Sebastian Schaubeck has been Managing Director of ACS Armored Car Systems GmbH, based in Bavaria, since 1 January 2021. The German vehicle body builder and system integrator has RheinmetallMercedes-Benz and Ghosthood the sale of up to 3,058 Caracal light operational vehicles to the German and Dutch armed forces. officially completed. We asked the manager in our 5-questions-to-interview: What does the order mean for ACS? What further potential is there in the vehicle platform and how high is the Austrian value-added share?
Mr. Schaubeck, the Caracal airborne platform was presented to the public around a year ago, and now contracts have been signed with the Netherlands and Germany for around 1,500 vehicles for the 11th Luchtmobilen Brigade and the Rapid Forces Division. What do you think distinguishes the vehicle? Why was it chosen?
Of course, we do not know the exact results of the public client from the competition. To the best of our knowledge, the price and various performance parameters of the vehicles were used to evaluate the bids eligible for award. As far as we know, the Caracal is cheaper, technically more efficient overall and available more quickly. In my opinion, this tipped the scales in favor of the Caracal.
Are the vehicles ordered by Germany and the Netherlands one and the same model or are they different variants?
The majority of the vehicles are based on a basic variant that is the same for both nations. Depending on their use, different loads are integrated on the vehicles to reflect different capabilities. All vehicles of this basic variant have the same automotive platform, i.e. the same chassis. This brings many advantages for servicing the vehicles. Modularity is very important to users and is ensured by the patented ACS structure. In addition to this basic variant, there are also other variants in smaller numbers, which are also based on the same automotive platform.
Overall, the vehicle is based on the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, which rolls off the production line at Magna Steyr in Graz. That means that a large part of the added value is also realized in Austria, right?
In my opinion, a major competitive advantage of our team is the series production at Mercedes-Benz in Graz. There is a fully industrialized manufacturing process there that produces vehicles in OEM quality and in large quantities. This is unique in Europe for passenger cars. https://www.militaeraktuell.at/saab-boeing-treiben-t-7a-entwicklung-voran/
What part did and does ACS play in the development and production of the vehicle?
ACS will concentrate on the engineering and production of the modular superstructures. As the superstructure is available on the market and has already been sold and delivered to other nations, we do not need to develop the basic structure any further. The superstructure has also already been tried and tested. It’s more about customization for the users. We have already started to increase our capacities for the production of the superstructures. Our parent company has made 3,000 square meters of additional hall space available to us immediately.
What medium to long-term potential do you see in the platform?
We see great potential in this platform. In addition to Germany and the Netherlands, there are many other nations in Europe and NATO that have similar needs. In my opinion, such tactical vehicles are particularly in demand for national and alliance defense. We also have many other ideas for this platform.
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