The German Wiesel Is a Cute Mini-Tank

War Is Boring

Security, Europe

‘Tankettes’ were popular before World War II but they still have their uses.

In 1972, the German military embarked on a program to replace its lightweight and air-dropped Kraka quadbikes used to move paratroopers after they hit the ground.

The result of this effort was the Wiesel, a cute, unusual tracked armored vehicle and a modern equivalent of the tankette, a type of tank which largely went out of fashion during World War II.

While the Wiesel still seems out of time, its design remained relevant and useful and the Bundeswehr had most recently deployed them to Afghanistan with its small troop contingent.

(This article by Robert Beckhusen originally appeared at War is Boring in 2017.)

The German army first began receiving Wiesels in the late 1980s and retains at least 176 of them as of 2016. Sixty-four carry wire-guided TOW missiles, 87 pack 20-millimeter guns and another 16 are for reconnaissance duties. A final nine Wiesels are engineering vehicles, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

OK — the Wiesel is not a tank.

The vehicle’s thin, steel armor won’t absorb much damage beyond rifles and light machine guns. But it can travel at a brisk 43 miles per hour, has a low profile and is much cooler — we’re referring to temperature here — than a tank, making it harder to spot with thermal imaging sensors.

The Wiesel 2 is a bit different from the first Wiesel, is a bit bigger with more armor and has a bigger engine among other features — and comes in ambulance, command, mortar and air-defense variants.