The Badger Armoured Engineering Vehicle

Leopard 1 Armoured Engineer Vehicle
The Badger Armoured Engineering Vehicle

The Badger Armoured Engineering Vehicle is designed to provide engineer support to mechanized combat forces. It is capable of performing a wide range of tasks under battlefield conditions including dozing, ripping, excavating, craning, grappling, welding, cutting, winching, and towing”.

The Badger AEV is capable of dozing 270 cubic meters per hour with a maximum dozing speed of 8 km/h. The dozer blade is equipped with two ripper teeth that are used when backing up. The vehicle is also capable of excavating up to 140 cubic meters per hour when fitted with a 1.5 meter wide bucket. It can also be fitted with a smaller 0.8 meter-wide bucket with a capacity of 0.6 cubic meters.
The AEV is capable of operating in a crane mode with a maximum lifting capacity of 7.8 tonnes. The excavator arm can be fitted with two grappling teeth for picking up large objects. The Badger is also equipped with an electric welding and cutting unit and a CAPSTAN winch. The winch as a pulling capacity of 35 tonnes and a cable length of 90 meters.
The Badger is capable of carrying and deploying the class 60 Track Way (portable road sections) as well as fascine (a large bundle of tubes used to fill in anti-tank ditches, creating a crossing site). The class 60 Track Way is carried on the dozer blade and is deployed by the winch. The fascine is carried on the back deck and is placed using the excavator arm with the grappling teeth.
The AEV is powered by a V-10, twin super charged, 830 horsepower, multi-fuelled engine. It is equipped with an NBCD system that provides protection against nuclear, biological, and chemical agents. It is also equipped with eight smoke / HE grenade dischargers.

The Badger Armoured Engineering Vehicle Armament:

C6 – 7.62-mm machine gun (coax/Canadian Service)
C6 – 7.62-mm machine gun (external mount/Canadian Service)
76-mm grenade launcher (2 clusters of 4 launchers)

The Badger Armoured Engineering Vehicle Specifications:

Length: 8.8m
Width: 3.25m
Height: 2.57m
Weight: 41.75 ton
Dozing Capacity: 270 m3/h
Excavating Capacity: 140 m3/h
Crew: 2-4
Engine: Multi-fuel engine, 10 cylinders, 830hp
Max Speed: 62km/h

Built on the chassis of a Leopard 1 Tank, it is no longer in German Army service, a number do remain in service around the world including Canada.