The German Bergepanzer BPz3 Armoured Recovery Vehicle

The German Bergepanzer BPz3 Armoured Recovery Vehicle

The German Bergepanzer BPz3 Armoured Recovery Vehicle aka the Büffel (Buffalo) is a state-of-the-art ARV built on a Leopard 2 tank chassis. It can be used for recovering tracked vehicles as well as for performing various maintenance tasks and clearing obstacles. Powerful yet user-friendly, the Büffel can also be deployed in a disaster relief role. Along with recovery equipment and towing gear, the Büffel is equipped to operate in an NBC environment. It has a top road speed of 68km/h and a maximum range of 650km. It is able to swap out the power packs of a Leopard 2 A5 within 35 minutes (the spare pack is carried on the Büffel) It has a two man crew, the driver sits at the front and the commander behind him. For close protection it is fitted with a MG and smoke grenade launchers.

The German Bergepanzer BPz3 Armoured Recovery Vehicle Spec’s

  • Excellent towing performance both on and off road (62 tons)
  • High-tensile main winch (can pull 35 tons, which is doubled by using pulling tackle)
  • Powerful crane system (can lift 30 tons)
  • Capable of supporting a wide range of maintenance activities

The German Bergepanzer BPz3 Armoured Recovery Vehicle Operators

Germany operate 75, the Dutch Army 25, Sweden 14 (designated the bgbv 120), 16 in Spain and Switzerland has 25.