The ATF Dingo is a German heavily armored military
MRAP
Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP; ) is a term for United States Armed Forces, United States military light tactical vehicles produced as part of the MRAP program that are designed specifically to withstand improvised explosive device (IE ...
infantry mobility vehicle
An infantry mobility vehicle (IMV) is a wheeled armored personnel carrier (APC) serving as a military patrol, reconnaissance or security vehicle. Examples include the ATF Dingo, Iveco LMV, Oshkosh M-ATV, AMZ Dzik, AMZ Tur, Mungo ESK, and B ...
based on a
Unimog
The Unimog (, ) is a range of multi-purpose tractors, trucks and lorries that has been produced by Boehringer from 1948 until 1951, and by Daimler Truck (formerly Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and Daimler AG) since 1951. In the United States and ...
chassis with a
V-hull
The V-hull is a type of vehicle armor design used on wheeled armored personnel carriers (APCs), infantry mobility vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) and MRAPs. The design originated in the 1970s with vehicles such as the iconic Casspi ...
design, produced by the company
Krauss-Maffei Wegmann
Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG (KMW) is an arms industry company based in Munich, Germany. The company produces various types of equipment as well as rail locomotives, tanks, self-propelled artillery, and other armoured vehicles.
KMW was ...
(KMW). The first prototype of the Dingo 1 was completed in 1995 and the first production Dingo 1 entered service in 2000 with the German Army.
It is designed to withstand land mines, rifle fire, artillery fragments and
NBC-threats. ATF stands for ''Allschutz-Transport-Fahrzeug'', meaning all-protected transport vehicle in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
. It is named after the Australian native dog, the
dingo
The dingo (''Canis familiaris'', ''Canis familiaris dingo'', ''Canis dingo'', or ''Canis lupus dingo'') is an ancient (Basal (phylogenetics), basal) lineage of dog found in Australia (continent), Australia. Its taxonomic classification is de ...
. The Dingo 2 entered service in late 2004 after undergoing trials from November 2003-May 2004.
Currently KMW is developing the Dingo 2 GFF for 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 ...
with increased internal volume.
Textron
Textron Inc. is an American industrial conglomerate based in Providence, Rhode Island. Textron's subsidiaries include Arctic Cat, Bell Textron, Textron Aviation (which itself includes the Beechcraft, and Cessna brands), and Lycoming Engines. ...
signed an exclusive deal to produce and market KMW's Dingo in the United States.
However, Textron chose its own more expensive and heavier
M1117 Armored Security Vehicle
The M1117 Guardian, also denoted Armored Security Vehicle (''ASV''), is an internal security vehicle based on the V-100 and V-150 Commando series of armored cars. It was developed in the late 1990s for service with the United States' Militar ...
for the
MRAP
Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP; ) is a term for United States Armed Forces, United States military light tactical vehicles produced as part of the MRAP program that are designed specifically to withstand improvised explosive device (IE ...
competition, which did not receive a contract.
Design
The ATF Dingo has a modular design with five elements: chassis, protection cell, storage space, engine compartment, and bottom mine blast deflector. Its design is lighter and includes an armored chassis with a blast pan instead of the more common
monocoque
Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell".
First used for boats, ...
hull found in modern blast resistant vehicles. IBD's layered
MEXAS
The Modular Expandable Armor System (MEXAS) is a composite armour system developed by the German company IBD Deisenroth Engineering. MEXAS was introduced in 1994 and has been applied on over 20,000 combat vehicles worldwide.
The successor of MEXAS ...
is used and the windows are angled to deflect blasts and bullets. A tarpaulin is used over the back storage area instead of metal to save weight.
The Dingo's standard armament is a
Rheinmetall MG3
The MG 3 is a German general-purpose machine gun chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge. The weapon's design is derived from the World War II era MG 42 ''Einheitsmaschinengewehr'' (Universal machine gun) that fired the 7.92×57mm Mauser ro ...
7.62 mm
machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...
in a remote-controlled turret on the top of the vehicle, borrowed from KMW's
Fennek
The Fennek, named after the fennec (a species of small desert fox), or LGS Fennek, with LGS being short for ''Leichter Gepanzerter Spähwagen'' in German (Light Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicle), is a four-wheeled armed reconnaissance vehicle p ...
. The operator sits safely inside the cabin, controlling the weapon with an electro-optical sight with night vision capability.
In 2008 the
Bundeswehr
The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...
ordered several hundred fully remote-controlled weapons stations from KMW, for its Dingos and other armored vehicles: the light
FLW 100 (for the MG3 or the
Heckler & Koch MG4
The Heckler & Koch MG4 (also known as the HK123) is a belt-fed 5.56 mm light machine gun designed and developed by German firearm manufacturer Heckler & Koch. It was developed in the late 1990s and first seen publicly in September 2001. It has be ...
), and the heavy
FLW 200 (for the
M3M .50 BMG or the
HK 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 ...
automatic grenade launcher An automatic grenade launcher (AGL) or grenade machine gun is a grenade launcher that is capable of fully automatic fire, and is typically loaded with either an ammunition belt or magazine.
These weapons are often mounted on vehicles or helicopte ...
). The weapons station is controlled by an operator viewing a monitor inside the vehicle.
The ''ATF Dingo 2'' is an advanced version of the Dingo, based on the upgraded
Unimog
The Unimog (, ) is a range of multi-purpose tractors, trucks and lorries that has been produced by Boehringer from 1948 until 1951, and by Daimler Truck (formerly Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and Daimler AG) since 1951. In the United States and ...
U 5000 chassis with improved protection and more payload. It is offered in two versions with 3,250 (3.5 tonnes payload) and 3,850 mm (4 tonnes payload) wheelbase. The Dingo 2 can seat eight personnel.
Operational use
In September 2022, Germany announced that they would provide 50 ATF Dingos to
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
to use in the
2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
.
Operators
Current operators
Future operators
- During the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
, Germany has pledged to deliver 50 Dingo MRAPs to Ukraine.
Gallery
Image:ATF Dingo in German service (Afghanistan).jpg, Three 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 ...
ATF Dingos in Afghanistan.
Image:ATF1 Dingo.jpg, ATF Dingo 1 of the German Army deployed in Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
.
Image:ATF Dingo - rear view.jpg, German Army Dingo 1's rear View.
Image:ATF Dingo 2 mit BÜR.jpg, German Dingo 2 with ground surveillance radar (BÜR)
Image:ATF-Dingo 7484.JPG, Austrian Dingo 2 NC
Image:KMW Dingo 1447.JPG, Czech Dingo 2 A2
Image:ATF pic6.JPG, Prototype Dingo (Dingo WTS)
References
External links
Krauss-Maffei Wegmann- Website of the manufacturer
{{ModernGermanAFVsNav
Military trucks
Off-road vehicles
Armoured fighting vehicles of the post–Cold War period
Armoured personnel carriers of Germany
Post–Cold War military vehicles of Germany
Military vehicles introduced in the 2000s