General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) has been awarded a contract by the German procurement agency BAAINBw for the delivery of 80 highly protected EAGLE 6×6 vehicles for the German Army`s ambulance corps. First vehicle deliveries will start in 2021 and continue throughout 2024. The EAGLE was selected in a competitive tender process under the medium protected ambulance vehicle program (“mittleres geschütztes Ambulanzfahrzeug”), which will close the gap between the user´s light and heavy ambulance vehicle fleet.GDELS will manufacture the EAGLE at its sites in Switzerland and Germany. For the German program, a significant part of the production will be completed in Kaiserslautern and Sembach with the involvement of dozens of German suppliers.
The EAGLE 6×6 is the latest and largest member of the proven EAGLE family of vehicles. In its 6×6 configuration, the vehicle provides a more spacious user compartment and more payload. Reduced cost of ownership is achieved through its high degree of commonality with the 4×4 version, its maintenance-friendly design, and proven support solutions. The other variants of the LTV include APC (armoured personnel carrier), command and control vehicle, reconnaissance, NBC (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical) detection, mortar carrier, recovery and logistics transport vehicle. Germany is the 2nd customer for this new EAGLE version after the Swiss Army. The German Army and German Federal Police operate a fleet of close to 700 EAGLE vehicles; the vehicle has proven its superior performance and reliability in various national and international missions.
The Eagle is a wheeled armored vehicle designed by the Swiss MOWAG GmbH corporation. It has gone through several generations of development. The current vehicle, introduced in November 2003, is the Eagle IV, which is based on the Duro IIIP chassis. The original MOWAG Eagle used the chassis and running gear of the American Humvee, while the Eagle II and Eagle III use the chassis and running gear of the Humvee ECV.[2] A Prototype is now part of the Military Museum Full. The MOWAG Eagle IV and V used the chassis and running gear of the Mowag Duro. Since January 2004, Mowag has been a company within the General Dynamics European Land Systems group and is now known as GDELS-MOWAG.
