The Wisent 1 combat support vehicle fitted with a Full Width Mine Plough is scheduled to be delivered to Ukraine in 2023. (Pearson Engineering)
Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft (FFG) and Pearson Engineering announced that they would supply minefield breaching equipment to Ukraine, in a press release issued on 24 January 2023.
The equipment will consist of FFG's Wisent 1 armoured support vehicle fitted with Pearson Engineering's Full Width Mine Plough (FWMP), a combination that has previously been supplied to the Royal Danish Army.
The armoured engineering vehicles (AEVs) and mine ploughs were contracted by the German government on behalf of Ukraine, which had an Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR) for means to breach minefields. Deliveries are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023, although the number of vehicles and mine ploughs to be supplied to Ukraine was not disclosed by either company.
The Wisent 1 is a combat support vehicle that can function as both an AEV and an armoured recovery vehicle (ARV). Based on a modified, de-turreted Leopard 1 main battle tank (MBT) hull, it can accommodate various mission systems depending on its role, including a front-mounted dozer blade, a crane with a capacity of 30 tonnes, a 35 tonne-capacity winch, and a mine plough.
Ukraine will join Denmark as the second known operator of the Wisent 1 platform, although a similar vehicle based on a modified Leopard 2 hull, known as the Wisent 2, has also been procured by Canada, Hungary, Norway, Qatar, and the UAE.
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