Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks is expanding its product range and will in future be offering the Zetros truck series with a protected driver’s cab ex works. The three-axle, all-wheel-drive Zetros (6×6) is now available as a armored vehicle. Other vehicle variants of the Zetros series from the two-axle 4×4 to the four-axle 8×8 will be successively produced with protection at the Wörth truck plant from 2025. A Zetros 6×6 with a protected cab from Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks will be on display for the first time at the Eurosatory trade fair in Paris from June 17 to 21, 2024. The protected driver’s cab offers the crew protection against bullets, mines and booby traps without impairing the vehicle’s off-road capability. Until now, the vehicles manufactured in Wörth have generally been fitted with an armored driver’s cab by partner companies before delivery to customers.
Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks is now fitting the protected cab to the 2nd generation Zetros itself for specific projects. Rheinmetall is the development partner and supplier of the cab.From development through testing and production to sales, Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks is responsible for the entire vehicle including the armored cab. Customers thus benefit from complete vehicle solutions with protection from a single source. As the special vehicle division of truck manufacturer Daimler Truck, Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks offers a high level of reliability and production capacity and also ensures a permanently high level of service and spare parts availability over several years and decades. Depending on the order, Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks also works together with bodybuilder partners/OEMs for protected variants.
Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks will be able to offer the entire Zetros product range from 4×4 to 8×8 with a protected cab ex works. As a hooded vehicle, the truck for military logistics and support tasks offers a structural concept advantage for protected cabs: The cab is located behind the front axle, so the weight of the cab does not rest entirely on the front axle, but is also distributed proportionally over the rear axle(s). This means that the front axle is not overloaded by the massive armoring on rough terrain. When developing the Zetros cab armoring, great importance was attached to safety, ergonomics and good visibility. The protected cab can accommodate up to three people on air-sprung seats with four-point seat belts. The one-piece, large windshield provides a wide field of vision. Variable attachment points on the cab can be used for additional equipment elements. In addition, as many identical components as possible are used for the protected cab and the unprotected version in order to facilitate the availability of spare parts and to increase interchangeability in mixed fleets.
Thanks to the cab positioned behind the front axle, the driving experience in all Zetros variants is relatively quiet and comfortable, even off-road, and protects the crew and load. The hood, which can be opened independently of the cab, also provides access to the engine compartment for maintenance and repair work, while the cab remains a protective space and does not have to be completely tilted forward as in conventional trucks. All Zetros variants are equipped with the OM 460 in-line six-cylinder diesel engine with up to 375 kW / 510 hp. A maximum torque of up to 2,300 Nm is available from a displacement of 12.8 liters. A 16-speed gearbox or Allison automatic torque converter, two-stage transfer case, selectable differential locks, large slope and ramp angles and fording capability make traction and propulsion possible even in mud, when crossing rivers and on steep terrain. The permissible total weight varies between 16.5 and 40 tons. With a gross combination weight of up to 120 tons as a tractor unit and numerous body solutions, the Zetros is suitable for a wide range of transport tasks.
