Germany orders vehicle recovery trucks

STUTTGART, Germany, May 27 (UPI)

The German military has contracted Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks to produce Actros Heavy Recovery Vehicles for immediate use in Afghanistan.

Mercedes Benz said the lead time for delivery of the mine-protected vehicles is seven months. The number of vehicles ordered and the monetary value of the contract weren't disclosed.

The Actros vehicles to be delivered will be of the same configuration and protection level as those operated by the Canadian armed forces in Afghanistan since March 2008.

With the Actros 4151 AK 8x8 provides Level 4 ballistic protection and Level 4b mine protection.

The protected special vehicle is 34.5 feet long, with a wheelbase of 18 feet.

Mercedes said a particular challenge faced by heavy recovery vehicles is the distribution of axle loads in all deployment situations. While the weight of the armored cab lies across the front axles only, in recovery situations the weight of the raised, towed vehicle places a load on the rear axles which can act like a huge lever. The Actros 4151 AK 8x8 Recovery vehicle, however, has been designed in such a way as to ensure a substantially uniform axle load distribution and also enable safe handling in both heavy-duty recovery situations and also when driving without a load.