that, in the long term, the German Army planned to retain a fleet of up to 728 Fuchs 1 upgraded to TPz A8 standard. Continued development of the Fuchs 1 resulted in the Fuchs 2, the first example of which was shown in public for the first time at the 2001 MSPO in Poland. The first order for Fuchs 2 was for Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) reconnaissance variants for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The order was placed in 2005. In 2014, the German Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy confirmed that it had approved the transfer of production equipment to Algeria to enable this country to undertake production of the Fuchs 2. Kuwait ordered a batch of Fuchs 2 in 2015. These will be manufactured in Germany. Description The hull of the Fuchs is constructed of all-welded armoured steel. The driver sits at the front on the left, with the vehicle commander to his right. There are doors for both driver and commander. The door windows and windscreen have metal shutters that can be closed up. When closed up, the periscopes fitted in the roof of the vehicle to the front of the driver's hatch allow visibility out of the cabin. The commander has a circular roof hatch. The troop/cargo compartment, which is at the rear of the vehicle, is long, high and wide at its widest point. On the Fuchs 2, the roof height has been raised by for greater internal volume. Two assisted doors are fitted at the rear, although on Fuchs 2 a ramp is an option. There are three or four hatches in the roof of the troop compartment. In APC configuration, the ten infantrymen carried by Fuchs 1 are seated on individual bucket-type seats, five on each side. These seats can be folded up when not required. Fuchs 2 seats up to nine on much-improved blast-resistant seating. Normal amphibious payload for Fuchs 1 is but, depending on configuration and protection options, up to 5,000 kg of cargo can be carried on land. Fuchs 2 has a maximum payload of 6000 kg. Motive power for the Fuchs 1 is provided by a Mercedes-Benz Model OM 402A V8 12.8-litre water-cooled diesel engine developing , this coupled in a powerpack set-up to a six-speed planetary gear torque converter transmission. For the Fuchs 2 the powerpack is upgraded to a MTU 6V 199 TE20 V6 11.9-litre water-cooled