debkafile: The German-made Dingo 2 command and mission carrier soon to be sold to Israel has the most superior protection level of its type

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s reversal of the ban imposed by her predecessor Gerhard Schroeder on the sale of these top-notch carriers to Israel came as no surprise to informed German and Israeli security circles. Schroeder explained he was holding the sale back to avoid the carriers’ use in IDF operations against Palestinians, especially in areas where he claimed Israel might potentially use chemical weapons. Whether or not he really believed this, the pretext served Schroeder well in building up his anti-American credentials and propping up his coalition with left-wing partners.
Merkel, pro-American with a different take on arms exports to Israel, is expected to reverse the ban without delay.
debkafile‘s military sources report: The DINGO 2, produced by Krauss-Maffei Wegman, which also manufactures the Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 heavy battle tanks, is an upgrade of the DINGO 1 all-protected carrier vehicle transport vehicle introduced into service in the year 2000. It affords the eight-man crew the most superior level of protection provided by any comparable vehicle against advanced hand-held weapons, artillery fragments, anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, and roadside bombs, as well as unconventional substances.
With its highly mobile, off-road chassis, Dingo-2 has a maximum speed of more than 90 kph and a radius of action of approximately 1,000 km. Moreover, the DINGO 2 is air-transportable on the C130 Hercules in the service of the Israeli Air Force.
The German army, pleased with the Dingo’s performance in overseas operations in Kosovo and Afghanistan, earlier this year ordered 1,000-1,500 more 220 carriers including the advanced Dingo 2, with an option for a further 132 vehicles. Austria too, in addition to an ambulance version, plans to acquire vehicles for NBC reconnaissance missions.
Israel’s initial order of 150 vehicles, which has been on hold for a year, is intended to replace its home-made Sufa and Abir. It was chosen after several Dingo carriers struck in Afghanistan by mines or rocket-propelled grenades were damaged but their crews escaped unharmed.