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.
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