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, colloquially known as the G-Wagon or G-Wagen (as an abbreviation of Geländewagen), is a four-wheel drive luxury SUV manufactured by Magna Steyr (formerly Steyr-Daimler-Puch) in Graz, Styria, Austria, and sold by Mercede ...

. It is also known by the names

Serval The serval (''Leptailurus serval'') is a wild small cat native to Africa. It is widespread in sub-Saharan countries, where it inhabits grasslands, wetlands, moorlands and bamboo thickets. Across its range, it occurs in protected areas, and ...

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

, 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 Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...

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

Swiss Army The Swiss Armed Forces (; ; ; ; ) are the military and security force of Switzerland, consisting of land and air service branches. Under the country's militia system, regular soldiers constitute a small part of the military and the rest are ...

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 Rheinmetall AG () is a German automotive and arms manufacturer, headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was promoted to the DAX, Germany's leading stock market index, in March 2023. It is the largest German and fifth largest Europe ...

was awarded the contract for the LIV (SO) by Germany's

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

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 The German special forces include the Special Operations Forces (''Kommando Spezialkräfte'', KSK) of the German Army and the Naval Special Forces Command ('' Kommando Spezialkräfte Marine'', KSM) of the German Navy. Both are regular units and f ...

units in 2004. The

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

. 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 (American English) or k ...

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 A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is 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 pr ...

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 Transmission or transmit may refer to: Science and technology * Power transmission ** Electric power transmission ** Transmission (mechanical device), technology that allows controlled application of power *** Automatic transmission *** Manual tra ...

is a Mercedes-Benz 5-speed

automatic Automatic may refer to: Music Bands * Automatic (Australian band), Australian rock band * Automatic (American band), American rock band * The Automatic, a Welsh alternative rock band Albums * ''Automatic'' (Jack Bruce album), a 1983 el ...

. 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 a family of American heavy-lift transport helicopters designed and built by the American manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft. The Sea Stallion was originally developed in response to a request from the Unite ...

heavy-lift transport helicopter or a

CH-47 Chinook The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a tandem-rotor helicopter originally developed by American rotorcraft company Piasecki Helicopter, Vertol and now manufactured by Boeing Defense, Space & Security. The Chinook is a Military transport helicopter, heav ...

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 An anti-personnel mine or anti-personnel landmine (APL) is a form of land mine, mine designed for use against human, humans, as opposed to an anti-tank mine, which target vehicles. APLs are classified into: blast mines and fragmentation mines; ...

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. 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 fire ...

40 mm This is a general collection of the world's many types of ammunition for grenade launchers in caliber. Several countries have developed or adopted grenade launchers in 40 mm caliber. NATO NATO currently uses three standardized 40 mm grenad ...

grenade launcher, or .50 caliber

heavy machine gun A heavy machine gun (HMG) is significantly larger than light, medium or general-purpose machine guns. HMGs are typically too heavy to be man-portable (carried by one person) and require mounting onto a weapons platform to be operably stable or ...

. 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 for ...

Operators

Current operators

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

Future operators

* , 1,004 Caracal on order for th
Luftlandebrigade 1Gebirgsjägerbrigade 23
and the KSK. An additional order for 1,050 vehicles is expected eventually. * , 504 Caracal ordered in 2023 for the "Luchtmobiele Brigade". Goal of 1,004 Caracal for the Netherlands Army. Delivery planned from 2025, Dutch variant assembled by VDL Special Vehicles BV - Eindhoven. The first order is a common one with the German Army, total 1,508 vehicles for €870 million. * , 5 Caracal to be delivered to Ukraine at the end of 2023, beginning of 2024.

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