The Rheinmetall LandSysteme Light Infantry Vehicle for Special Operations, or LIV (SO), is a German light armoured utility vehicle based on the

Mercedes-Benz G-Class The Mercedes-Benz G-Class, sometimes colloquially called the G-Wagen (as an abbreviation of Geländewagen) is a four-wheel drive automobile manufactured by Magna Steyr (formerly Steyr-Daimler-Puch) in Austria and sold by Mercedes-Benz. Originall ...

. It is also known by the names

Serval The serval (''Leptailurus serval'') is a wild cat native to Africa. It is widespread in sub-Saharan countries, except rainforest regions. Across its range, it occurs in protected areas, and hunting it is either prohibited or regulated in ran ...

Wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

, and AGF. As the name implies, the LIV (SO) is designed specifically for use by special operations forces, and has light armour, high mobility and high firepower. Development of the vehicle started in 2002, and 21 were procured by the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

for the KSK special forces in 2004. An unspecified number of vehicles were delivered to the Swiss Army in 2007.

Names

The name "Rheinmetall LandSysteme (RLS) Light Infantry Vehicle for Special Operations" is abbreviated as LIV (SO). It is also marketed under the names Wolf and Serval. The German name for the LIV (SO) is ''Aufklärungs- und Gefechtsfahrzeug'', meaning "reconnaissance and combat vehicle". The vehicle is also marketed by the abbreviation of this name, AGF, without translation. The LIV (SO) is also referred to by a combination of these names, such as LIV (SO) Wolf, LIV (SO) Serval and Serval AGF.

Development and operational history

Rheinmetall was awarded the contract for the LIV (SO) by Germany's Ministry of Defence in 2002. The vehicles were required on an immediate need basis, and Rheinmetall were given only 10 months to deliver the first example of the vehicle. The initial order was for 21 vehicles, all of which were delivered to German special forces units in 2004. The Swiss Army obtained several modified LIV(SO)s in 2007. The LIV (SO) was also considered for purchase by Lithuania in 2005, although the final contract was given to

Land Rover Land Rover is a British brand of predominantly four-wheel drive, off-road capable vehicles, owned by multinational car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), since 2008 a subsidiary of India's Tata Motors. JLR currently builds Land Rovers ...

. In March 2019, the German Army filed an official request for a replacement of the Serval. Up to 80 vehicles in a 2-class configuration are planned.

Features and characteristics

The LIV (SO) is developed on the chassis and running gear of the 270 CDI model of the

. However, the

gross vehicle weight rating Vehicle weight is a measurement of wheeled motor vehicles; either an actual measured weight of the vehicle under defined conditions or a gross weight rating for its weight carrying capacity. Curb or kerb weight Curb weight (U.S. English) or kerb ...

and

wheelbase In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front ...

of the LIV (SO) are both higher than that of the normal G-Class. The Mercedes-Benz developed chassis, complete with the engine compartments, is fitted with rear compartment and frame to complete the vehicle, which are designed by Rheinmetall developed by Binz GmbH & Co. The frame provides roll-over protection. The LIV (SO) is

four-wheel drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

n, and is powered by a 5-cylinder diesel engine capable of producing . The engine is low grade fuel tolerant, and complies with the Euro 3 emission standards. The transmission is a Mercedes-Benz 5-speed automatic. The maximum speed of the LIV (SO) is , and it has a range of on of fuel. The LIV (SO) is air-transportable, and its weapons station can be folded to ready the vehicle for loading inside a

Sikorsky CH-53 The CH-53 Sea Stallion (Sikorsky S-65) is an American family of heavy-lift transport helicopters designed and built by the American manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft. It was originally developed in response to a request from the United States N ...

heavy-lift transport helicopter or a

CH-147 Chinook The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a tandem rotor helicopter developed by American rotorcraft company Vertol and manufactured by Boeing Vertol. The Chinook is a heavy-lift helicopter that is among the heaviest lifting Western helicopters. Its name, Ch ...

helicopter.

Armament and armour

The LIV (SO) is a lightly armoured vehicle. Its underside provides protection against hand grenade blasts, and can be upgraded to withstand

anti-personnel mine Anti-personnel mines are a form of mine designed for use against humans, as opposed to anti-tank mines, which are designed for use against vehicles. Anti-personnel mines may be classified into blast mines or fragmentation mines; the latter may ...

blasts. Partial ballistic and hand grenade splinter protection body panels can be added, and the engine compartment can be armoured as well. The windscreen is not armoured, but is removable and can be replaced with

armoured glass Bulletproof glass, ballistic glass, transparent armor, or bullet-resistant glass is a strong and optically transparent material that is particularly resistant to penetration by projectiles. Like any other material, it is not completely impenetr ...

. The vehicle is fitted with a Rheinmetal 609K weapon station, which can be equipped with weapons such as the

Heckler & Koch GMG The GMG (''Granatmaschinengewehr'' or "grenade machine gun") is an automatic grenade launcher developed by Heckler & Koch for the German Army. It is also often referred to as GMW or GraMaWa (''Granatmaschinenwaffe''). Design details The GMG f ...

40 mm 40 mm grenade (also styled 40mm grenade) is a generic class-name for grenade launcher ammunition ( subsonic shells) in caliber. The generic name stems from the fact that several countries have developed or adopted grenade launchers in ...

grenade launcher, or .50 caliber

heavy machine gun A heavy machine gun (HMG) is significantly larger than light machine gun, light, medium machine gun, medium or general-purpose machine guns. HMGs are typically too heavy to be man-portable (carried by one person) and require weapon mount, mountin ...

. Swing arm mounts at the rear deck and the front passenger's seat allow the vehicle to be equipped with two 7.62 mm

general purpose machine gun A general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) is an air-cooled, usually belt-fed machine gun that can be adapted flexibly to various tactical roles for light and medium machine guns. A GPMG typically features a quick-change barrel design calibered f ...

Operators

Current operators

* : Used by the KSK. In August 2021, it's due to be replaced by the AGF 2. *

Planned operators

* 515 on order

References

External links

Detailed pictures of the AGF
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Mercedes-Benz G-Class Off-road vehicles Post–Cold War military vehicles of Germany Rheinmetall Military vehicles introduced in the 2000s