The Bundeswehr needs to replenish its armoured recovery vehicle fleet to replace both ageing machines and those transferred to Ukraine as part of defence assistance. Germany's armed forces plan to acquire 23 Bergepanzer 3 Buffel ARVs in the latest A2 configuration from Rheinmetall, with the budget committee and defence committee set to consider funding for the procurement next week.
According to hartpunkt, citing informed sources, deliveries are scheduled to begin in March 2028 and run through June 2029, a 15-month window that is actually fairly swift for a contract of this kind.
Read more: U.S. Company Claims Its Molecular Resonance Tech Can Tell an Armed Drone From Decoy, at 60 Metres
The expected contract value is around €360 million for all 23 vehicles, including spare parts and ancillary equipment. That puts the rough unit cost of a Bergepanzer 3 A2 Buffel at approximately €15.6 million, with the bare vehicle coming in somewhat lower.
For an ARV, that figure seems steep, though it reflects the current reality of defence procurement pricing. It is worth noting that in 2024, a rough price of €30 million per Büffel was cited, though that was based on an order of just two vehicles. At €30 million, the price would be on par with a Leopard 2 tank.
Defense Express notes that even this ARV procurement, which might have seemed like a straightforward matter, has demonstrated once again that defence contracts in Western countries are frequently accompanied by controversy and lobbying by competing manufacturers.
Rheinmetall is set to receive the contract to produce ARVs replacing those sent to Ukraine, a development that did not sit well with fellow German company Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft (FFG), which criticised the non-competitive award as far back as last year. FFG argued that its Wisent 2 ARV would be significantly cheaper than Rheinmetall's offering, quoting a price of €11 million for its own vehicle against $20 million for the Büffel, while also promising delivery within three years compared to the alleged five for Rheinmetall.
As the updated figures show, however, the Buffel's price is now more than €4 million lower than previously cited, with the bare vehicle potentially approaching Wisent 2 territory. Delivery timelines also appear to be considerably tighter than FFG suggested.
It is also worth noting that the Bundeswehr has an overall requirement for around one hundred ARVs and related vehicles, with a competitive tender for the larger batch expected to be announced later this year.
Read more: Defense Express' Weekly Review: russia Can Keep No More Than Four A-50U AWACS Flying, While Ukraine Downs Albatros 5M Drone, Hits Shelters, and U.S. Pushes 1000 km PrSM Evolution
