercedes-Benz Zetros, which is being adapted to the requirements of the French army by Arquus, a subsidiary of the Belgian engineering group John Cockerill. The procurement program is intended to improve the logistical capabilities of the French armed forces.
The basic vehicles are manufactured in the Daimler truck factories in Wörth and Molsheim, France, while the militarization, such as the assembly of protected cabins, takes place in the French Arquus factories. The all-terrain tactical truck, designed for military operations, has a payload of six tons. It can transport troops or material and be adapted to various purposes by adding cranes or winches.
The program is an example of what European cooperation can achieve, explained Daniel Zittel, head of sales for defense vehicles at Daimler Truck. “We are setting a benchmark for future cooperation in the defense sector.”