Rheinmetall Awarded Malaysian Surveillance and Recon Systems Contract

Rheinmetall Nordic AS of Norway has been awarded a contract to supply the Malaysian armed forces with the Vingtaqs II long-range surveillance, observation and reconnaissance system which will be mounted on the AV8 all-terrain vehicles(ATVs) ordered from Turkey. Worth around €36 million, this is the largest single order ever booked by Rheinmetall Nordic AS or its predecessor Simrad Optronics AS. The customer is DRB-Hicom Defence Technologies Sdn Bhd (Deftech) of Malaysia which will integrate the equipment into the ATVs. The order also encompasses training, system integration and documentation. The Vingtaqs II systems will be integrated into newly built AV8 all-terrain vehicles made by the Turkish company FNSS Savunma Sistemleri A.S., which are to be delivered during the period 2014 to 2018. “This contract demonstrates the terrific market potential of our new Vingtaqs systems. What’s more, because of our strong goal orientation and clear priorities, we were able to win this contract in less than two years”, declares Jon Asbjorn, CEO of Rheinmetall Nordic AS. The Vingtaqs II accurately determines target coordinates at long distances from the vehicle forward observer position. A standalone system, the Vingtaqs II can be integrated at low cost into a wide variety of vehicles. The system also accommodates instrumentation for laser-designated targeting, enabling it to support forward air controller operations. Moreover, thanks to a high degree of modularity, it can be readily configured to meet individual customer requirements.