In addition to the medium armoured recovery vehicles (ARVs) previously reported by ESD, the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (Forsvarsmateriell) has also signed contracts with German vehicle specialist Flensburger Fahrzeugbau GmbH (FFG) for the supply of eight Wisent 2 armoured engineering vehicles (AEVs) and three additional Wisent 2 ARVs, the agency announced on 30 June 2023.
The contracts were awarded as extensions of two existing Norwegian contracts with FFG for six of each vehicle type, bringing the total contracted quantities up to 14 AEVs and 9 ARVs and the total contract values up to around EUR 80 M and EUR 29 M respectively. Deliveries are expected in the 2026-2027 timeframe.
Three of the AEVs and one of the ARVs are replacement procurements for vehicles donated to Ukraine, while the remaining vehicles will serve to reinforce the armoured support vehicle complement of the Norwegian Army.
The Wisent 2 is a modular armoured support platform based on the Leopard 2 main battle tank (MBT) chassis. It can be configured as an AEV, ARV, mine-clearing vehicle or armoured bridgelayer, while its modular design allows one chassis to be reconfigured, such as from ARV to bridgelayer, in less than five hours.
As an AEV, the task of the Wisent 2 is to assist army units by clearing or creating obstacles, including minefields, as well as rapidly constructing fighting positions. For these purposes, the Wisent 2 AEV carries a dozer blade and a hinged-arm excavator. A mine breaching system can replace the dozer blade.
As an ARV the Wisent 2 is designed to recover and tow stuck or damaged vehicles. For this the Wisent ARV is equipped with a 32-ton-capacity rotating boom crane and a 40-ton-capacity winch.
The Wisent 2 platform has a maximum weight of 69.6 tons and is powered by a 1,100 kW multifuel engine. Standard armour protection meets NATO STANAG 4569 Level 5, meaning protection against 30 mm armour-piercing ammunition and 155 mm artillery fragments. Modular add-on armour can provide additional protection as required.
Additionally, the platform provides NBC and mine protection for the crew and can accept the installation of several different types of overhead weapon station.
The use of the Leopard 2 MBT chassis as the basis for the Wisent 2 provides logistical advantages for users of the Leopard 2, such as Norway, since a number of spare parts and service/repair procedures are identical. It also gives the Wisent 2 the same tactical mobility as the Leopard 2, allowing it to keep up with armoured units in the field.
Thomas Lauge Nielsen
