Rheinmetall awarded Bundeswehr EOD contract
Rheinmetall was awarded a supplementary procurement order for four DEU Route Clearance Systems to support Explosives and Ordnance Demolition (EOD) by the Bundeswehr.
Signed in December 2019, the contract is set to run until 2023 according to a 5 May statement from Rheinmetall.
Five Fuchs 1A8 wheeled armoured transport vehicles will be adapted into operator team vehicles whilst four Wiesel 1 airmobile weapons carriers will also be converted into tracked detector vehicles under the contract.
The latest Wiesel 1 has an integrated dual sensor with ground-penetrating radar and metal detector. This makes it suitable for locating landmines and IEDs on road surfaces and off-road terrains.
With operator controls and dual sensor signals, the Fuchs 1A8 will function as a highly mobile and armoured command post.
In 2011, the Bundeswehr took its first delivery of seven units of the system from Rheinmetall as part of the Heavy EOD Platoon.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Land Warfare
-
![Can Iranian air defence systems compete for exports?]()
Can Iranian air defence systems compete for exports?
Iran’s defence industry is now producing a range of surface-to-air missile systems and has begun to market them internationally. Using what appears to be a mixture of original and reverse-engineered elements, how do they stack up compared to other countries’ offerings?
-
![Supply of new self-propelled guns is rising to meet looming demand]()
Supply of new self-propelled guns is rising to meet looming demand
As the need for self-propelled artillery continues to climb across Europe and NATO-allied nations, orders for existing capabilities continue to roll in while new and improved weapons are on the way.
-
![US Army seeks industry support to prepare acquisitions of Group 4+ UAVs]()
US Army seeks industry support to prepare acquisitions of Group 4+ UAVs
The US Army is keen to hear about vendor designs, strategies and potential hardware and software solutions to inform requirements for procurement efforts.
-
![Dedicated drone munitions could unlock modular mission potential]()
Dedicated drone munitions could unlock modular mission potential
Top attacks have proven effective against heavily armoured vehicles in Ukraine. A new family of uncrewed aerial system-delivered munitions is looking to press that advantage further.
-
![Elbit bets on local content for US howitzer bid as it faces off against popular systems]()
Elbit bets on local content for US howitzer bid as it faces off against popular systems
The Israeli company hopes that producing its Sigma artillery system wholly in the US will help it win a key US Army contract, but it will be up against the popular CAESAR Mk II wheeled weapon and the K9 tracked.
