Leopard 1 ARV

     Notes: These are descendants of the German BPz-2 Bergepanzer, and are generally improvements of modifications of that design.  They were designed specifically for Denmark’s needs, though some other countries use them as well.

 

Leopard 1 QRF

     Developed by the Danes in Afghanistan, the QRF model (Quick Reaction Force) has upgraded armor, including dramatically increased belly armor and slat armor on the sides and front, as well as full track skirts on the sides. Its heavy machinegun has AV3 gunshields around it, and the commander is on an elevated rotating cupola and can aim and fire the gun while under armor with the hatch closed.  He has all-around vision blocks.  The QRF has the database of recovery and repair solutions. It may be regarded as a stopgap between the BPz-2 and the Wisent.

 

Leopard 1 Wisent

     The Wisent is a Danish attempt to continue to make their Leopard 1 ARVs relevant by allowing them a shot at being able to recover Leopard 2 tanks.  Chief among these improvements is the replacement of the 830-horsepower multifuel engine with a 1000-horsepower MTU MB 838 Ca M500 turbocharged diesel with a tropical kit.  The crane is able to lift 30 tons, about the weight of a Leopard 2 turret (but not a 2A5 or 2A6 turret).  Armor has been added, including MEXAS Applique passive composite appliqué armor and slat armor for the front and sides; the suite is equivalent is equivalent to the Canadian C2. The commander is surrounded by AV3 gunshields and can aim and fire his machinegun from under armor with the hatch closed.  The crew has an air conditioner and heater and NBC overpressure protection. The secondary winch has been modified into a “Combat Recovery System”, which makes recovering and use of the winches and crane possible without leaving the vehicle, using day/night CCTV cameras.  Though a reasonably successful vehicle, particularly in recovering Leopard 1s and similarly-sized vehicles and smaller, it was not considered adequate at recovering the Leopard 2.  The Wisent has a number of new components replacing the older components, including the powerpack, crane, winches, and hydraulic components. At first, the Danish government opted for the BPz-3 Buffel, but costs led them to continue with the Leopard 1 Wisent, which has become the prime vehicle for recovering Leopard 2s. The Wisent is also used by Belgium and Chile.  It carries much more spare parts and tools, including those above and a chainsaw, power saw, “jaws of life,” a pair of 30-ton hydraulic jacks, tracked vehicle tools, basic tools, wheeled vehicle tools, pioneer tools, an air compressor, and a 20kW APU. The Danish and Belgian Wisents have a GPS and a BMS system, compliant with NATO standards.

Vehicle

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

Leopard 1 QRF

$858,892

D, G, AvG, A

4 tons

45.53 tons

4+4

25

Passive IR (D, C)

Shielded

Leopard 1 Wisent

$1,866,390

D, A

4 tons

47 tons

3

26

Image Intensification (D, C), WL Spotlight, CCTV (Corners)

Shielded

 

Vehicle

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config*

Susp

Armor**

Leopard 1 QRF

143/100

36/25

1410

333

Stnd

T6

HF46Sp  HS15Sp  HR8***

Leopard 1 Wisent

162/113

45/31

1410

371

Stnd

T6

HF76Cp  HS22Sp  HR8***

 

Vehicle

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

Leopard 1 QRF/Wisent

None

None

M-2HB (C)

2600x.50

*Gun hits are hits on the various cranes, winches, and tools on the vehicle. The GM will choose what it hit in such a case. 

**The dozer AV is 6Sp.  What will be protected on the front depends on how high the dozer is raised.

***The QRF and Wisent have a floor AV of 12Sp and a roof AV of 4Sp.

 

 

FFG Leopard 2 Wisent 2

     Based on Afghanistan experience, the Danes have developed the Wisent 2.  The Wisent 2 can double as an AEV through the use of modular components. Such a change in role takes 5 hours to accomplish. The dozer blade can be replaced with a mine plow regardless of role. Also regardless of role, the Wisent 2 can be equipped with a mine lane marking system.  As an AEV, the crane is replaced with a modular crane that can mount a bucket with a 1.3 cubic meter capacity and can lift 4 tons. The crane can also mount an auger, scraper, or rocket anchor (for digging also; the crane has a capacity for only 30 tons). A high-performance dozer blade can be mounted, and extensions may be mounted, that allow an earthmoving capacity of 400 cubic meters per hour.

     As an ARV, the Wisent 2 can lift 32 tons with its crane, able to lift even a Leopard 2A5 or 2A6 turret, or the powerpack of a Leopard 2 as well as smaller vehicles. The main winch’s capacity has been increased to 40 tons, or double that with block and tackle, or 120 tons with a 3-1 mechanical advantage.  It has 160 meters of cable. The auxiliary winch has a capacity of 3 tons and has 280 meters of cable. Armor has been dramatically increases, so that it is on par with the Leopard 2 MBT. It also can take slat armor, and has lugs for era on the sides and front. The Wisent 2 has a fire suppressions and detection system, and puts out only the affected module. The engine has been replaced by an MTU MB 873 Ka 501 turbocharged diesel engine with a capacity of 1500 horsepower. It has an automatic transmission that can be switched to a manual transmission for more efficient pulling and winching operations. The Wisent can ford up to 2 meters, or 4 meters with a deep wading kit. It should be noted that the Wisent 2 is based on the Leopard 2 tank. It has the same tools as on the Wisent 1 and the same APU. The Wisent 2 is equipped with a CIWS that allows the commander to aim, fire, and reload the machinegun or grenade launcher from inside the vehicle, though his position is still on a raised cupola.  This CIWS has night vision and a ballistic computer, and the cupola has all-around wide-angled vision blocks.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$3,060,924

D, A

6 tons

60 tons

3

10

Image Intensification (D, E, C), Thermal Imaging (C)

Shielded

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config*

Susp

Armor**

169/119

47/33

1450

552

CiH

T6

TF 20Sp  HS15  HR10  HF200Cp  HS28Cp  HR16***

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+2

Fair

M-2HB (C)

2600x.50, Engineer Demo Chest, 20 kg C4 (for AEV)

*Some turret hits are hits on the various cranes, winches, and tools on the vehicle. The GM will choose what it hit in such a case. 

**The dozer AV is 6Sp.  What will be protected on the front depends on how high the dozer is raised.

***The Wisent 2 has a floor AV of 12Sp and a roof AV of 6Sp.