German Army received Wiesel-1 ATM with Spike ATGM

The Bundeswehr has adopted another modernized version of the Wiesel light tracked Armoured Weapons Carrier, adapted to fire Israeli Spike anti-tank guided missiles, which are produced in Germany under license and are called MELLS.

The process of replacing the TOW ATGM on the Wiesel-1 ATM with Spike ATGM has begun. In Germany, this ATGM is called MELLS (Mehrrollenfähiges Leichtes Lenkflugkörper-System - Multipurpose Light Missile System}. In mid-December 2022, the first firing of the new ATGM with Wiesel 1 was carried out.

Wiesel, adapted for MELLS missiles, are a serious reinforcement of the anti-tank defense of the Bundeswehr. After all, one of the main advantages of Israeli ATGMs is that they can be used in the “fire and forget” mode.

According to data from the German manufacturer that produces the aforementioned missiles, the MELLS ATGM is capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 4 km.

Complete system demonstrator for a future airmobile weapon carrier

June 22, 2021 was an important milestone in a challenging project for the Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and Use of the Federal Armed Forces (BAAINBw): For the first time, the complete system demonstrator for a future airmobile weapon carrier (GSD LuWa) was presented.

 

The air-mobile weapon carrier is intended to replace the Wiesel 1 systems currently in use after almost thirty years of use. The technical and logistical dependencies of the main components of the hull, drive train and weapon system no longer correspond to the current state of the art. The service life of the Wiesel 1 fleet is currently being extended. This is intended to upgrade the systems until the introduction of the new weapon carrier.

Full article Complete system demonstrator for a future airmobile weapon carrier

Bundeswehr awards Rheinmetall framework contract to supply tank ammunition - Gross aggregate value as high as €556 million

The German Bundeswehr has awarded Rheinmetall an extensive framework contract to supply tank ammunition. Under this agreement, 203,000 rounds of 120mm x 570 cal. service and practice ammunition – the kind fired from the main armament of Leopard tanks, for example – can be procured through to the end of 2028. The framework agreement represents sales volume of up to €556 million, including value added tax. A first call-off of 15,000 rounds of DM88 ammunition came at the beginning of December, with delivery to be complete by the end of 2020. This order is worth €26.5 million, including VAT.

The framework contract encompasses delivery of a total of 19,000 rounds of DM11 ammunition, 95,000 DM88 cartridges and 89,000 rounds of DM98 ammunition. Developed by Rheinmetall, the DM11 is a multipurpose tank ammunition which can be programmed to detonate on impact (with or without a time delay) or in mid-air. The DM98 is the accompanying full-calibre practice round, which features reduced range and lower cost but otherwise displays comparable ballistic characteristics. The subcalibre DM88 is the practice version of the Bundeswehr’s armour-piercing DM63-KE ammunition.

This order highlights once again Rheinmetall’s position at the forefront of ammunition development and production in Europe. In light of the sustained production of these three ammunition types during the lifetime of this agreement, and their resulting availability at short notice, the framework contract also offers other 120mm smoothbore users indirect advantages with respect to logistics. For Rheinmetall, the framework agreement assures a basic level of capacity utilization in ammunition production for the next eight years.

C.G. Haenel MK556 Wins German Army Tender To new assault rifle

After almost six decades with Heckler & Koch, the German Bundeswehr appears to have selected a new supplier for its assault rifle. 

A MK556 configuration shown on Haenel’s site (Haenel Defense)

C.G. Haenel MK556 Wins German Army Tender To Replace G36 The C.G. Haenel  company belongs to the Merkel Group, which is part of the Tawazun Holding (United Arab Emirates). The group also owns Caracal.

According to several sources the German Ministry of Defense has chosen C.G. Haenel GmbH to supply the next German Assault Weapon. The initial report came from the German Press Agency (DPA) and has been widely quoted. At the time of writing neither the Bundeswehr nor Haenel have made official statements.

Haenel is already supplying the Bundeswehr with the Haenel RS9 sniper rifle (designated the G29 in German service). Despite this they have long been seen as the underdog in the Bundeswehr’s search for a new service rifle.

The total deal is probably worth in the region of 245 million euros (over $290 million) and will see the procurement of some 120,000 new firearms.

The MK556 from C.G. Haenel won over the Heckler & Koch HK416 and the HK433, both of which are believed to have been under consideration. It also beat out the RS556, an entry from Rheinmetall and Steyr Mannlicher.

Heckler & Koch HK433 Ver 4 (souce - უახლესი გერმანული შაშხანა Heckler&Koch HK433 Ver 4 RAL 8000)

The “MK” stands for “Maschinenkarabiner” (Machine-Carbine) and was presented in 2017. As you can see in the pictures it follows the AR15 layout, but uses a short-stroke gas piston system with an adjustable gas system.

The exact configuration of the weapons and the accessories they will be equipped with is still unconfirmed.

• BREAKING: C.G. Haenel MK556 Wins German Army Tender To Replace G36
• System Sturmgewehr Bundeswehr – C.G. Haenel gewinnt Ausschreibung um die G-36-Nachfolge
• DAS NÄCHSTE DEUTSCHE STURMGEWEHR: HAENEL MK556
• Bundeswehr will Sturmgewehr von Thüringer Waffenhersteller beziehen

OTD 55 years ago Bundeswehr receive first Leopard-1 tank

OTD 55 years ago, 9 September of 1965, Bundeswehr receive first Leopard-1 tank

The Leopard 1 MBT was developed to meet the requirements of the Federal German Army and following trials with prototype vehicles was accepted for service in 1963. 

In July 1963, Krauss-Maffei (which in January 1999 became Krauss-Maffei Wegmann with facilities in Munich and Kassel) of Munich was nominated prime contractor for the Leopard 1 MBT and MaK of Kiel was selected as general contractor for production of the armoured recovery vehicle, armoured engineer vehicle and the armoured bridgelayer. MaK also built a small number of Leopard 1 MBTs under subcontract to Krauss-Maffei.

The first production Leopard was handed over to the Federal German Army in September 1965. Production of the Leopard 1 was completed by Krauss-Maffei in 1979 but resumed by both Krauss-Maffei and Krupp-MaK early in 1981 to meet the requirements of Greece and Turkey.

The Leopard 1 was first produced in 1963 by Krauss-Maffei for the German Ministry of Defence and more than 6000 vehicles have been exported to nine NATO countries, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway and Turkey and also Australia. 

By early 1999 the Leopard 1 MBT was no longer in front line service with the German Army although it was still used by reserve units.