Counter-IED vehicles for Bundeswehr

• Tweet

DUSSELDORF, Germany, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- The German army has ordered Fuch/Fox armored vehicles from Rheinmetall for counter-IED work in Afghanistan.

The seven vehicles, configured for detecting and identifying improvised explosive devices and land mines, will be used to bolster the army's route-clearance system and are worth about $50.2 million.

"The Bundeswehr plans to deploy the Fuchs/Fox KAI in Afghanistan starting in the fourth quarter of 2014," Rheinmetall said. "Even in a drawdown scenario there are numerous vehicle movements, and countering the threat from booby traps and roadside bombs will be as important as ever."

The vehicles will be delivered to the German army over a one-year period beginning this November.

The Fuch/Fox KAI is a 6x6 armored vehicle with a multiple-joint, high-precision manipulator arm. The arm, which can be extended up to 30 yards, has a heavy lifting capacity.

The Fuch/Fox has a top speed of 65 miles per hour, an operating range of about 500 miles.