Two years back, I heard a Major from the Royal Engineers comment that the Badger was the best AEV in the world. I cannot independantly verify the acurracy of this statment, but I do know that the Badger is very good at doing what it is designed to do. Anybody who has watched one breach an obstacle at the front of an Armoured Cmbt Tm on Ex can confirm this. The Leopard platform provides significantly more power to the vehicle than would be available through a wheeled platform. Life extensions of the AEV should make plans for an all terrain prime mover, which would enable to AEV to move with and keep up to the wheeled LAV units.

The RE Major also noted that our AEV would soon be overtaken as best in the world once the US had completed development of their new AEV, The Grizzly built on an M1 Abrams body. That would leave us with only one option if we wanted to replace the Badger and still maintain the same capabilities; We would require a slightly modified Grizzly AEV. It is intresting to note that the Grizzly AEV has strikingly similar characteristics to the Leopard AEV. The same is true of thier new Wolverine AVLB when compared to the Leopard AVLB (the Beaver).

I don't think there is a need at this point in time to replace the Badger.

Chimo!

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MaK Pionierpanzer 2 Dachs armoured engineer vehicle

Description
MaK System Gesellschaft mbH, developed and produced three prototypes of the Pionierpanzer 2 Dachs (Badger) armoured engineer vehicle.

A contract award for the conversion of a mix of Leopard 1 ARVs and AEVs was awarded by the German MoD during the early part of 1987 for delivery by December 1990. The conversion price was DM1.3 million per unit. A further nine vehicles, known as the Badger, were produced for the Canadian Armed Forces using new armoured chassis and hulls. The Canadian contract was worth DM49 million and was completed in 1990.

For the German conversion programme MaK stripped down the original vehicles, repaired them where necessary, fitted the dozer blade assembly and hydraulic system and completed the final assembly. Jung Jungenthal GmbH was responsible for hull modifications, Eisenwerke Kaiserslautern for the excavator and traversing turntable and Wieger Maschinenbau for the telescopic arm assemblies.

The Pionierpanzer 2 is based on the hull, running gear and suspension of the Leopard 1 AEV (see following entry) and the Leopard 1 ARV (see entry under Armoured Recovery Vehicles).

The vehicles have an armoured steel superstructure situated towards the left-hand side of the vehicle with a telescopic excavator arm located on the right with the traversing turntable situated forward. An extended dozer blade is mounted on the front of the vehicle. This is also used as a stabiliser when the winch is being used.

The driver, seated at the front of the superstructure under a hatch cover, is provided with a number of periscopes and night driving aids and operates the dozer blade. Behind the driver is seated the commander with his own cupola and all-round vision periscopes. Periscopes provided for the commander and driver can be tilted. The cupola has provision for mounting a 7.62 mm MG3 machine gun. The commander operates the telescopic excavator arm. There is a third crew member seated within the superstructure.

A bank of six electrically operated 76 mm smoke grenade launchers is mounted on the left side of the superstructure, firing forwards.

The telescopic excavator arm is hydraulically operated by a 300 bar system and is electrically controlled. It can be used in a variety of ways and can be elevated or depressed to an angle of �60�. Its horizontal arc of operation is 196.5�. The bucket on the end of the arm has a capacity of 1.1 m3 and the arm can be extended to a maximum length of 8.3 m. It has an earth working capacity of 140 m3/h. The arm can also be used as a crane jib. If required the excavator arm can be controlled from a remote dismounted position.

The dozer blade has a maximum width of 3.75 m with side extensions fitted and has scarifiers to rip up road surfaces. Maximum operating speed with the dozer blade in use is 8 km/h and the blade can shift up to 270 m3/h of spoil.
The Pionierpanzer 2 is equipped with a front-mounted hydraulic winch that can be used for self-recovery or the recovery of other vehicles, in which case the dozer blade can be lowered to improve operating stability. The winch, which is sealed, has a cable tensioning system, is supplied with 90 m of 33 mm cable and has a straight pull capacity of 20,000 kg. This can be increased to 35,000 kg by multireeving the cable. The vehicle can be used to tow disabled vehicles. Canadian Badger vehicles are fitted with a 35,000 kg capstan winch.

By using a deep wading kit which includes a snorkel tower, the vehicle can be used to prepare underwater approach routes or clear obstacles at depths up to 4 m. Additional bilge pumps are provided for underwater operations.

Specialist equipment carried on the vehicle includes cutting and welding equipment with an operating voltage of 54 V.

Specifications
Crew: 3
Weight:
(empty) 42,500 kg
(loaded) 43,000 kg
Power-to-weight ratio: 19.3 hp/t
Ground pressure: (combat weight) 0.92 kg/cm2
Length:
(travelling, roads) 8.375 m
(travelling, cross-country) 8.925 m
Width: 3.25 m
Width, dozer blade extended: 3.75 m
Height: (to top of MG mount) 2.57 m
Ground clearance: 0.44 m
Track: 2.7 m
Track width: 550 mm
Length of track on ground: 4.236 m
Max speed: (road) 62 km/h
Range: approx 650 km
Fuel capacity: 1,410 litres
Fording:
(normal) 1.2 m
(with preparation) 4 m
Gradient: 50%
Side slope: 30%
Vertical obstacle: 0.9 m
Trench: 2.5 m
Engine: MTU MB 838 Ca M-500 37.4 litres V-10 multifuel developing 830 hp at 2,200 rpm
Transmission: ZF 4 HP 250 planetary-gear shift with hydraulic torque converter, 4 forward and 2 reverse gears
Steering: regenerative double differential
Electrical system: 24 V
Batteries: 6 � 12 V, 300 Ah
Armament:
1 � 7.62 mm MG3 MG (Canadian vehicles have different MG)
6 � 76 mm smoke grenade dischargers
Dozing capacity: 270 m3/h
Excavating capacity: 140 m3/h
Excavator pull force: 125 kN
Excavator push force: 85 kN
Towing force main winch: 350 kN
Scarifying depth: 0.45 m
Dozing and scarifying speed: (max) 8 km/h
Traverse, excavator arm: 195�
Tilt angle, telescopic arm: �60�

Status:
Production complete. In service with Canada (9) and Germany (141).

Manufacturer:
MaK System Gesellschaft mbH

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Chimo!