History

In the late 1950s and early 1960s the West German Technical Office for Armament and Military Purchases drew up requirements for a new range (or second generation) of vehicles for the army. Covering all weight classes and mobility levels, the Bundeswehrʼs second-generation requirement originally called for 62,000 vehicles (of all classes including cars and buses) including four-tonne 4×4, seven-tonne 6×6, and 10-tonne 8×8 trucks; 4×4 and 6×6 armoured amphibious load carriers; and an 8×8 amphibious reconnaissance vehicle.

To meet development and production demands, a joint venture led by MAN and including Klockner-Humboldt-Deutz (KHD), Rheinstahl-Henschel, Krupp (which later dropped out), and Büssing (acquired by MAN in 1971) was set up. The first prototype vehicles were shown at the end of the 1960s, and a further two prototype series were developed before the first genuine pre-production vehicles were designed and built. Along the development trail it became clear that the highly technical vehicles as originally specified would simply not be affordable, so many of the more ambitious 'wish list' features were dropped; truck numbers were also reduced to 18,000. In 1972 the amphibious specification and the requirement that the vehicles should be powered by an air-cooled multifuel engine were dropped. In 1975 the four-tonne rating was uprated to five-tonne and at the same time this model’s rear cargo platform was lengthened and the wheelbase was increased from 4.3 to 4.5 m.

In December 1975 MAN was awarded a contract to build 8,385 4×4, 6×6, and 8×8 Category 1 vehicles at a cost of DEM1,400 million; this production total was further reduced to 7,925 in 1979. The technical parent of these trucks is now Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles.

The 8×8 version was the first Category 1 model to enter production and first deliveries were made in 1976. Deliveries of a 6×6 tipper and the 4×4 cargo truck began in 1977. Deliveries of the 6×6 cargo truck began in January 1979; final deliveries were made in 1981. By 1983, 8,617 vehicles of all Category 1 configurations had been delivered to the West German armed forces, and while exact delivery totals are unknown, the Bundeswehr did receive a total of 7 Category 1 5,000 kg 4×4 variants, 14 Category 1 7,000 kg 6×6 variants, and 9 Category 1 8×8 10,000 kg variants. The complete range of Category 1 vehicles were produced at MAN’s Watenstedt plant in Germany.

Category I vehicles underwent a complete overhaul in the mid-1990s to extend their service life by another ten years, and replacement has only recently begun in earnest. Some ex-military MAN Category 1 vehicles have been released onto the second-hand market in Germany.