Germany to deliver 16 Biber bridge layer engineer tanks to Ukraine.

According to a Tweet published by the German Ministry of Defense on July 29, 2022, the German Minister Lambrecht has decided to deliver to Ukraine a package of 16 tracked armored bridge laying engineer tanks called in the German army as Biber.
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German army Biber bridger layer engineer tank. (Picture source Wikimedia)

With this new aid in military equipment to Ukraine, Germany shows its willingness to strengthen the military capabilities of the Ukrainian army in the face of the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces.

Indeed, last week Germany announced the delivery to Ukraine of three MARS II MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System), as well as 15 Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft tracked armored vehicles.

The first production Biber bridge layer was completed in 1975. The official German Army designation is Brückenlegepanzer Biber or BRP-1. The Biber is a bridge layer armored vehicle based on a modified tracked chassis of Leopard 1 MBT (Main Battle Tank). The vehicle is designed to be used by engineer troops and to create a bridge of 20m on the battlefield.

The hull of the Biber is almost identical to that of the Leopard 1 MBT but without the original turret. The bridge laying system is mounted on the top of the hull. The bridge is of aluminum construction having a total span of 22 m, allowing a gap of up to 20 m to be spanned. The main advantage of the Biber is that its bridge is extended horizontally rather than vertically as with the majority of bridge layers. When traveling, the bridge is carried in two symmetrical 11 m halves, one above the other. The bridge can be laid in less than 3 minutes.

The Biber uses the same tracked chassis as the Leopard 1 MBT. It is powered by an MTU MB 838 Ca M-500 10-cylinder multi-fuel turbocharged diesel engine developing 830 hp at 2,300 rpm coupled to a ZF HP 250 transmission planetary shift with 4 forward and 2 reverse gears. It can run at a maximum road speed of 62 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 450 km.