Norway ordered 3 more additional German WiSENT 2 ARV armored recovery vehicles. Contract was received by German company Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft mbH (FFG), which manufactures such equipment.
As Hartpunkt writes, Norwegian Defense Material Agency (FMA) placed corresponding order within already existing framework agreements. Thanks to this agreement, total quantity of WiSENT 2 ARVs purchased by Norwegians will comprise 12 units, of which 8 are already delivered to troops.
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Interestingly, here it is mentioned Norway also contracted 12 WiSENT 2 AEV engineer vehicles. However in open sources and FMA announcement from 2023, order volume of 14 units is indicated. Possibly error was made, or during process they abandoned purchasing 2 vehicles.
Defense Express notes purchasing additional ARVs makes sense for Norway, as it now began receiving Leopard 2A8NO tanks weighing nearly 70 tons. Therefore specialized and, interestingly, unified equipment is needed for working with them.
Specifically, WiSENT 2 support vehicle was developed by German FFG based on Leopard 2 main battle tank chassis from KNDS Germany. Thanks to this, fleet unification and quite good capabilities can be achieved, including mobility on par with modern tanks.
Currently Norway also operates 11 Bergepanzer 2 ARVs based on Leopard 1, which have their limitations. Meaning procurement will enable equipping military with equipment having better characteristics, enabling work with heavier armored vehicle samples like Leopard 2A8.
Worth recalling Norwegians previously also transferred 2 Bergepanzer 2 to Ukraine within military assistance. WiSENT 2 ARVs were also ordered as replacement for them, but contract was signed earlier.
Interestingly, WiSENT 2 can serve not only in ARV version but also has engineer vehicle, mine-clearing vehicle and self-propelled bridge system variants. Depending on this, corresponding specialized equipment is installed.
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