The New Zealand Defence Force continues to implement a rolling makeover of its vehicle fleet, with the announcement of the acquisition of three new vehicle types occurring on 8 October 2026.
The vehicle package – 61 Mercedes-Benz Unimog 4×4 trucks, 24 Mitsubishi Triton 4×4 utes and 36 Ford Tourneo Sport minivans – is worth NZ$59.915 million (US$33.6 million). This funding covers acquisition, seating pods for the trucks, radios, project management and four years of operational funding.
An NZDF spokesperson confirmed to Asian Military Review that the Unimogs are U5023 variants. “All three vehicle types are commercial off-the-shelf models and will be used for domestic training, logistics and emergency response operations.”
Deliveries will commence in phases later this year. They will “replace a significant portion of the ageing garrison and training support vehicle fleet at camps and bases across New Zealand,” the NZDF said in a press release.
Sarah Minson, Deputy Secretary of Capability Delivery, commented, “In an increasingly challenging domestic environment, with more frequent and severe weather events, it’s critical we equip the NZDF personnel deployed on challenging humanitarian and disaster relief missions with vehicles that are reliable, fit for purpose and safe.”
Minson added, “For decades the domestic support vehicle fleet has been the backbone of daily defence operations, ensuring personnel are always trained, equipped and ready to respond to national emergencies like flooding or earthquakes. But with the Unimog trucks now more than 40 years old, the fleet is becoming increasingly unreliable, and its replacement is now well overdue.”
Indeed, some of the approximately 400 Unimog U1700L trucks procured from an Australian production run in the early 1980s continue to soldier on. The induction of new vehicles will allow them to be retired and, indeed, soon after this announcement, a batch of around 60 elderly Unimogs were put up for sale through a commercial auctioneer company.
The NZDF told AMR: “The ministry’s Protected Mobility Capability Project is also working to replace the NZDF’s most frequently deployed operational utility vehicle fleet, which is currently made up of the Unimog U1700L medium-sized truck and the Pinzgauer light operational vehicle.
“From 2027, the project will deliver a new fleet of VAMTAC military off-the-shelf vehicles, which are manufactured by Spanish company UROVESA. The fleet will be used to transport personnel and equipment during security and stability deployments, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions, and search and rescue operations.”
Daimler Truck Defence, in a press release published on 15 October, said phased Unimog deliveries are “scheduled to begin in 2027”.
Daniel Zittel, Chief Sales Officer at Daimler Truck Defence, stated: “The NDZF’s decision to select the Mercedes-Benz Unimog is a strong vote of confidence in the capability, versatility and reliability of our vehicle. We’re proud to support the NZDF in its daily transport, support and relief operations with a dependable and high-performance mobility solution in the future.”
Maintenance for all three vehicle types will be conducted by local companies, and the utes and minivans were also ordered from local entities.
Minson thus shared, “Not only will this new fleet shore up NZDF operations in the regions, it will also make a contribution to New Zealand’s economy and free up time for maintenance personnel to conduct other core military activities.”
by Gordon Arthur
