WELLINGTON, New Zealand, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- New Zealand's Ministry of Defense says it has received 40 of 194 trucks ordered seven months ago from Germany-headquartered Rheinmetall-MAN.
Delivery of the vehicles was announced by Defense Minister Jonathan Coleman.
"The new Rheinmetall-MAN military medium and heavy vehicles are a significant step up in capability for the NZDF, replacing the old Unimog and Mercedes trucks," he said at an acceptance ceremony in the city of Aukland. "They are designed for modern military operations and offer better mobility, better protection, enhanced technology, and greater capacity.
"The new trucks are part of a wider program of equipment upgrades and investment into Navy, Army and Air Force frontline capabilities."
The trucks from Rheinmetall-Man feature armor protection kits, weapons mounts and a range of specialist equipment. Provision of spare parts, logistic support and training packages is part of the package, which has an overall value of about $93.4 million.
The NZDF will begin training personnel to operate the vehicles early next year. The vehicles will be fully introduced into service by the end of 2015.
