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2020-06-07

Rheinmetall’s New Fuchs/Fox ATV Configured for Bundeswehr EOD

Facing the grave threat to troops posed by unexploded ordnance, mines and improvised explosives, Germany’s Bundeswehr now has a new solution especially configured for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) role. Specially configured for an EOD role, this new variant of the Fuchs/Fox 1A8 armoured transport vehicle – known as the KAI, represents a quantum leap in the German military’s ability to detect and identify such battlefield hazards.

The KAI has high-performance electronics and a precise, multi-jointed, versatile manipulator arm featuring state-of-the-art sensors enabling Bundeswehr bomb disposal experts to reconnoitre, mark, expose and identify suspicious objects from a safe distance. The Bundeswehr’s array of heavy-duty EOD vehicles will be reinforced by the Fuchs/Fox KAI’s ability to investigate vulnerable points otherwise unreachable by the Route Clearance System, which is also partially supplied by Rheinmetall.

The KAI is intended to serve as a stand-alone system capable of operating without the Route Clearance System in a convoy support role. Delivery of these serially produced systems is already underway and the order will be worth a figure in the range of a mid-double-digit million euros when it is completed later in 2020.

An Innovative Carrier Vehicle

The new carrier vehicle for the KAI is the latest iteration of the 1A8 version of this tried-and-tested armoured transport vehicle (ATV). As well as being extremely well-protected from mine and IED blasts, the KAI is equipped with advanced force protection elements and mine-resistant seats to keep the crew’s feet safely off the floor of the hull.

The most prominent feature of the Fuchs/Fox KAI is a multi-jointed, high-precision manipulator arm with a maximum operating reach of over 10 metres and a load-carrying capacity of 400 kg. This unique arm enables EOD personnel operating in the Fuchs/Fox fighting compartment to investigate suspicious locations where they will be able to examine and identify ordnance and booby traps with great precision from a safe standoff.

Besides the basic tool, the manipulator can accommodate two other features, not least a dual 80-centimetre sensor currently employed by the Route Clearance System. This sensor is invaluable for investigating suspicious spots and determining whether ordnance has been buried there.

As the second feature, the KAI’s tool camera is mounted on a tilt-and-pan head to examine hard-to-view places optically and detect the presence of an explosive device, such as drainage pipes, the sides and undersides of bridges or locations behind walls. To enable visual reconnaissance, the system features high-performance optronic technology, with an optronic wiping-and-washing system enabling the reconnaissance camera to be cleaned quickly during an ongoing operation, boosting the system’s tactical flexibility significantly.

Additional Features and Capabilities

Other core elements of the KAI are its water-air spade system, with a maximum operating pressure of 400 bar, while a ripper chisel enables the EOD crew to uncover suspicious objects which cannot be clearly identified. Marking can be done digitally either in the system, by means of exact GPS coordinates, or with an optical marking device for the dismounted bomb disposal engineer.

The manipulator arm can also be mounted with a recovery system for removing persons from a danger zone. Rheinmetall is the German military’s partner of choice for combat engineering equipment, with other products in this segment including a share in the afore-mentioned Route Clearance System, the Dachs/Badger Armoured Engineering Vehicle 2, the Keiler armoured mine-clearing vehicle and multiple variants of the Fuchs/Fox armoured transport vehicle.

The World’s Top-performing ATV

With over 1,400 units built and having accumulated enormous operational experience, Rheinmetall’s 6x6 Fuchs/Fox armoured transport vehicle (ATV) is one of the world’s most widely used tactical wheeled vehicles. The armed forces of numerous nations deploy multiple variants of the Fuchs/Fox which, among other things, can be variously configured as an armoured personnel carrier, a command post, a field ambulance or for a mobile CBRN reconnaissance role.

In its capacity to counter numerous threats, the CBRN reconnaissance version has been successfully deployed in a number of crisis regions around the world. Nearly 300 of these CBRN recce vehicles have been built, proving their reliability in service with the U.S. Army and the German Bundeswehr as well as with the armed forces of the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Kuwait, the Netherlands and Norway.

At the heart of the CBRN reconnaissance version of the Fuchs/Fox is a fully integrated suite of sensors and equipment for detecting and identifying nuclear, biological and chemical warfare agents. It’s no surprise that in underscoring the Germany military’s trust in robust reliability, the Bundeswehr has been operating multiple variants of the Fuchs/Fox since 1979.

Reference Text/Photo:

www.rheinmetall.com

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