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