Wiesel

A lightweight, air-transportable armored weapons carrier used by German airborne and rapid-reaction forces, small enough to be sling-loaded under a CH-53 helicopter. Built in TOW anti-tank, 20 mm autocannon and reconnaissance variants.

In service since 1989 · 1 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

km/h

300

km range

mm gun

2,750

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

German export-licensed

BAFA licensing with strict end-use review; approvals can be politically constrained.

Channel: Direct commercial / G2G

Fielded & proven

Limited · 1 operator

In service since 1989. Status: active · ~343 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Max speed Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.: 80 km/h

Stronger than 47% of IFVs
Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.: 300 km

Bottom 1% of IFVs

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.: 20 mm Rheinmetall MK 20 autocannon (Wiesel 1 A2 variant)
Caliber Bore diameter of the main gun or rifle. Larger throws heavier projectiles; not simply better — ammunition commonality matters.: 20 mm

Protection

Armor, countermeasures and survivability.

Armor Armor technology: composite, modular, ERA-fitted, uranium-ceramic. Exact compositions are classified.: Light aluminum/steel armor, small-arms protection
NBC protection Sealed crew compartment with overpressure filtration for nuclear/biological/chemical environments.: No

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.: 3.55 m
Width Overall width — matters for rail/road transport of vehicles.: 1.82 m
Height Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.: 1.9 m
Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.: 2,750 kg
Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.: 3

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Engine Powerplant model and type.: VM Motori HR 2.5 turbodiesel
Engine power Engine output power. Higher moves more weight faster.: 87 hp

Bottom 1% of IFVs
Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…: Diesel

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.: 343

Stronger than 20% of IFVs
Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.: 1

Stronger than 23% of IFVs

Specifications compiled from public Rheinmetall and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

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