News

Friedberg, 11 July 2023 (dg) – ACS GmbH (Armoured Car Systems), based in Friedberg-Derching, has secured a major contract from the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw): over 3,000 air-transportable tactical vehicles of the ‘EinsSysLLPlattf’ type will be built and delivered to the armed forces over the next 15 years.

A contract to this effect was signed yesterday. Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH from Kassel will act as general contractor and be responsible for final assembly, while ACS and Mercedes Benz G GmbH (MBG) from Graz, Austria, will design, produce and supply key components. ACS will develop and manufacture the modular floor assembly and handle the engineering of the various load carriers, while MBG will supply the chassis.

The future vehicle will be named CARACAL.

The first batch will consist of 1,508 vehicles, with the first vehicles to be delivered as early as 2024. From 2025 onwards, series production will deliver a fixed number of vehicles annually to BAAINBw, which in turn will equip the Dutch armed forces and the German Bundeswehr with vehicle units.

ACS is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and thus has many years of expertise: the proven ‘ENOK’ protected command vehicles, which have been in service with the German Armed Forces for many years, are the result of the collaboration with MBG. Since 2019, ACS has been working as a manufacturer on a light tactical airborne vehicle based on the G-Class. During this time, another airborne vehicle was also built for the German Armed Forces. This is a complete system technology demonstrator, a tracked vehicle weighing around five tonnes for heavy terrain (GSDLuWa). For this, ACS developed, among other things, the first diesel-electric powertrain in this weight class for the German Armed Forces.

Due to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the number of new airborne vehicles was increased. In order to meet this increased demand and offer the necessary capacity, ACS, RLS and MBG entered into a cooperation agreement. The consortium was able to win the contract against large, well-known competitors. The decisive factors were the unique selling points of the new CARACAL vehicle: its performance, market availability and industrialised manufacturing process.

‘All three industrial companies have made advance investments,’ says Sebastian Schaubeck, Managing Director of ACS GmbH. “In doing so, we have fulfilled our national and international responsibility to contribute to the security of us all. Our team is very proud to be equipping the Rapid Forces Division (DSK) and the Dutch Royal Netherlands Army, as well as the German Armed Forces. And we are continuing to look for qualified personnel to successfully master the new challenges.”

ACS currently employs around 60 people. The highly motivated and well-trained ACS team wants to grow and expand over the next 18 months to fulfil the large order. The modern site in Friedberg-Derching, directly on the A8 motorway, is currently looking mainly for automotive and industrial mechanics and welders. The production area will also be expanded by 3,000 square metres and state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment will be purchased to offer the workforce the best working conditions and long-term prospects. Interested applicants can contact the ACS Human Resources department at [email protected].

Another mainstay of ACS is special-purpose vehicles, for example for police and other emergency services. These have been developed, manufactured and delivered in medium quantities to date. New concepts and ideas are currently being worked on to further expand this business area. ACS’s portfolio currently includes vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 3.5 to 14.8 tonnes, the latter based on the military Unimog chassis from Daimler Truck AG.