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mock-up of the Armoured Multipurpose Vehicle (AMPV) (Photo: KMW)

Really 'Made in Germany': The new AMPV Vehicle Family

08:20 GMT, August 26, 2008 Two of Germany’s leading military equipment suppliers, Munich based Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Rheinmetall Defence of Düsseldorf, have launched a joint venture to develop a highly protected new vehicle family in the 5 to 9 tons weight class. The first of the four-wheel drive Armoured Multipurpose Vehicle (AMPV) systems should be ready for serial delivery by 2011. Completion of the first prototype is planned for 2009.

Germany is looking to replace most of its aging armoured wheeled transporters such as the Mercedes G-Class based Wolf jeep with four different classes of vehicles. The new vehicles should be better protected against mines and enemy fire during foreign military missions. Germany is expected to have a structural need for up to 1,000 vehicles. A first contract is expected for some 200 vehicles with a total value of 92 Million Euros.

Responding to the Bundeswehr’s current GFF (“protected command and role-specific vehicle”) procurement programme, the AMPV vehicle family encompasses two main versions: the more agile AMPV1 and the more robust AMPV2, which would respectively comply with GFF-1 and GFF-2 weight and functionality specifications for the German armed forces.

The two German defence contractors are financing the development project on their own after the Bundeswehr opted in an initial small order for the Eagle IV Command and Function Vehicles from the Swiss company Mowag, a General Dynamics unit. This first batch consisted of 25 vehicles.

Rheinmetall previously offered an adapted version of the Iveco Magirus-made Caracal as a candidate for the GFF-2 category and KMW made Mungo, which is primarily used by paratroopers, did not fully pass the GFF-1 requirements.

The German requirements specify that the GFF-1 vehicle must not weigh more than 5 tons in order to be airlifted by a CH53 transport helicopter, while the more heavily armoured GFF-2 model must not exceed a weight of 6 tons in order to be able to fit in a C160 Transall transport airplane.

“KMW and Rheinmetall - two of the world’s best-known suppliers of land systems - both bring extensive experience from previous programmes to the AMPV development project”, says Frank Haun, Chairman of the Board of Management at KMW.

The objective of the joint project is to supply the armed forces of Germany and other nations with a vehicle that sets an entirely new standard for mobility, modularity and protection technology; and to safeguard and promote certain technologies vital to German national security.

Luca Bonsignore
Managing Director
defence.professionals GmbH

Company or Organisation Portrait:
AMPV family

The agile AMPV 1 is the smaller of the two, and makes an ideal liaison vehicle. A higher level of protection and a heavier payload are the primary characteristics of the bigger AMPV 2. However, the entire vehicle family is based on standardized engineering principles and technologies.

Both type series feature a patrol vehicle with an unprotected floor in the rear section, and an equipment kit carrier with a safety cell extending all the way to the rear of the vehicle.

Also planned is a special patrol version of the AMPV1 that can be airlifted in a CH53 transport helicopter.

The highly protected vehicle cell is an autonomous armoured steel structure with a spoor liner, while the reinforced undercarriage and reinforced cell structure offer optimum protection against landmines and IEDs.
Moreover, add-on armour modules make sure that the various vehicle versions receive the required level of ballistic protection.

Drawing on past experience, the designers of the AMPV family have equipped the vehicles with a robust, high-performance running gear, independent wheel suspension, outstanding spring deflection and high ground clearance – all specifically designed with military requirements in mind. These engineering principles are borrowed from the Boxer programme. Special combat wheels with run-flat tyres assure continued mobility even in critical situations.

A powerful 3.2-liter diesel engine with an output of around 200 kW guarantees a strong performance. The vehicles all feature permanent four-wheel drive as well as automatic transmission and automatic differential lock management, relieving the strain on the driver.

The AMPV1 and AMPV2 are both extremely compact, and differ only slightly in height, length and wheelbase.

All vehicles in the AMPV family consist largely of identical components; the workstations in the fighting compartment are also identical, ensuring uniform operation. The advantages in terms of simplified logistics and training are readily evident.

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