German Army procuring dozens of armored engineering vehicles from Rheinmetall
A total of 44 Kodiak vehicles worth $359 million are to be delivered
Eyal Boguslavsky
| 16/05/2021
The Kodiak vehicle. Photo: Rheinmetall
German company Rheinmetall announced last week that it signed a contract worth $359 million with the country's defense procurement agency for the supply of 44 Kodiak armored engineering vehicles (AEVs) for the German Army. Production will begin in 2023, with delivery scheduled to be completed by 2029, said the company.
According to Rheinmetall, the Kodiak is an AEV and mine clearance tank that can meet the technical and tactical needs of modern combat engineers. It features a bulldozer blade with adjustable cutting and tilt angles. The Kodiak vehicle is known as the "Pionierpanzer 3 Kodiak" in German. It is based on the Leopard 2 main battle tank that was developed by German company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW).
Powered by a 1,100kW engine, the Kodiak features a three-part excavator arm and a front-mounted winch system equipped with two capstan winches. It is also equipped with an advanced 76mm smoke/obscurant grenade launcher and the "Natter" remote weapon station, which can be armed with either a 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine gun, or a 40mm automatic grenade launcher. Kodiak AEVs are currently in use by Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands and Singapore, the company said.
A total of 44 Kodiak vehicles worth $359 million are to be delivered
The Kodiak vehicle. Photo: Rheinmetall
German company Rheinmetall announced last week that it signed a contract worth $359 million with the country's defense procurement agency for the supply of 44 Kodiak armored engineering vehicles (AEVs) for the German Army. Production will begin in 2023, with delivery scheduled to be completed by 2029, said the company.
According to Rheinmetall, the Kodiak is an AEV and mine clearance tank that can meet the technical and tactical needs of modern combat engineers. It features a bulldozer blade with adjustable cutting and tilt angles. The Kodiak vehicle is known as the "Pionierpanzer 3 Kodiak" in German. It is based on the Leopard 2 main battle tank that was developed by German company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW).
Powered by a 1,100kW engine, the Kodiak features a three-part excavator arm and a front-mounted winch system equipped with two capstan winches. It is also equipped with an advanced 76mm smoke/obscurant grenade launcher and the "Natter" remote weapon station, which can be armed with either a 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine gun, or a 40mm automatic grenade launcher. Kodiak AEVs are currently in use by Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands and Singapore, the company said.
