New Zealand Receives Rheinmetall HX 8x8 Heavy Recovery Vehicles

Rheinmetall announced today the delivery 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 purchase of the HX 8x8 adds to the in-service medium and heavy operational vehicle fleet with NZDF. The Medium-heavy Operational Vehicles (MHOV) has been used by the military 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 metres 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 metres wide and cross flooded areas of 1.5 metres in depth, as well as scale gradients of up to 60 per cent and side slopes of 30 per cent.

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.