Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles Completes Handover of HX 8x8 Heavy Recovery Vehicles to New Zealand Defence Force

Rheinmetall is pleased to announce the official handover of three HX 8x8 Heavy Recovery Vehicles to the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) at an official ceremony on November 25th, 2021, at the Trentham Military Camp in Wellington, New Zealand.

The successful delivery of the vehicles to the NZDF provides the New Zealand Army with important new capabilities, with the HX 8x8 Heavy Recovery Vehicles having enhanced recovery and mobility capabilities specifically developed to meet the current and future operational needs of the NZDF. The purchase of the HX 8x8 adds to the in-service medium and heavy operational vehicle fleet with NZDF. The Medium-heavy Operational Vehicles (MHOV) fleet, which was supplied by Rheinmetall, has had significant use already with NZDF in training, operations, and disaster relief both in New Zealand and offshore.

The HX 8x8 Heavy Recovery Vehicles delivered to the NZDF are the first in the world to use the Integrated Armoured Swap Cabin, which allows easy configuration of the vehicles to suit the operational need. Rheinmetall will also provide a dedicated training team to conduct initial training on the vehicle with the NZDF. At just 2.55 meters wide, the HX 8x8 Heavy Recovery Vehicle allows greater accessibility and operates exceptionally in difficult terrain with an ability to cross ditches of 1.4 meters wide and cross flooded areas of 1.5 meters in depth, as well as scale gradients of up to 60 percent and side slopes of 30 percent.

The HX 8x8 Heavy Recovery Vehicle is also able to operate in a range of radically different environments, operating in cold conditions as low as -32°C and in hot conditions all the way up to 49°C.