At Eurosatory 2026, Rheinmetall unveiled the Caracal 6×6 air assault vehicle for the first time, which is a further development of the existing Caracal 4×4. In addition to the chassis being extended to include an extra axle, the vehicle features a modular flatbed designed to facilitate the use and replacement of mission-specific modules.
The highly mobile Caracal vehicle family is based on the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. The Caracal 6×6 was developed in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz and MAGNA International, based on the W464 chassis. Consequently, there is significant overlap with the Caracal 4×4 in terms of both maintenance and training.
The Caracal 6×6 is designed for flexible airborne operations, with Rheinmetall seeing its modularity as a particular advantage. Quick-change modules are intended to enable, for example, drone defence, fire support and the transport of special forces.
The new vehicle is characterised by a payload of 3.2 tonnes, which is two tonnes higher than that of the Caracal 4×4. Nevertheless, it can still be loaded onto the heavy-lift helicopters CH-47 Chinook and CH-53 used by the Bundeswehr. Furthermore, it can be transported internally in the A400M and externally by helicopter as an external load.
In 2023, Germany and the Netherlands signed a framework agreement worth €1.9 billion for the Caracal air assault platform, under which 1,508 Caracal 4×4 vehicles have so far been ordered for Germany and 504 for the Netherlands – representing a total order value of €870 million.
Under the existing framework contract, Rheinmetall is hoping to secure potential orders for the Caracal 6×6 in its crew transport and equipment transport variants.
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