Germany to produce 21 mine clearing tanks for Ukraine

The Bundeswehr plans to convert 21 armored recovery vehicles into mine-clearing tanks and transfer them to Ukraine.

The German media Hartpunkt reported on this, citing an industry newsletter.

For this purpose, the German army is preparing to transfer 21 Bergepanzer 2 armored recovery vehicles to an industrial company, which will convert them into 21 mine-clearing tanks.

The combat engineering vehicle’s model is not reported, but given that the Bergepanzer 2 is based on the chassis of the Leopard 1 tank, it is likely to be the Wisent 1 MC.

German Bergepanzer 2 and Wisent 1 in the Armed Forces of Ukraine

The Armed Forces of Ukraine have a fairly large number of these vehicles in service. According to Bundeswehr’s report, 22 Bergepanzer 2 armored recovery vehicles and 52 Wisent 1 MC mine-clearing tanks have already been transferred.

According to the Oryx website, only two irrecoverable losses of Bergepanzer 2 and one Wisent 1 MC were recorded.

The German Bergepanzer 2 belongs to the group of armored recovery vehicles. Its main purpose is to ensure the mobility of mechanized units and the evacuation of damaged equipment, as well as provide assistance in replacing or repairing the engine transmission compartment and/or turret of combat vehicles.

The vehicle is based on the Leopard 1 tank chassis.

The first such vehicles were delivered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in October 2022.

The Wisent 1 Mineclearing (MC) is derived from the Armored Recovery Vehicle 2000 (ARV 2000). Essentially based on the modified hull of the Leopard 1 main battle tank with the turret removed, it can accommodate different systems depending on the role.

The Wisent 1 features a versatile front-mounted specialised dozer blade and an innovative crane with a 30 t lifting capacity.

The transfer of such vehicles was first reported in January 2023.