Sponsored by TEK Military Seating Limited
http://www.tekmilitaryseating.co.uk/
————————————————————————————————————–
31 Mar 26. Rheinmetall and Indra Group sign memorandum of understanding to strengthen their strategic partnership – with a major vehicle contract in their sights. Düsseldorf-based Rheinmetall AG and the Spanish technology Group Indra have signed a memorandum of understanding to further deepen their strategic cooperation, particularly in the production of military vehicle systems for European and Latin American Armed Forces. The next step is to establish a joint venture later this year in order to bid on a Spanish Army contract for the procurement of up to 3,000 military trucks.
With this agreement, both companies intend to expand their existing partnership and jointly address future projects in the field of modern defence and security technologies.
This includes the modernization of tracked armoured vehicles, activities in the field of tactical support vehicles, as well as the joint participation in a solution for tactical tracked infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) and the establishment of consortia for opportunities in logistic trucks.
The agreement extends beyond combat vehicles, covering other business areas, including space-based communication solutions, among others. The goal is to develop innovative solutions for armed forces whole while simultaneously strengthening the European industrial base in the defence sector in the long term. The MoU establishes the framework for more intensive cooperation across the entire value chain—from integration to production and service. Both companies will contribute their complementary capabilities in the areas of system integration, sensor technology, digitalization, and platform and effector systems.
Rheinmetall and Indra are strengthening their position in the European defense market and are committed to expanding their joint projects over the long term.
Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG: “It’s a perfect match: Indra is the market leader in Spain, and Rheinmetall is the market leader in Germany. We intend to collaborate on vehicles, satellites, electronics, and naval systems. The starting point for this collaboration is the Spanish government’s two tenders for up to 3,000 military trucks and several hundred tactical vehicles. We’re talking about several billion euros.”
Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG: “With this Memorandum of Understanding, Rheinmetall and Indra are sending a clear signal for deeper European cooperation in the defence sector between Germany and Spain. Together, we are pooling our technological expertise to develop high-performance and future-oriented solutions for our customers.”
Ángel Escribano, Indra Group Executive President: “The long term relationship of trust we have established with Rheinmetall enables us to explore new areas of collaboration to deliver increasingly advanced systems, at ever greater speed, while ensuring the future leadership position of the European industry worldwide.”
José Vicente de los Mozos, Indra Group CEO: “Indra once again demonstrates its ability to build partnerships that allow us to accelerate delivery of the systems our customers require, reaffirming our commitment to Europe and its allies to reinforce technological sovereignty and strategic autonomy.”
The signing of the MoU highlights the shared objective of both companies to combine their innovative strengths in military vehicle systems and further expand cooperation in the European defence market, with emphasis in Spain and Germany, and also Latin America countries.
Rheinmetall AG is an integrated technology group, with its headquarters in Düsseldorf. Founded in 1889, it is a leading international systems house for the defence industry and operates within land, air, sea and space domains. A focus on sustainability is an integral part of Rheinmetall’s strategy. With around 33,000 employees at about 180 sites worldwide, the company has been listed on the DAX 40 since March 2023 and generated sales of €9.9 billion in the 2025 financial year.
Indra Group (https://www.indragroup.com/) is the foremost Spanish multinational and one of the leading European companies that focus on defence and advanced digitalization. It stands at the forefront of the defence, space, air traffic management, mobility, and transformative technologies through Minsait, and it integrates its sovereign AI, cybersecurity and cyber defence capabilities into IndraMind. Indra Group is paving the way to a more secure and better-connected future through innovative solutions, trusted relationships and the very best talent. Sustainability is an integral part of its strategy and culture in order to overcome current and future social and environmental challenges. At the close of the 2025 financial year, Indra Group posted revenues of € 5.457 billion and had a local presence in 46 countries and business operations in over 140 countries.
01 Apr 26. Textron Systems Corporation, a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, announced today that it has completed the build and evaluation period of its Cottonmouth® 30mm prototype for the U.S. Marine Corps Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV) program.
Prototype Vehicle evaluations included land mobility, lethality and ocean swim testing with the successful completion of the first full swim of this variant. Evaluations occurred at the U.S. Army’s Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC), the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Mich., the Michigan National Guard Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center in Grayling, Mich., and the U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp in Pendelton, Calif.
The ARV‑30mm variant delivers enhanced direct-fire support and anti‑armor capability, expanding the mission offerings of the Cottonmouth ARV family. Equipped with a medium‑caliber cannon and advanced targeting and sensor systems, the ARV‑30mm provides increased lethality, standoff range and survivability for Marines operating in contested environments. Completion of this development milestone represents a significant advancement in the ARV program and underscores continued progress toward delivering next‑generation reconnaissance capability to the Marine Corps.
“Completing the Cottonmouth 30mm build and evaluation period is a significant program milestone and reflects a decisive step toward redefining what reconnaissance platforms can deliver for Marines in the future fight,” said Zach Bupp, Vice President of Programs at Textron Systems. “The competitive build and evaluation phases of the ARV program validate the maturity, capability and open systems architecture our systems offer in advance of the next program phase. As the ARV program advances, our open systems architecture enables rapid integration of new technologies and capabilities transforming how the Marines will communicate and fight across rapidly evolving operational environments.”
Textron Systems’ Cottonmouth ARV is designed to operate as a digitally connected naval sensor node within the force structure to enhance the Marine Corps’ ability to gather and share critical information across dispersed forces. With decades of proven experience in ground vehicle design, development and manufacturing, Textron Systems brings a strong heritage of delivering reliable, mission‑ready platforms to U.S. and allied forces.
02 Apr 26. NP Aerospace’s production line kicks into gear to deliver remaining Light Tactical Transport Vehicles to BeMOD. NP Aerospace, the global vehicle integrator and armour manufacturer, has announced that the production line to deliver the remaining 87 Light Tactical Transport Vehicles (LTTV) to the Belgium MOD (BeMOD) is now fully operational and accelerating at pace. Following the pre-production proof of process and quality deliveries, the first significant full-production batch was accepted by the customer in February, which will now be followed by the delivery of all 87 vehicles by the end of 2026.
The original LTTV programme was to deliver 199 of the Mercedes-Benz UNIMOG based vehicles to the BeMOD. In September 2024 NP announced the receipt of a contract to deliver the remaining 87 vehicles, the contract having been novated, following NP Aerospace’s acquisition of certain assets of Jankel Armouring Limited, announced on 10 June 2024. As well as the production of new LTTV vehicles, contractual discussions also included lifetime in-service support to the LTTV vehicle fleet for which NP Aerospace will use its proven Vehicle Systems, Services and Spares business unit to deliver.
In establishing the full production capability, NP Aerospace has adopted a fresh approach, with operations being centered in their Coventry facilities. As was agreed with the customer, a particular emphasis has been placed upon working to the required quality standards and timescales. Using NP Aerospace’s fully established vehicle related, UK-based supply chain, the team has employed proven best practices to develop a production programme that meets and where possible, exceeds customer expectations. Having taken time to get this right, NP Aerospace is now confident that all inherited programme challenges have been addressed, and the pace of production can now be accelerated, to successfully deliver the remaining vehicles to BeMOD.
The LTTV vehicle was designed to provide a modular and configurable tactical support vehicle that benefits from unique, removable mission modules that enable the vehicle to be re-configured rapidly for operational platform versatility. With a payload of over 3 tonnes, dependent on the final vehicle specification, the LTTV has 3 core variants for Special Operations support, including an ambulance variant. Alongside a user-configurable, fully integrated suite of military sub-systems that includes a removable ballistic protection kit, a Roll-Over-Protection-System (ROPS), weapon mounts and communications fit.
David Petheram, NP Aerospace VSSS Managing Director commented: “Following on from the receipt of the LTTV contract from BeMOD in 2024, we’re pleased to be able to announce that we’ve successfully worked through all of the challenges of re-starting this disrupted programme, in close collaboration with our customer. Our production line is established and is now kicking into gear, upon strong foundations, to enable the rate to be accelerated from this point forward.” He added: “Now we’re fully up and running and delivering vehicles, this is great news for NP Aerospace and our customer, also for our UK supply chain and for Coventry as we continue to create and/or sustain high skilled jobs in the region and across our supplier partnerships.”
———————————————————————————————————————
TEK Military Seating Limited
TEK Military Seating Limited is a UK based designer and manufacturer of ProTEK military vehicle seating which offer the highest standards of safety and protection. The ProTEK brand is well respected across the globe for its robust construction, innovative design, built in modularity and cost effectiveness. Our superior products are supported by our experienced team who endeavor to offer unrivalled service to our customers from enquiry, through design and acceptance, to through life support.
From its inception ProTEK seats have been designed around a family of innovative seat frames onto which tested and certified modules can be fitted to create a bespoke solution for the user. These include Blast protection to Stanag 4569 standards, vibration reduction, head and body protection, seat risers and turntables, fore & aft adjustment, and seat back rake along with viable seat dimensions without the need for additional tooling costs.
Contact: Paul Fleming
———————————————————————————————————————–