Why is an infantry fighting vehicle called a Marder or a tracked vehicle called a Wiesel? There is always a story behind the names of military vehicles. An animal served twice as the namesake.
Bundeswehr vehicles are regularly named after animals. The idea behind it: To express what particularly distinguishes the device. Small, nimble and agile – like the weasel. The tracked vehicle can be brought directly to the place of use by transport helicopter. The beaver is a bridge-laying tank and bridges bodies of water. The badger can dig through the earth with its excavator arm.
The first tank to be named after a predator was the Leopard main battle tank. It was introduced in 1965 and there are different variants. The Leopard 2 is also called “tracked predator”. On its basis, the Buffalo was developed, a combat support vehicle. He can carry out repair work and remove damaged vehicles.
Cheetah godfather for tank and boat
The tank Gepard is used for anti-aircraft defense. Thanks to its radar system with a range of 15 kilometers, it can be used autonomously and is suitable for all weather conditions, day and night. Because the cheetah is so fast and powerful, the Navy also named a speedboat class after it.
Known to be particularly flexible: the marten. The infantry fighting vehicle can use its defensive weapons to fight enemy infantry, main battle tanks and armored vehicles. It adapts to the terrain in which it is fought – as does the predator, which can bite through objects such as cables or roof insulation.
