AEV-3 Geniepanzer/ Kodiak
(click to view full)

In its 2006 armaments programme, the Swiss parliament approved the procurement of 12 “Geniepanzer” armoured engineer and mine-clearing vehicles for the country’s Armed Forces, using the chassis of surplus Pz87 (Leopard 2) tanks. A CHF 95 million (currently around $76 million) procurement contract has now been signed by the procurement agency Armasuisse and Thun-based RUAG Land Systems, covering 12 carrier vehicles, plus 12 AEV modules and 6 mine-clearing modules. The vehicles will be multifunctional, and it will be possible to set them up for AEV or mine clearance missions within a very short time. Ruag is partnering with Germany’s Leopard tank co-producer Rheinmetall AG, and the vehicles will be delivered to the Swiss armed forces in 2010-2011.

Mine-clearance options
(click to view full)

The Geniepanzer, also known as the Kodiak for international sales, will be equipped with a high-performance hinged arm excavator, a bulldozer system with innovative cutting and tilt angle settings, and a double-winch system consisting of two 9 tonne/10 ton capstan winches. When combined and deployed in multiple traction mode, these provide a pulling force of up to 62 tons. Thanks to a quick-release coupling, the excavator bucket can be exchanged for a number of other devices, including a hydraulic hammer and a universal-gripper. All of these tools are electro-hydraulically controlled and can be operated by the driver with two joysticks, gtiving the Kodiak a wide range of military and civilian/disaster related uses. As an alternative, the dozer blade can be swapped for a full-width mine plough, and the vehicle can be fitted with signature-duplicator and lane-marking units. This turns the Kodiak/Geniepanzer into a high performance minefield-breaching system. The Kodiak’s anti-landmine protection technology features correspond to those of the latest generation of Leopard 2 MBT, and it will also carry a 12.7mm/ .50 caliber machine gun and a smoke grenade launcher for protection.

RUAG and Rheinmetall have set up a consortium to develop, market and manufacture the “AEV-3 Kodiak” for use by other Leopard 2 customers across Europe and beyond. Thanks in part to the great DeutschePanzerSchlussverkauf, the Leopard 2 and its variants have been bought by Germany, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Singapore, Switzerland, Sweden, and Turkey. See also RUAG release | Rheinmetall release.