Mototok

Mototok International GmbH, based in Krefeld, Germany, designs and builds electric, remote-controlled, towbarless tugs for moving aircraft on the ground. The company was founded in 2003 by Kersten Eckert and Thilo Wiers-Keiser. After five years of development the first tugs went on the market. Its tugs serve FBOs, MROs, aircraft manufacturers, airlines, airports, military and naval users and private owners.

How the tugs work

A Mototok is a battery-operated unit with a hydraulic platform that encloses the nose wheel. The operator drives it to the nose gear, presses a button on the remote control, and sensors close the door, secure the wheel and lift the platform in about 10 to 15 seconds. Two high-torque electric motors, one on each side, drive the tug, which lets it turn in tight circles and save hangar space. An intelligent nosegear protection system (I-NPS) is part of the design.

Products

• Pushback series: Spacer 8600 PB (up to 105 t) and T7000 (up to 75 t)
• MRO and FBO series: Spacer 200 (up to 200 t), Spacer 8600 MA, TWIN NG models from 39 t to 75 t, and M-Series M528 and M515
• Military series: LB models up to 86 t, including versions for fighter aircraft
• Helicopter tugs: Alligator (3.5 t) and LB 7500 versions for the NH90 and V-22
• Options such as explosion-proof versions, automatic guided vehicle (AGV) operation and cloud-based fleet management

Customers

Users named on its website include Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Dassault, Embraer, Gulfstream, Lockheed Martin and Pilatus, airlines such as Air France, British Airways and Alaska Airlines, handlers such as dnata and Menzies, MROs such as Jet Aviation and Duncan Aviation, and the U.S. Air Force and NASA.

Company facts

• Founded in 2003
• Managing director: Kersten Eckert
• Registered at Krefeld court, HRB 11142
• Sales and service through a global partner network