High-Mobility Medium Truck, D, 5 t (4x4) Steyr 12 M 18
Starting by the end of the 1970s, a replacement was needed for the Steyr 680 trucks that had been in use for 15 years and a tender was issued for a modern, high-mobility medium truck with a payload of 5 tons. Army trials of four prototypes (Steyr, ÖAF, Mercedes-Benz and IVECO/Magirus) commenced in 1985, and Steyr was awarded the contract for its 12 M 18 series. The typical Steyr nomenclature identifies the truck as a 12-ton chassis, military configuration and 180 HP engine power. The new cab design had just prior been developed for the civilian medium-weight Steyr truck platform, and shortly thereafter was also adopted by MAN for their medium-weight truck series (after the takeover of Steyr by MAN).