Rheinmetall to upgrade Germany’s BPz3 armoured recovery vehicles

The Federal Office for Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-service Support (BAAINBw) has signed an armoured recovery vehicle upgrade contract with Rheinmetall.

Under the estimated €30m contract, the company will modernise the German Armed Forces’ (Bundeswehr) Bergepanzer 3 armoured recovery vehicle fleet.

Known as the BPz3, the vehicles will be installed with battlefield recovery equipment (GFB) and universal transport platforms (UTP) to meet the forces’ new operational requirements.

The contract will see the company retrofit a total of 69 BPz3 vehicles, starting from 2019 until 2024.

Work under the order will be carried out at the company’s facility in Kassel, Germany. It will involve fabrication of GFB and UTP systems, as well as integration on to the vehicles.

As part of the contract, the company will also provide Bundeswehr with accessories and documentation.

During the upgrade programme, Rheinmetall will reposition the GFB equipment on the vehicle from the front to the back for easy towing and quick recovery of disabled combat vehicles such as the Leopard 2 tank from the battlefield.

In addition, the UTP kit will be integrated on the rear section to enable the upgraded BPz3 to carry additional equipment for recovery of other vehicles.

So far, four BPz3 vehicles have been equipped with GFB and UTP kits in support of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan.

Furthermore, two other vehicles have also been modified with the same kits.

Bergepanzer 3 is an in-house Rheinmetall development and has been built on the chassis of the Leopard 2 tank.