Rheinmetall has announced expanding its maintenance support to Australian Defence Force vehicles in the Northern Territory and Queensland in partnership with RGM Maintenance. RGM already has facilities in both areas. The initiative follows Rheinmetall Australia’s delivery of over 3,000 HX trucks and 3,000 vehicle modules under the ADF’s LAND 121 3B/5B program in February.
OEM-Certified Vehicle Repair
Joern Buelter, Rheinmetall Defence Australia’s Logistic Vehicles general manager, said RGM is the only repair company with personnel trained and certified by Rheinmetall as the vehicles’ original equipment manufacturer. According to the executive, the vehicle maintenance needs of Australia and its allies are also “well-served” through the Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence in the company’s head office maintenance bases in Ipswich, Queensland.
“With over 3,500 trucks now in service, working with our partners RGM Maintenance is bolstering the in-region expertise and ensuring vehicle availability for the Australian Army,” Buelter said in a LinkedIn post.
Maintenance Capability Training Consistency
In its partnership with RGM, Rheinmetall provided Medium Heavy Capability Introduction and Maintenance training. “Rheinmetall Defence Australia’s training program ensures that RGM’s certification levels are the same as those performed by Australian Army personnel at Robertson Barracks in the Northern Territory on Rheinmetall MAN vehicles across the HX Truck fleet,” Buelter said.
Rheinmetall’s partnership with the Townsville-based RGM was initiated in 2022, with a focus on bringing sovereign industrial capability and jobs into the region. In September, it began another maintenance and support partnership with Supacat Perth, a design and technology organization with high mobility defense vehicles as its specialization.