Joint Venture for Tracked Vehicle Systems

Rheinmetall and Czechoslovak Group a.s. (CSG) have signed an MoU for military vehicle production and technical support, the German company announced on 26 November.

The new strategic partnership envisions defence technology transfer between Germany and the Czech Republic for projects in the Visegrad states (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) as well as other countries. CSG, already a key Rheinmetall partner, will bring to the programme dozens of other Czech defence companies in its supply chain.

A Rheinmetall Landsysteme/CSG joint venture is to be established in Kopřivnice, Moravia, which will have the prestigious, internationally-known Tatra brand in its name. This will not be a simple assembly plant, but also a developer and manufacturer of modern defence technologies. As a result, the Czech defence industry will expand its capabilities in tracked ground vehicle systems.

CSG has a proven ability to transfer production from foreign suppliers, including the ability to develop new vehicle variants and obtain export projects.

Michal Strnad, CSG’s owner, firmly believes “that our cooperation marks a milestone in the modernisation of the armed forces and domestic industry of the Czech Republic […] There is potential for Czechoslovak Group to become Rheinmetall’s partner for the Czech Republic and beyond for replacing and modernising combat systems.”

“The cooperation with Czechoslovak Group is a key relationship for Rheinmetall,” added Armin Papperger, Rheinmetall CEO. “This opportunity will allow us to incorporate Czechoslovak Group into our existing global supply chain for our broad spectrum of defence products.”