Keiler: Rheinmetall’s breaching demon can demine hostile land within mins

Rheinmetall’s Keiler is a next-generation armored breaching vehicle (ABV) that can come in quite handy on the battlefield for troops looking to clear out mines and seeking advancements without damage to their side.

The Keiler ABV uses a heavy-duty rotor-powered mine flail system to make lanes for friendly troops through enemy minefields.

It comes equipped with rotating mine-clearing elements, and much more, which helps in getting rid of the unwanted elements in the ground at a fast pace in the direction of the vehicle’s march.

The actions of the rotating blades at the front of the ABV can burst any hidden mines, this also leads to the creation of a safe space for the friendly vehicles and troops to pass through.

Live demonstration of Keiler NG’s abilities

Earlier in August, the company had displayed Keiler NG’s abilities at a live demonstration in front of around 100 guests from various armed forces, procurement authorities and industry players at the Bergen military training area.

The demonstration also included the use of Pearson mine plough on the Keiler NG.

The Pearson mine plough is over 13.1 feet (four meter wide) and it can be used by the vehicle to clear mines at a speed of up to 820 feet (250 meters) per minute.

Additionally, the Keiler NG can quickly replace the mine plough with a dozer blade to clear anti-tank obstacles, fill in trenches or create emplacements and prepared positions if required.

The most interesting feature of the Keiler was displayed in the second part of the live demonstration . This included the use of the rocket-supported ‘Plofadder’ detonation cord system.

Launched from the vehicle, the Plofadder from Rheinmetall Denel Munition can cut a breach 524.9 feet (160 meters) long and 29.5 feet (nine meters) wide in mine fields and obstacles in a matter of minutes.

The 160AT anti-tank minefield breaching system, known as the “Plofadder” (explosive adder), was developed to provide fast-moving attack groups with the capability to breach anti-tank (AT) and anti-personnel (AP) minefields with minimal loss of momentum.

The Plofadder 160AT MkII system consists of a long insensitive line charge which is deployed over a minefield by a rocket before it is detonated.

During the demonstration, Keiler showed how it can use Plofadder to clear paths in a matter of minutes.

More features in the next-gen ABV

The Keiler NG was first displayed to the public at the Eurosatory 2024 trade fair in Paris.

The vehicle also has an integrated crane, and it also carries a ROSY rapid obscurant system and the Remotely Controlled Weapon Station Natter 12.7 for self-protection.

The vehicle can be operated by a crew of just two trained personnel, and the company says that it is already looking to add remote-controlled features to it. The addition of an active protection system is also on the cards for Keiler.

The 63 ton ABV has an impressive top speed of 40 miles per hour (65 km per hour), climbing capability of 2.9 feet (90 centimeters), and a trench crossing capability of over 8.2 feet (2.5 meter).

The vehicle is based on the chassis of the Kodiak armoured engineer vehicle, and it belongs to the Leopard 2 family. In addition, the existing Kodiak Army engineer tanks can be converted into a configuration similar to the Keiler NG using equipment kits.