Wiesel | They ask me why I'm bringing a baby into battle

[@WeaponDetective]

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[@astroboy3291]

Dear weapon detective, why are you calling it "Wiese"? The s, e, and the l are clearly pronounced in german.

[@soonerfrac4611]

I’m almost certain I heard him saying the L. Maybe on a couple occasions it was cut short but still present.

[@astroboy3291]

@@soonerfrac4611 True they said wiesel, when they pronounced the name english. I wrote this comment seperatly too, and I was answered. They checked the pronounciation through two scources or so, and thus pronouced it that way, when pronouncing it german. After that I checked the word "Wiesel" on the english site of google translate, aaand.. the pronounciation is pretty much "l"-less. Like.. if you speak german, you can hear the female robot voice might want to pronounce it at the end.It's like a weird dialect. After that I checked some other words, and now I'm anxious about my english pronouncistion of some words, that I trained with hoogle translate. 😅

[@erdbeerkeks8263]

Ive been operating the Wiesel for a few years now and wie train against other Nations regularly. Its the Most dangerous vehicle on the battlefield. The thing has almost no Heat signature, is easy to conceal and has Tons of firepower. The Tank Crews always Shit themselves when they Realize we Are out there hunting them

[@j.ehlers1822]

Still a cutie😅

[@thorwaldjohanson2526]

It seems like sich an effective platform. I can see it being turned into unmanned systems too. Put a battery in it, which can run sensors and some ai compute and you have a deadly yet mobile ambush predator. Just think of the psychological effect on the enemy, knowing there could be a robot Wiesel behind every Bush.

[@muffin_the_great]

​@@j.ehlers1822 it's always the cute ones that kills you. Or maybe i've been playing War Thunder too much

[@soonerfrac4611]

I’ve always thought that we (the US) were mistaken for not adopting either variant for our light infantry. My biggest concern on the modern battlefield is the proliferation of larger than 7.62 man portable MG’s. All these new 338 caliber could defeat the thin armor. With modern composite armor it should be possible to increase the protection with minimal or no increased weight.

[@tngdwn8350]

@@soonerfrac4611 I guess in a heated up situation, where the likelihood of an armed conflict between Germany (Nato) and another modern militaries is high, it would be quite easy to upgrade them to withstand 338 or 50 BMG (I'm no weapons expert but seeing the developement in armor plates it doesn't seem to be far-fetched). Of course only if the leadership would be interested in keeping and modernizing the Wiesel, which is an old platform. I think the concept of the Wiesel is great, especially now, when large tanks (being slower or at least less agile, easier to spot, loud, with a significant heat signature and often stationary) often become targeted by drones of various sizes, artillery and man-portable anti-tank systems, but with militaries still in need of firepower at the front, which exceeds man-portable systems. Firepower is more compact than ever, so a Wiesel can pack quite a punch, is much easier to conceal in all regards, can traverse forest and allows for fast position changes. Again I'm not a specialist and I don't pretend to be one, but I think the Wiesel is an interesting vehicle with potential for the future.

[@MrCemicalX]

One of the most underrated platforms I've read about. Comparing their size and firepower and their ability to easily traverse forests should make them a prime canidate for other nations.

[@agr2190]

Also easy to conceal and hard to see

[@hisredrighthand5212]

I read a comment by a former gunner on a Leopard 2A4 who noted that on maneuvre, the team with the Wiesel would somehow always win. The Wiesel would attack from the edge of some forrest, unheard and fire a TOW (I guess the Mk-variety would quietly pull back and wait for some infantry or lightly armoured vehicles to show up nearby on the battle management system. With the €100bn special fund, there is now an open tender for a replacement of the Wiesel for the 2030s. One prototype presented you can check out here by searching for "GSD LuWa". It's a bit longer than the Wiesel 1 but smaller than the Wiesel 2 and features some interesting technologies. For example it has a diesel-electric engine like a submarine, allowing it to drive short distances almost without making a sound. The turret features the 27x145mm BK27 autocannon which is also used as a board weapon on all German frigates (all 10 of them) and on the Eurofighter. Thanks to the Bundeswehr having ordered 60 new Chinooks first thing the check cleared, two will still fit in the new heavy transport helo of the Bundeswehr.

[@gilde915]

Those lil buggers are like having a race car armed with a 20mm gun, they are fun to drive and very agile , can trespass terrain were normal vehicles are just to big or heavy. Concealment is excellent, the small engine produces way less heat and sound then that of bigger vehicles and the heatsignature is sometimes even mistaken for something that is not a threat

[@mare2971]

And now they are phasing it out...

[@I31R0]

@@mare2971 well thats germany for you. who needs military equipment if you can hire hunderts of procurement officers instead? germany spends more on its millitary than france and yet our units are ill equiped (too long to explain in a coment but long story short the way the precurment system works leads to high instability in the defense market and drives prices up by a factor of 2-5 e.g. PzH 2000 and korean made k9 in comparrison basicly the same system eventhough the PzH is a lot more expensive) and dont have aircraft carriers and nukes; the big buck items on every defense budget. there is some hope though we finaly have a decent minister of defense and current circumstances demand reformation.

[@D.R658]

We were sitting in the forest having lunch. It was an exercise and we were supposed to wait for something. There was no alarm post or anything like that. Out of nowhere, 3 Wisel stood behind us. No one heard or saw them. They are damn fast in the forest. They could have easily taken out our 50-70 men without us being able to do anything about it. The impressive thing is, they didn't know exactly where we were and still found us thanks to thermal imaging.

[@TheNighthawk00]

Wouldn't a platoon of enemy soldiers have achieved the same thing while having a much lower logistical footprint?

[@D.R658]

@@TheNighthawk00 interesting thought. I suppose yes and no. The range of the Wiesel is 300 km with max. 70 km per hour. Can therefore be placed far away and reach their destination in a short time. In addition, we could have defended ourselves with the weapons. We wouldn't have been able to do anything to the Wiesel with our 5.56mm and we only had 7 anti-tank weapons.

[@honeybadger6313]

@@TheNighthawk00 not at the speed these things can move and cover ground

[@levoGAMES]

@@TheNighthawk00 Now think of the casualty rate of a confronting platoon of infantry. Men are valuable assets.

[@thantzweaung9080]

The Wiesel. The cutest panzer that ever panzered. The adorable annihilator. With potential to accept future technologies. Personally, my 2nd favourite tracked combat armour.

[@dieterdodel835]

Its not a "Panzer"!......its a weapon carrier.

[@Dori-Ma]

@@dieterdodel835 Shh! The Panzer I & II might hear you.

[@thantzweaung9080]

@@dieterdodel835 The word "panzer" literally means "armour". So, it IS a panzerwagen.

[@thantzweaung9080]

@williammurphy-zp6nj The Uran family. The 9 got a lot of PR, but I personally like the 6, the 11 & the 14 more. (It's impossible but I think Wiesels & Urans would work very well in manned-uumanned teaming.)

[@MakeSomeNoisePlaylists]

@@dieterdodel835 genau so nämlich !

[@hnomis9918]

There are trainings where Wiesels compete against leopard 2s. There is an Interview of a leo commander decribing how his Unit lost against a wiesel Unit in a simulated fight. The wiesel can drive trough dense woods where The Leo simply cant. And it is really quiet. They are really agile and fast compared to 60t Tanks. They can ambush Tanks from Position which Tanks can never get to.

[@RustyDust101]

And they can hide behind things that make them virtually invisible. When they shot-and-scoot, they don't need to retreat far to become completely obscured by terrain.

[@Earthinet]

@@RustyDust101 and you can hide in almost all gardensheds or garages xD

[@sentinelDJ707]

The perfect hit and run tank?

[@EvilGNU]

Also vs Abrams in joint exercises. The term "f***ing weasels" was coined there by frustrated US Troops. As you stated. Hard to pick up, easy to camouflage. Also easy to find cover. Able to go where tanks can't and moblile enough to do solid flanking manouvers. Of course they go out when sneezed at but they ain't a duelling weapon. ok maybe I am overglorifying here but they are good at what they do and very cost effective/low maintenance for what they are. Germany is phasing them out for the Light Infantry/Jägertruppe and transforming those to what our Bundeswehr now calls a "Middleweight Unit" and will replace them with heavier vehicles. Not sure if this a very smart move, but someone had to earn a dollar. Or in this case a Euro. Wiesel brings capabilities rarely seen, getting rid of them was an idiot move.

[@SirLynX93]

Exactly what they are made for yep

[@prolebenz251]

"You cant make stealth ground vehicles" Germany: well sieh mir zu *puts a 1.9tdi in a metal can and it works*

[@AleXxTM123]

So it's a Golf TDI with tracks, lmao.

[@user-xd6dx3ws8h]

I served at the Bundeswehr in the late 80's and we did some manouvres where I had the chance to see them in action. The Wiesel is really fast and small, because of that hard to hit and carries heavy weapons for its size. Impressive, believe me.

[@isaacmoore3639]

I like 1. No robot voice 2. No propaganda 3. Clear historical context

[@Sir_Godz]

Hands down the coolest armored vehicle ever made

[@udofunk5409]

Der Wiesel wurde Jahrzehnte unterschätzt,im Wald,der Stadt,im Häuserkampf ist er sehr stark.20mm Kanone,usw.Klein verdammt wendig, schnell.

[@EngelDerVerdammnis]

Die TOW/Mells Version könnte sich sehr gut für hit&run Taktiken eignen, wenn genug Deckung vor Drohnen besteht.

[@svendittmann3105]

wurde er nicht! Leute die Ahnung haben wußten um den Wert den der Wiesel im Kampf haben wird. Nur Dummköpfe, gesteuert von Lobby und Korruption haben den Wiesel verniedlicht und den LEO das Alphabet verpaßt. In den 1990igern hätte klar werden müssen, die Zeit der großen Gefechte ist vorbei. Es braucht kleine, wendige, unsichtbare Systeme! Dort wo der Soldat den Fuß auf den Boden hat, dort ist eigenes, gewonnenes Gebiet!! Die dt. Armee hat die Dronen verpaßt und ein innovatives System in die Tonne geworfen bzw. 'größer' gemacht und die Vorteile aufgegeben. Panzerhaubitze2000, Jäger90 ... Ideen als de Welt im Schachbrett geteilt war.

[@eddy5344]

blöde frage, aber ist stadt und häuserkampf nicht das selbe?

[@danielraab7381]

@@eddy5344 Wenn ich nicht falsch liege, dann heißt das ganze "Orts- und Häuserkampf" , also ein kombinierter Begriff. Ort von Haus zu Haus und Häuserkampf von Raum zu Raum. Funktioniert nur in kombination. CQB ist die Englische bezeichnung

[@craddocraddoc]

With the war in ukraine it does come clear that light and fast vehicles with AT-weapons are by far not outdated and even more deadly to tanks than ever thought. As others wrote, in germany the Wiesel does compete against the Leo2 in certain training scenarios and is a lot more dangerous to these heavy tanks than even tank commanders think. If there will be a "Wiesel 3" I can totally see them either as kamikaze drone launching plattforms or equipped with even better AT missle systems. Even though they are kind of unique, they are nightmares to fight against with your company of T-72 tanks.

[@michalandrejmolnar3715]

Wiesel is a perfect anti-drone platform

[@quakethedoombringer]

@@michalandrejmolnar3715i would argue it's better as a ground ambush anti-armor unit. The Wiesel doesn't have enough armor or firepower to survive a drone swarm. Speed doesn't matter since you see pickup trucks going full speed still getting slammed by drones

[@michalandrejmolnar3715]

@@quakethedoombringer Yeah maybe, but the Scimitar is big enough to use it's cannon

[@skyvenrazgriz8226]

Also you could build alot of em for the prize of a single mbt. And make em remote contolled or AI driven combinded with the role as drone launcher it would be a nightmare.

[@acceptablecasualty5319]

@@michalandrejmolnar3715 I'd argue against that, based on it's small size it couldn't really mount a sufficiently advanced radar system to engage drones effectively, and any cannon with proximity fuzed ammunition (generally reserved for 40mm and up) would requite a large enough magazine and loading mechanism to make it infeasible to mount. I can see it mounting an APS capable of engaging kamikaze drones for self-defense and against ATGMs, though.

[@mho...]

The Wiesel would also be an effective Drone carrier, having a driver & like 2 pilots with a bunch of drones stacked away, would be a highly mobile recon & precision strike platform!

[@vincevonderheyden7887]

"...The engine can replace in 10 minutes...!" Respekt...That's faster than I can get my bike chain put back on

[@FactoryofRedstone]

You should have a look at the Büffel then. It's a recovery tank based on the Leopard 2 chassis and it can swap its OWN engine in 15min.

[@davidbeattie4294]

The Wiesel reminds me of the Universal Carrier of WW II fame, updated and far more capable. Both vehicles give the Infantry a light, tracked, multi-purpose carrier with some protection from small arms fire and splinters. Very useful indeed.

[@aking-plums6985]

It reminds me of a updated and far more capable Mark VI British Light Tank from WWII.

[@meloncrusher3316]

They are actually very similar to the early panzer 1 and panzer 2 that spearhead the early blitzkrieg success.

[@Surv1ve_Thrive]

​@meloncrusher3316 which drew heavily on the first British vehicles by Vickers etc

[@Surv1ve_Thrive]

​@meloncrusher3316 which drew heavily on the first British vehicles by Vickers etc from early 1930s

[@trycoldman2358]

When I was stationed in Saaleck Barracks, Hammelburg I saw many as training variants and also 2cm variant rushing around during exercise. Lovely thingies

[@clivestainlesssteelwomble7665]

Up there with the US marines Ontos and Scorpion Scimitars .. fast N furious 😎

[@Akantor5]

Lol, Hammelburg is like 10mins away from me. Hearing the shots from training like every 2 weeks 😅

[@Baldur1975]

Hammelburg. Ex 2./FschPzAbwBtl262 Glück Ab!

[@W0DAN88]

Neue Videos wann?😊

[@waldmeister0815]

At maintenace it was called "The drivable stop block". You'll see that if it is pparked next to a Leopard 2. These are deadly little buggers Every MBT tanker should fear them.

[@marlenemortler3620]

This things must be awesome here in German woods since there are many small passages for machinery in our woods due to forestry. Germany is pretty densely populated and we don't have huuuuge landscapes with trees, so foresters mostly chop down a few selected trees when it's most profitable. I would love to cruise around the woods here with these things, must be so much fun to just disappear in the treelines and use all the small passages :D

[@prcr8tion]

The future of new tanks in the age of drones. Fast, small, cheap.

[@acceptablecasualty5319]

Nope. MBTs will still be required to maintain a forward presence. These tankettes, however, can greatly supplement covert, patrol and recon elements with Anti-Tank firepower, while being much more flexible than larger vehicles or man-portable systems. I expect we'll also start seeing both MBTs and Recon Vehicles equipped with ECM and ECCM systems to defend against drone attack.

[@farthammer7126]

This is one of my fav channels about old and newer weapon systems.

[@dstavs]

Like many weapons features on this channel, I’ve never heard of the Wiesel. Now I’m more informed. Thank you for the education! Please keep up the great content.

[@Konradss222]

Wenn du die Sicherung der Instrumentenbeleuchtung ziehst, kannst du 80-90 km/h erreichen!😊

[@daskraut]

ich habs ausprobiert und 95 geschafft.

[@TuxCommander]

Bug oder Feature? 😂

[@Vollmilchwirdsauer87]

Man kann auch einfach die Plombe ziehen.

[@Konradss222]

@@Vollmilchwirdsauer87 nur bei der Sicherung bekommst keiner mit !

[@acceptablecasualty5319]

Ich frag mich, ob sich da einer der Ingenieure beim layout der schaltung vertan hat und den Tempomat da rangeschaltet hat, oder ob das absicht war. Wenn es absicht war, dann weshalb? Wollte man vermeiden, dass der Soldat das rausbekommt, oder war die idee dezu gedacht, einen "unsichtbaren" trick zu schaffen, die volle leistung rauszukitzeln?

[@Muschelschubs3r]

Poor firepower? Since when is a 20mm autocannon or a TOW (in the latest versions SPIKE LR) poor firepower? Pound for pound, the Wiesel is one of the most heavily armed vehicles around.

[@RvEijndhoven]

0:45 Small correction/clarification: The official designation of the Wiesel is Luftlandepanzer ('airborne tank') Wiesel. Some versions of the Wiesal _are_ Waffentrager, but that is a designation that refers to _any_ self-propelled vehicle with a mounted weapon whose role is to carry that weapon into battle and use it. So most tanks are waffenträger, as are all self-propelled artillery pieces and some aircraft and assorted other vehicles, but the Ambulance variant of the Wiesel, for instance is not. Likewise a supply truck that has a machine gun mounted to the cabin for self-defense against aircraft (and, in a pinch, infantry) isn't a waffentrager either, because it's role is to ferry goods around.

[@benjaminw6985]

My opinion; until powered armor becomes the norm, tankettes/weapons carriers like the Weisel are the key to success. In addition, it would make a great C&C node for an element of UGV combat vehicles akin to the AH-64E MUMT

[@acceptablecasualty5319]

A couple of years back, i had this idea of a Wiesel Variant which would carry two tube-launched UAVs and a recovery net on a pair of folding cranes, like you'd see on a drag net.

[@aking-plums6985]

3:15 You get a Wiesel when a Marder and a Leopard have a baby =)

[@michaelpielorz9283]

Psst it´s top secret how Wiesels are made!!

[@Kretanus]

awwww

[@marcelb7259]

Thank you for this thorough and very interesting presentation of a not so common army vehicle. Cheers from Canada.

[@jim99west46]

This is the most fun Porsche ever designed!

[@TheRoguespark]

Not just airborne troops but also mountain troops, so called Gebirgsjäger.

[@bernardedwards8461]

And the US Marine Corps. Just the thing for storming Pacific islands in the forthcoming 2nd Pacific War.

[@wacojones8062]

I trained recruits on the TOW system Nothing quite like having a Roof busting capability out as far as normal vision allows with the newer TOW 2B double warhead design.

[@Stadtpark90]

3:16 that shot is golden

[@JeffBilkins]

'Military History not Visualized' channel had an interesting video with a regular tanker describing what it was like to train against Wiesels (they are very agile, sneaky and a big pita). The title is "Wiesel & Scimitar: Why Ukraine Vets want Light Tanks"

[@4evaavfc]

That could be useful for defending forested areas.

[@zhufortheimpaler4041]

due to this the german light infantry (Jäger) operate then in their companies and even have a dedicated heavy company equippend just with Wiesel 1 MK20 and TOW

[@Chiron84]

due to its agility and ability to take cover behind almost everything, the Wiesel will be a dangerous opponent in any area.

[@acceptablecasualty5319]

@@Chiron84 Except open fields and desert, you'd need engineering then.

[@robertsolomielke5134]

@@acceptablecasualty5319 Also no good for trench war. The French FT series tried that.....maybe the first 2 man "tank" .

[@occamraiser]

I have to say, given the context at the start of the video this vehicle makes perfect sense. In fact it reminds me of the UK's highly successful WW II Bren-Gun-Carrier, which was a light OPEN TOP tracked vehicle with thick enough armour to stop small arms fire.

[@torbenrohmann3568]

Wiesel 1 NDV. The BAAINBw has commissioned the Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft mbH (FFG) to modernize the Bundeswehr's entire Wiesel 1 fleet and reduce the number of different versions of the vehicle. In advance, the FFG had already completed the development of the service life extension measures in a separate project and manufactured prototypes of these different versions, on the basis of which the fleet conversion is now taking place. The FFG is now converting the various versions of the Wiesel into the only 3 remaining versions: an anti-tank vehicle , which is equipped with the MELLS missile system, a reconnaissance vehicle and a combat vehicle with a 20 mm machine cannon. The total number of vehicles to be converted is 181. The armored fighting vehicle was designed specifically for airborne combat and is very popular among the troops. It is able to be transported directly to the deployment site with a CH-53 transport helicopter and provide valuable support to the fighting troops there. The changes to the armament and the intended use require extensive changes to the vehicle hull. There is also a modern protection concept. The vehicle ergonomics, electrics and communication systems were also completely redesigned by FFG and are now integrated into the vehicle. With all of these measures, the Wiesel 1 will continue to be a reliable and important part of the Bundeswehr in the coming years and will prove its value in the troops.

[@eddgrs9193]

the Wiesel will be able to be air dropped. The initial tests failed because of the parachutes they used. They just need to use bigger parachutes. But they are already working for a replacement, fitted with a 25mm gun, that fits inside the bigger CH-47 helicopter. The BW has already started the bidding for the gun contract.

[@KarlKarpfen]

The biggest advantage of the Wiesel is its small size: It can drive through forests and such and therefore regularly appears at spots that are generally considered "out of reach for vehicles".

[@peabase]

I wonder what kind of forests you have. I'm a reservist signals officer with a tank regiment of the Finnish Defence Forces. We field Leo2s, but likewise, they're constrained by forests, which are impassable to any kind of armour. Even our highly-skilled dispatch riders struggle to get though on their motorbikes.

[@KarlKarpfen]

For many central European forests, the density of trees is low enough for a small but heavy vehicle to get through (as in, it doesn't care for brushes). de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wald#/media/Datei:NP_M%C3%BCritz_Teilgebiet_Serrahn-5.JPG is a typical forest picture for central Europe, which has beeches, oaks or limes around 3 meters apart from each other, which is enough for a Wiesel to maneuver fairly freely through the woods, but too small for MBTs, IFVs and APCs.

[@peabase]

@@KarlKarpfen I still wonder. The only German forest I've explored is Hürtgen Forest, famous for the disastrous -- for the Americans -- WWII battle. I would _not_ venture there with a Wiesel. Detractors say that MBTs in Finnish use mainly serve to train conscripts how to defend against invading Russian tanks with anti-tank weapons. There's more than a grain of truth behind that.

[@christianjunghanel6724]

A much underrestimated vehicle by many !

[@oliverdenker8267]

The Wiesel is made of commercial German auto parts. So you can repair it at any VW station.

[@Baldur1975]

Echt? Ich brauch 2 neue Laufrollen, mal sehen ob ich die beim VW Händler um die Ecke bestellen kann. Was erzählst du fürn Quatsch?

[@thorwaldjohanson2526]

​@@Baldur1975I think he's talking about the engine and probably most other systems on the vehicle.

[@Baldur1975]

@@thorwaldjohanson2526 Oh, ok i this case he's right. Its a normal TDI Engine from VW (sorry for my bad english)

[@michaelpielorz9283]

but you have to wait to get a appointment!

[@Robin6512]

The new 20mm tungsten ammo will do some serious damage. It’s a paratrooper support vehicle and reconnaissance vehicle what can defend itself if needed. The newer tow is a very good tank hunter and the new mortar version is very good.

[@GeneralGayJay]

This thing seems very fun to drive. They should make a civilian version of it.

[@letsdothis9063]

That's what I was thinking. They do make something called the Ripsaw, that is very similar, and even faster.

[@Baldur1975]

Au ja! Das wär klasse. Immerhin sind sie für den Straßenverkehr zugelassen.

[@steffenrosmus9177]

Wait, until it is fully grown up. This is the larvae of the Mouse tank😂

[@Baldur1975]

not really

[@LMau-t9r]

12:37 EEngineer in high frequency processing here, semi autonomous systems are trained in virtual AND physical environments, the main reason we haven’t seen widespread adoption is: complexity of war, sensor limitations, cyber security, cost and most Importantly, ethics (AI killing). A lot of LAWS are simply classified, unveiled years after deployment.

[@notreallydavid]

Great for trips to the supermarket when the fighting goes a bit quiet.

[@the1HLT]

This tankette is both lethal and adorable! Brilliant if you ask me.

[@ianjardine7324]

I'm still angry we Brits got rid of our CVRT as we who used them knew and clearly the Germans know the ability to traverse terrain your enemies can't combined with the capability to strike decisively against targets well out of your weight class is a threat they have to respect.

[@ottonormal3354]

The Wiesel, its like the stealthy silent guy in a bar fight, standing arround and waiting for his chance to do dmg...

[@TheAzureGhost]

And i always thought that the wiesel was created as a mothersday present from a general to his mom as a way to assist her in (Black Friday) shopping sales. (We nicknamed the Wiesel "Einkaufswagen" (shopping cart) back in military training)

[@kiereluurs1243]

That's really 'brief'. What about 'Maus'?

[@danielbrown8943]

300 of those tearing toward enemy positions would be a scary thing

[@J_n..]

The 20mm canon installed is not weak, but was a standard weapon at the time. The Marder IFV and the Luchs armored recon vehicle both used the same weapon

[@maxo.9928]

Love the stories of these guys sneaking up on friendly armored units during training exercises and just appearing next to them out of nowhere. Always thought these things were cool, if they could find a way to add some extra armor/protection to them for modern fire support missions it would be a wicked little thing (it's cool but if BMPs get sent to space by even light ordanance, I'd hate to find out what would happen to the lil Wiesel). It's radical, but imagine UGV Wiesels with autoloader systems in the empty crew space......

[@tomppeli.]

Definitely one of my favourite tanks Still not as cute as the Panzer II Luchs, but it's definitely one of the top 2 on my list

[@4700_Dk]

Small, fast and agile. Would do well for scouting and security missions.

[@coby9282]

Crazy how we already speak of the "1st. Cold War". We are witnessing history here, folks.

[@maxjohnson1758]

The new version of it is even more cool. Two tracks per side, so if it hits a mine it's still mobile.

[@caccioman]

Do you have a source for that?

[@Vollmilchwirdsauer87]

There is no new version. The Luwa was just a study to test some technologies.

[@maxjohnson1758]

@@Vollmilchwirdsauer87 Whaaat?? But, I wanted one... . 😆

[@arumatai]

comparing them to full sized fighting vehicles one might also mention that you can get 8-10 for the price of one full sized IFV. Lets mix 3 20mm cannon, 2 atgm, 2 transport (4 troops each), an anti air, a med evac and a mortar unit and you get way more capability than one IFV. Oh and you can maintain them in a civilian garage. And one enemy hit only costs you 1/10th of your operational capability. Did i mention their ground pressure is so low they don't activate antitank mines? imagine a hundred of those racing over a russian minefield in ukraine instead of a tank company following a narrow path and being picked off by atgms and two tanks.

[@velocitymg]

I worry about their survivability against drones, if anything the Ukraine has shown that any vehicle, whether armoured or not, is extremely vulnerable to small, fast suicide drones roaming the battlefield. If Armor is to remain viable, a concerted effort needs to be made for passive and active jamming of drones not just for area denial but also for each individual vehicle on the ground. Something like a cell network, where each vehicle creates a jamming bubble so if one goes down the others remain protected. Right now it seems that the focus is on large expensive systems that cover a wide area and in turn become attractive targets and once down, the entire area and all assets are vulnerable.

[@arumatai]

​@@velocitymg That's where the 3 20mm and the antiair come in :) and the 5 mgs on the other vehicles. Even MBTs are vulnerable to suicide drones especially if any of the hatches are open. If it comes to the worst I'm back at: one loss is only 1/10th of your capability. Wiesels are very silent, very mobile and way easier to hide. I don't see them as a replacement for bigger vehicles but as the poor mans alternative against a richer opponent especially in guerilla tactics.

[@cqde-e3o]

@@velocitymgFPV can't find it. He's too short and easily hidden in the jungle

[@xxklesx1]

One of this things could solve every jurrasic park movie 😂

[@KarlHeinzSpock]

a bunch of wiesels that are operated well is a very bad nightmare for any opponent. they hit but are gone when you try to fight them back.

[@LordNeros]

the question is, would you rather be in a toyota with a rocketlauncher welded on to it in a scetchy way or be in an somewhat armored vehicle that has it properly installed and makes it easyer for you to fire it. I would choose the Wiesel every time.

[@TB-zf7we]

13:00 There was an early Star Trek episode about such a scenario between two races on a planet visited by Capt Kirk and the Enterprise. The two waring sides had tried to rationalize war by using a shared computer system running a version of Missile Command where the losses where tallied up and then residents of both sides were assigned to walk in their own sides incinerators to comply with the scenario losses thus in their minds fighting a cleaner more civilized war. Kirk pointed out that it is exactly the destruction, cruelty, grief that puts a heavy price on humanity to NOT enter into those conflicts. Obviously Putin never saw that episode.

[@anon-iraq2655]

This is a very childish view, expected from someone who quotes star trek as a philosophical motive lmao Nato promised Russia 3 times it won't expand if Russia let go of Soviet union after each time Nato broke the promise and expanded towards russia What is putin supposed to do when Nato supported a coup against the elected leader of Ukraine and installed the western agent zelensky who was doing ethnic cleansing against Russians in Ukraine and cutting off water from crimea?

[@patrickporter1864]

Putin is not in the war on a daily basis he just sends his minions to battle and most are not Russians.

[@wiktorberski9272]

Really cute, but deadly at the same time, vehicle

[@ZacLowing]

Carrying the weapons only a 40K Ultramarines could heft, in a lower, faster profile.That thing is a terminator

[@EokaBeamer69]

0:58 "The Wiesel was the child of the FIRST Cold War." - What does this guy know that we don't?

[@samfetter2968]

You missed that China and Russia chose to enter a new cold war with the West? This has been ceized to be news for some years now 🤷‍♂️😏

[@DragonOfInfinity]

My exact thought.

[@dmitriyteslenko5836]

This is a realistically very interesting machine. Its use and prospects, as stated at the end of the video, is more of a philosophical question. But it would be really interesting to know how effective it is in real combat.

[@warwarneverchanges4937]

Pop a remote control gps and all that other good stuff in it where the seats used to be and zoom into the future.

[@MaticTheProto]

I hope we keep it and don’t phase it out

[@ewoll101]

That is really neat! I bet this could be modded as a cas-evac since it could get in and out fairly quickly, with less detection than many of its larger counterparts.

[@craigmorris4083]

I love these little things.

[@alecmcq5279]

with such mobility, small footprint, and 5500 meter armor piercing range this thing is kind of scary in it's own way. Of course a MBT would take it out easily if it tried to go head to head, but imagine dozens buzzing around at long range shooting then running

[@grenmoyo3968]

the ability to move and flank or even get behind a tank system is not something to mess with. its faster than a person so it will always be better than an AT squad of dismounted infantry.

[@MrHenning3000]

I wish we would have had a wiesel 2 mortar carrier instead of the slow M113 shoeboxes as a Panzermörser in the 90s.

[@cp4512]

It’s a bit smaller but not dissimilar in concept to the UK’s CVR(T) family of vehicles.

[@trickydicky2908]

I imagine an unstoppable swarm of drones, and 'Wiesels'. Lol

[@mohammedsaysrashid3587]

It was an informative and wonderful introduction video about light armor vehicles ( wiesel) designed by (W.Germany) during the First Cold War . Video clearly explained all characteristics of that vehicle besides its historical backgrounds...thank you an amazing ( weapon detective 🕵️‍♂️) channel for sharing

[@MWcrazyhorse]

It's just my favorite tank. Everyone should have a Wiesel!!!

[@connormanable]

I am a Wiesel Stan I love this video

[@dschihadinio]

Armor only to make it waterproof.

[@BruderSenf]

seeing 3 guys popping out of a wiesel will never not be funny, its like one of those adorable clown cars with a big boom toob on it

[@Centurion101B3C]

Hm, The Dutch and Canadian armies in the 1970s and 1980s used to have the shortened and reconfigured M113, the Lynx (or M113 C&R) for typical Cavalry scouting tasks. With a 25mm dual mode autocannon and 7,62 NATO MAG and superior agility and velocity with Amphibious capability, it was a very viable platform. Not eggsackly the same battlefield role as the current Wiesel, but as a system highly adaptable.

[@TB-zf7we]

The Lynx is of course taller, noisier, heavier, so less desirable for the recon role, unless its all you have.

[@Centurion101B3C]

@@TB-zf7we Hm, I don't think that the Lynx is much taller or much more noisy than the Wiesel and once things get kinetic the noiselevel is less of an issue. Unlike the Wiesel being amphib, however, is NOT. Besides that, this matter is academic, since the Lynx (to my knowledge) is unfortunately no longer in use.

[@065Tim]

​@@TB-zf7we what about reconnaissance helicopters? They make more noise. What about the Luchs? It's much taller than the lynx. What about recon tanks? They are way heavier. Maybe these are all factors that just need to be held into account when doing your recon. A good scout can use any vehicle.

[@Centurion101B3C]

@@TB-zf7we Actually, I looked it up and there is hardly any difference between dimensions of both. Certainly when comparing it with the Wiesel 2 onwards. The lynx is slightly heavier, but packs a significantly heavier punch and is amphib.

[@raskush6012]

@@Centurion101B3C Wiesel 2, most heavy version under 4,80t vs. Lynx in standard version around 8,5t --> almost the same, yeah clear...NO thats not far from double Tonnage ---- Wiesel: additional TOW-2 antitank-launcher and ability to gear up with Stinger antiair vs Lynx: only 25mm autocannon --> clearly heavier punch...after getting hit by TOW the Lynx could return fire out its smoking wreck or what. Lynx ist not air landable by CH-53 so there is not even one point of even thinking about Lynx as an option for more then half a second. Wtf is wrong with people, just got into reading this discussion and it took me 1min to look stuff up.

[@LeFla300]

I was commander of an Wiesel II - Ocelot - LeFlaRakBtrr.300 - Glück Ab

[@davesy6969]

Is it a diesel wiesel?

[@erdiakarsu4945]

Mr. Bean's favourite military vehicle.

[@warwarneverchanges4937]

Like who wuld say no to owning one blazing around in the mud

[@feliscatus749]

IT is so fast, but appears to have weak armor and could be uparmed with something more efficient. Would be awesome to have for having fun around, I bet it could win some races.

[@christianfischer9990]

If you are limited by weight (airmobility as a requierement) you have to sacrifice armor for it. It's always the triangle of Firepower/ Armor/ Mobility. Mobility and Firepower are defined. So armor has to be reduced. But a Wiesel is very hard to kill for a tank. Even Leopard 2 crews are frustrated wwhen being ambushed by Wiesels. Because they can easily be hidden, concealed or even covered. And yes, they are no match for a drone. By T 72 aren't either...

[@biddinge8898]

Im not sure if the first variant is still in production. But i hope it is. Because they seem to not have a replacement coming anytime soon.

[@JJLewin1]

Amazing and extremely versatile vecicle.

[@mare2971]

It's nearly history because the Bundeswehr attempts to phase it out and replace it by "Schwerer Waffenträger Infanterie" [heavy weaponsplattform for Infantry]

[@bigman23DOTS]

Time for automation…unbeatable concept

[@I_Willenbrock_I]

The wiesel is like a dog fart - silent bud deadly

[@HUTZELMUTZEL]

not only airborne Fallschirmjäger the mountain troops too they are airtransportable troups with helicopter

[@adcaptandumvulgus4252]

Could this be considered a tankette?

[@hansmeyer7225]

👍🏻

[@verrezen]

Seems to me to be extremely vulnerable to drones. Then again, it is fast and mobile which might make it to difficult to effectively target.

[@christianfischer9990]

T-72 are vulnerable to drones, too... And so are Leopard 2. And they are much heavier armored.

[@MaticTheProto]

Drones have trouble finding them

[@magicAAA]

Gotta love a tank that can do Stoppies!!!

[@knobikocher8222]

I hear Preußens Gloria, i upvote!

[@benjaminloehner257]

00:15 poor protection and firepower...wait...did that bush just launch a missile at me?

[@dependablepaul]

Reminds me of the M-50 Ontos.

[@xela6349]

Well, the Wiesel essentially only has enough armor so that the crew doesn't get wet. But it doesn't need more than that.

[@Cyberslugg77]

Forget the booker light tank why didn’t they invest into these things as a light armoured mobile heavy weapons platform for airborne/ rapid infantry units you can land two of them in a super stallion

[@Dan-yk6sy]

These would be perfect to remotely use w/ AI backup if coms are jammed.

[@Treppenhochgeher]

I want those in a Battlefield type game! Imagine how op it would be xD

[@michaeld.uchiha9084]

Its in War Thunder.

[@mathewkelly9968]

A modern Universal Carrier really and just as cute

[@RadarLeon]

some armor is better than none, and i guarantee you it carries more firepower than the average grunt :3