Liebherr has developed an armoured rescue crane for the German army to aid rescue and towing of the army’s new generation of vehicles.
Passenger protection was a high priority when the order for the G-BKF was placed, so Liebherr worked with Rheinmetall Defence to produce the armoured driver’s cab and armoured crane cab, which has been extended 250mm compared to the standard cab to provide storage space for personal protective equipment and integrate military communication equipment. The driver’s cab has a double-thickness steel bulkhead construction and the transparent armour offers ballistic protection, while the armoured crane cab is a composite build to reduce weight.
The G-BKF is mounted on a four-axle all-terrain crane chassis, using Liebherr’s own D946TI 544bhp engine. In towing mode, vehicles up to 16t can be mounted on the lift cradle, with two Rotzler Treibmatic winches mounted on the rear. A telescopic 20.9m boom can handle loads up to 20t.