Rheinmetall unveiled its Keiler NG ABV at Eurosatory 2024. (Janes/Nicholas Fiorenza)
Rheinmetall unveiled its Keiler Next Generation (NG) armoured breaching vehicle (ABV) at the Eurosatory 2024 defence exhibition held in Paris from 17 to 21 June.
The ABV is equipped with a mine plough, rocket-assisted mine-clearing line charge (MICLIC), and magnetic signature duplicator designed to breach deep obstacles in all terrain. The over 4 m-wide Pearson mine plough has a minesweeping speed of up to 250 m/min in rough terrain and Rheinmetall Denel Munition's rocket-assisted MICLIC Plofadder system is available to clear solid ground. The latter is designed to open 160 m-long and 9 m-wide breaches through minefields and obstacles within minutes, with two Plofadder systems fired in overlapping bursts able to clear 250 m-deep minefields within minutes, according to Rheinmetall.
The integrated lane marking system can be used to mark lanes created for follow-on forces, even in limited visibility or at night, the company added.
A quick-exchange front-end interface allows the mine plough to be quickly replaced with a dozer blade for clearing anti-tank obstacles, fill in trenches, or create emplacements and prepared positions. Keiler NG also has an integrated crane for conducting conversions, resupply, and retooling independently.
It has a crew of two and is equipped with a ROSY rapid obscurant system and the Natter 12.7 remote-controlled weapon station for self-protection, with the possibility of adding an active protection system, as well as remote control and digitalisation of the ABV.
A Rheinmetall spokesperson told Janes that the Keiler NG's development time was reduced by the vehicle having the same interfaces as the company's Kodiak armoured engineer vehicle. He added that the APV's development was self-financed by Rheinmetall.
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