Truckmaker MAN Eyes Military Contracts in Tie-Up With Rheinmetall, Poland's WB

By Joshua Kirby

MAN Truck & Bus is teaming up with Rheinmetall and Polish defense company WB Group in a bid to offer mobility solutions to European armies as the continent bolsters its military forces.

The truckmaker, which is owned by Volkswagen Group's Traton, said it is forming a partnership with WB and Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles, its joint venture with the German arms maker.

The move aims "to combine the complementary strengths and expertise of the three companies to address European defense requirements more effectively," MAN said in a release Tuesday. The tie-up will look to combine MAN and RMMV's expertise in transportation and mobility with WB's command, communications, reconnaissance, and unmanned systems, MAN said. The three companies aim to develop military mobility solutions for Europe's armies, it said.

Europe is scaling up its defense capabilities amid heightened geopolitical threats and a more distant relationship with President Trump's administration in the U.S. Volkswagen, the continent's biggest automaker, said this week it would sell one of its auto plants in Germany with a view to it being used to produce defense gear instead of cars.

Write to Joshua Kirby at joshua.kirby@wsj.com; @joshualeokirby

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 08, 2026 09:15 ET (13:15 GMT)