Ukrainians mastering NM189 Ingeniorpanservogn in Poland

The Ukrainian military in Poland is mastering the M189 Ingeniørpanservogn armored engineer vehicle.

The soldiers are trained by Norwegian instructors who teach them how to build anti-tank barriers and overcome them.

In March 2023, Norway sent eight Leopard 2A4NO tanks, two Bergepanzer 2 armored recovery vehicles, and two NM189 Ingeniørpanservogn armored engineer vehicles to the Ukrainian military.

The Ingeniørpanservogn armored engineer vehicle was developed based on the Leopard 1 tank in 1995 for Norway. By 2001, all 22 vehicles ordered had been delivered to the Norwegian Army.

NM189 is equipped with a blade and a hydraulic arm with an excavator shovel. The hydraulic boom is mounted in the middle of the front of the vehicle and is placed between the two halves of the wheelhouse. The boom can be used as a crane.

The armored engineer vehicle is equipped with two cable winches, each with a pulling force of up to 9 tons. Using pulleys, the maximum thrust force reaches 60 tons. The length of the cable is 200 meters. The engineering system also includes electric welding and cutting equipment.

The engineering vehicle can be equipped with a Mine Clearing Line Charge (MICLIC), which can be placed on an armored hull for clearing passages in minefields.

Training on Leopard 2

A combined group of instructors as part of the Norwegian mission also trains Ukrainians to operate Leopard 2 tanks.

“We are here a small group of instructors, which consists of people from all the Ground Forces of the Norwegian Army,” said Thomas, who leads a group of Norwegian instructors in Poland.

Tank instructors have decades of experience under their belts. They have instructors for armored recovery vehicles. Instructors and technicians in armored engineering vehicles with many years of experience also work.

“So I can say that we have the best of the best to provide this training,” the instructor said.

According to Norwegian instructors, Ukrainians learn quickly. Some joined the Ukrainian army back in 2014. They enlisted after the invasion of Crimea and are now in Poland, where they are retraining. Others joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine when the full-scale war began last year, and have a year of experience with the combat system and extensive combat experience from the front line.