Daimler Truck has announced a major expansion of its global defence business with the launch of Daimler Truck Defence, a new umbrella brand that will unify the company’s military mobility and logistics activities worldwide under a single identity.
The initiative reflects the growing strategic importance of the defence sector within Daimler Truck’s global business portfolio. By consolidating its defence operations, the company aims to strengthen its position in international military markets and support long-term growth opportunities across multiple regions.
Initially centred around defence solutions from Mercedes-Benz Trucks, the Daimler Truck Defence portfolio will gradually be expanded to include products and technologies from other Daimler Truck brands and vehicle platforms worldwide. The broader portfolio is expected to offer governments and defence organisations a wider range of military transport, logistics, and mobility solutions tailored to evolving operational requirements.
To support its growth ambitions, Daimler Truck plans to invest a mid-three-digit million-euro sum over the coming years. The investment will be directed towards expanding engineering capabilities, manufacturing capacity, sales operations, and after-sales service infrastructure dedicated to defence customers.
The company stated that the enhanced capabilities will enable it to deliver a broader spectrum of advanced military mobility solutions while strengthening support services for defence operators globally.
With increasing demand for reliable logistics, transport, and tactical mobility platforms across defence sectors worldwide, Daimler Truck Defence is expected to play a key role in the company’s strategy to expand its presence in the global military vehicle market and provide comprehensive mobility solutions to government and armed forces customers.
Approximately 1,000 employees are currently engaged in the company’s defence business. The growth strategy is being driven primarily from the Wörth site in Germany and is expected to create additional demand for highly qualified specialists. Daimler Truck has set a target of generating €1 billion in defence-related revenue by 2028.
Karin Rådström, CEO of Daimler Truck: “Defence is a key pillar of Daimler Truck’s growth strategy. We are making targeted investments in our production facilities, the development of new solutions, and the expansion of our sales and service network. At the same time, we are leveraging Daimler Truck’s global strengths across regions and brands to scale our defence business significantly.”
Dennis Kinzelmann, CEO Daimler Truck Defence: “Demand for reliable military mobility is growing worldwide. With our global manufacturing network, resilient supply chains, strong partnerships and expanded product portfolio, we can deliver military vehicles and mobility solutions quickly, at scale and with high standards. Through Daimler Truck Defence, we are bringing together the full strength of our global brands and capabilities under one global brand. Our ambition is clear: to become one of the leading providers of military mobility solutions through our global technology and production network. For military personnel in the field, reliability, readiness and support are mission-critical. They remain at the heart of everything we do.”
Daimler Truck Defence Consolidates Activities for Greater Efficiency
With Daimler Truck Defence, the company establishes a unified global market presence while providing customers with dedicated expertise and mission-specific solutions from a single source. Daimler Truck plans to offer military vehicle solutions based on additional global group vehicle portfolios and brands in their respective markets. The new global brand expands the available product portfolio while unlocking synergies across brands, products, processes and business units.
Investments in Capacity Expansion and Industrial Scale
As part of its strategic expansion, Daimler Truck will continue to invest in engineering, manufacturing, sales and service capabilities over the coming years. These investments will support a broader product offering and enable the company to execute military vehicle programs at significantly higher volumes. The strategy is built on Daimler Truck’s global industrial footprint and manufacturing expertise.
In addition to highly customized project business, Daimler Truck will increasingly focus on fleet and sustainment programs, which benefit from a wide range of vehicle variants and substantial production volumes. The company’s manufacturing facilities combine the advantages of high-volume commercial vehicle production with dedicated defence expertise. The plants in Wörth am Rhein, Germany, and Molsheim, France, form the backbone of Daimler Truck’s defence manufacturing activities in Europe and enable military variants to be integrated into existing production lines. The company also offers local assembly of militarized Mercedes-Benz trucks in customer countries.
Daimler Truck is further expanding its global service and support network. With approximately 5,000 service locations across more than 160 countries and a comprehensive spare-parts supply chain, the company already ensures high operational readiness for vehicles deployed worldwide. Continued investments will further improve parts availability and service responsiveness across key regions.
Defence Business as a Strategic Growth Driver
Daimler Truck views defence as a major growth driver for the years ahead. Recent contract awards include a major Bundeswehr order for military logistics vehicles in the three-digit unit range, a contract with the Canadian Armed Forces in cooperation with General Dynamics Land Systems covering at least 1,500 logistics trucks, and a framework agreement with the French Armed Forces in partnership with Arquus for 7,000 trucks based on the robust and highly mobile Zetros platform.
These programmes exemplify Daimler Truck Defence’s strategic focus on European and transatlantic partnerships combined with reliable industrial delivery capabilities.
From a technology perspective, Daimler Truck Defence leverages the extensive component and platform portfolio of the company’s commercial vehicle business while working closely with industry partners to advance innovations in areas such as autonomous driving technologies and unmanned systems integration.
Significantly Expanded Portfolio for Military Applications
Daimler Truck continues to expand its defence portfolio in line with the evolving requirements of modern military operations. The future portfolio will offer an even broader spectrum of vehicle solutions, ranging from light utility vehicles to heavy tactical logistics platforms equipped for mission-specific requirements. Customers will benefit from greater choice across a wider range of capabilities and budget levels.
By integrating additional Daimler Truck brands into the portfolio, customers will also gain access to established and locally available vehicle platforms adapted for military applications within their respective markets.
Beyond vehicle supply, Daimler Truck is building an integrated offering encompassing engineering, manufacturing, system integration, partner ecosystems, and long-term in-service support throughout the vehicle lifecycle. The company is increasingly focusing on modular platform architectures and jointly developed system solutions to meet customer requirements rapidly, flexibly and in an operationally relevant manner.
