On June 12th, the FISH Widder was officially handed over to the 31st Paratrooper Regiment in Seedorf. This is a VW WIDDER T6 with the EURO 6c emissions standard. The Bundeswehr is purchasing a total of 400 vehicles, all of which must be registered by August 31, 2019. From September 1st, the new, stricter emissions standard EURO 6d TEMP will apply.
The vehicle is prepared to accommodate the FISH communication system (Heer command and information system, FüInfoSys Heer). The sets or their components are removed from the old Mercedes-Benz wolves (332 vehicles in total), processed and reinstalled in the new vehicles. Many wiring harnesses etc. had to be replaced because the conversion involved extensions etc. The associated antennas were dismantled by Wolf FüInfoSys and rebuilt 1:1.
The installation kits, such as SEM 80/90 and the FüInfoSys equipment, are available in the companies and must be installed after delivery. The Freytag company only converts the installation kits. As already mentioned, there are only 332 vehicles available for conversion to the new 400. The rest of the sets should come from the depot or will be delivered as FEHL. Among other things, there are major problems with the base plates.
Completely different sounds can be heard from Seedorf. The 31st Paratrooper Regiment is scheduled to receive 46 of the new FISH rams, but the location only has an extremely small two-digit number of old equipment sets. But of course the need for a new solution is self-evident, the wolves are up to 30 years old. The FüInfoSys Wölfe has now been loaded up and transported to Freytag by a shipping company. The TMP damage to these vehicles was greater than the old special print No. 7 allows, and the maximum repair limits were exceeded.
But the system itself and its mobility are important and necessary. These vehicles are urgently needed for the exchange of information within the framework of national and alliance defense (LV/BV) and also VJTF (Very High Readiness Joint Task Force).
The FISH Aries will bring even more changes. The vehicles used so far are all olive-wrapped. The FISH ram comes in flecktarn. From now on, this is a fundamental demand that is being pushed forward by the Army Command and the Bundeswehr Planning Office. This means that from now on it is a “must” requirement for all truck hümS (commercially available with special military equipment). The flecktarn on the VW Widder is even painted and not foiled. The Freytag company gives a 12-year guarantee on the paint, but with the foiling it would have only been five years. The FISH Widder is assigned to the vehicle class truck 0.5-1t hümS FüInfoSys. The vehicles are procured via BwFuhrparkService GmbH.
Further changes: The vehicle no longer has a manual transmission, but a dual clutch transmission (DSG), as well as a roof rack that takes up half the roof. Seedorf complains that the new vehicle cannot be transported or transported by air, among other things because there are no anchor points. It is also not possible to strap it over the roof. This means that the new vehicles are well suited for peacetime and training operations, but not for use by paratroopers. Even before the official handover in Seedorf, a number of vehicles were in use during Exercise Green Griffin. The soldiers' reaction was generally positive, as the vehicle offers new technology and more space. Nevertheless, the question arose about a second vehicle designed for operations.
Criticism also comes from the BAAINBw, because logistically the VW Widder is supposed to be a real challenge. There is only a tiny maintenance hatch installed in the engine area; even smaller jobs cannot be carried out without a lift. This “lift solution” still needs to be procured. It takes revenge when commercially available vehicles are used as a platform for which the manufacturer wants to bind the customer to the authorized workshop.
In addition to the VW Widder, 700 GREENLINER (Mercedes-Benz G 280 CDI) will also be procured. In contrast to the olive vehicles, which have been in use since 2008, the new variant will include a double floor and mine protection. The challenge for implementation at Mercedes-Benz will probably be to achieve this and stay below the 3.5t GVW.
Andre Forkert
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