The German government has updated the list of military supplies provided to Ukraine as aid over the past month. It includes a new type of equipment not provided previously: the Kinetic Defence Vehicle. It was listed in the "air defense in planning" section but there are no additional details, except that Diehl Defence is responsible for this delivery and that Ukraine will receive 12 such systems.
In general, German Diehl Defence is better known for its IRIS-T ground-based air defense systems. Those have been handed to the Ukrainian forces previously, in two varieties: the short-range SLS and mid-range SLM systems. At the same time, the company's public catalog, however, does not mention any system called the Kinetic Defence Vehicle.
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Sources told Hartpunkt that this is the system demonstrated for the first time just in February 2024 at the Enforce TAC exhibition. It's the result of combining Diehl's proprietary electro-optical system with a 360° view and so-called machine vision technology to detect targets automatically; the EchoGuard radar from U.S. company Echodyne, responsible for measuring the distance to the target and its speed; and the Slinger (R400S) turret from Australian Electro Optic Systems (EOS), equipped with a minigun chambered for 7.62x51mm rounds. All this equipment was mounted on the Enok MBB chassis, based on the Mercedes-Benz G with a lengthened base.
On the part of Defense Express, we note that the remote controlled weapon stations from the Australian EOS have already seen the frontlines: Ukrainians already use them in battles as part of the M113 armored personnel carriers and an indigenous MRAP vehicle of Ukraine's production. A slight difference, though, is that the turret manufacturer showcased exclusively the variant equipped with an M230LF Bushmaster autocannon instead (30mm).
Notably, Diehl's observation system seems to be an interesting addition to the capabilities of the EOS weapon station because it allows the gunner to spot targets in passive mode without being exposed by the radiation emitted by the radar. On the other hand, the EchoGuard radar is for shooting, it can see a Phantom 4 drone at a distance of 1 km, or a Matrice 600 copter at 1.4 km.
The arsenal of the Kinetic Defence Vehicle can be replaced with other equipment to suit the customer's request. For example, an automatic cannon could be installed instead of a minigun. The chassis can also be swapped, largely thanks to quite moderate requirements, since the Slinger weighs only 355 kg.
Besides the new vehicles, Germany has delivered lots of goods since the last update from November 20, 2024. Since then, Berlin had transferred:
- one IRIS-T SLM and one IRIS-T SLS air defense systems with missiles;
- two Patriot launchers;
- 12 Kinetic Defence Vehicles;
- two Gepard self-propelled air defense guns;
- two TRML-4D radars for IRIS-T systems;
- AIM-9 Sidewinder anti-aircraft missiles;
- 15 Leopard 1A5 tanks;
- 30 MRAPs;
- one PzH 2000 self-propelled artillery system;
- 30 Vector, 24 RQ-35 Heidrun, 14 Hornet XR unmanned aerial systems;
- five AMPS helicopter self-protection systems;
- five remote mine clearance systems and sapper equipment;
- seven Caracal all-terrain vehicles, a car, 12 utility trucks, and 8 Zetros tanker trucks;
- 45 underwater scooters for divers;
- 120 GMW grenade launchers, 200 MG4 machine guns, 420 MK 556 rifles, 80 HLR 338 sniper rifles, 100 CR 308 rifles;
- 52,000 155-mm artillery shells, 15,000 for a 120-mm mortar, 20,000 40mm grenades, ammunition for Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 tanks, 4.3 million rounds of ammunition for small arms; and
- power generators, tents, medical supplies, etc.
On top of that, German defense companies received orders from the government on transfer to Ukraine of 20 more Marder infantry fighting vehicles, two more Patriot launchers, and four more Kinetic Defense Vehicles.
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