Dr Jörg Stratmann, CEO of Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG, said: “This order is not only one of the largest of its kind in recent decades, but also reflects the challenging security situation we find ourselves in.” He added: “We have recently significantly expanded our capacity for the development and production of urgently needed mtu drive systems for military vehicles and will continue to expand it significantly in order to contribute to improving security in Europe and around the world.”
The company said that the changed threat environment has sharply increased demand for mtu engines and drive systems for military vehicles. Government business, largely involving the armed forces of Germany, NATO and allied nations, accounted for a quarter of the Power Systems division’s turnover last year.
Knut Müller, Senior Vice President for Government Business at Rolls-Royce, said: “The large order volume for our mtu engines reflects the high level of confidence that European land forces have in this vehicle.” He continued: “Not least because of its integrated and extremely reliable mtu drive system, the Leopard 2 continues to be regarded as the benchmark for heavy combat vehicles. It therefore goes without saying that both the complete Series 873 drive and the necessary spare parts will continue to be available in the future for as long as is necessary for the operation of the immense Leopard fleet. At the same time, our developers are working on drive systems for the armoured land vehicles of the future and increasing the performance of existing drives in order to meet the armies’ growing demands on modern combat vehicles.”
KNDS showed the first examples of the new Leopard 2A8 in mid-November, with German Defence Secretary Boris Pistorius in attendance. The latest variant includes updated armour and improved protection against drones.
Rolls-Royce said it is expanding its portfolio of drive systems for military land vehicles as part of its long-term strategy. This includes new mtu 199 series variants with up to twelve cylinders and more than 1,300 kW of power for both new platforms and repowering programmes.
Source: Rolls-Royce (press release).
