Marder IFVs, demining tanks, drone detectors: Germany’s new military aid package for Ukraine
Germany has handed over additional military assistance to Ukraine over the past week, including Wisent 1 armoured demining vehicles and a new batch of Marder infantry fighting vehicles.
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The German military aid delivered to Ukraine in the week until 13 September includes:
- 20 Marder 1A3 infantry fighting vehicles with ammunition (in addition to 40)
- two Wisent 1 mine clearing tanks (six were delivered before)
The Wisent 1 is an armoured demining vehicle based on a modified hull of the Leopard 1 main battle tank with the turret removed. Its main task is to make passages in a minefield. It automatically marks out the mined area so that infantrymen can pass through it. Typically, these vehicles have a clearance width of 2.5 to 2.6 metres.
- one truck tractor train 8x8 HX81 (before: 50) and four semi-trailers (before: 41)
- five load-handling trucks 8x8 (before: 35)
- nine vehicles (trucks, minibuses, all-terrain vehicles) (before: 288)
- three Mercedes-Benz Unimog ambulances (before: 44)
- 3,000 18,510 rounds of 155-mm ammunition (before: 15,510)
- material for explosive ordnance disposal (from Bundeswehr and industry stocks);
- 1 Satcom surveillance system
- 20 reconnaissance drones RQ-35 HEIDRUN (before: 60)
- 2 mobile antenna mast systems (before: 47)
- 10 drone detection systems (before: 103)
- 1.5 million rounds of ammunition for firearms (before: 44.2 million)
In addition, the German government instructed Rheinmetall, a major arms manufacturer, to supply Ukraine with another 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles.