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.