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 produced by the German company Krauss - Maffei Wegmann and Dutch Defence Vehicle Systems . It was developed for both the German Army and Royal Netherlands Army to replace their current vehicles . History . In April 2000 , the prototype vehicle finished field trials and in December 2001 a combined order was placed . 410 were ordered by the Royal Netherlands Army ( 202 reconnaissance , 130 MRAT ( medium range antitank ) and 78 general purpose versions ) and 222 by the German military ( 178 reconnaissance , 24 combat engineer , 20 joint fire support teams ( JFST ) ) . More Fenneks for the German Army will be procured from 2015 on . Germany plans an overall purchase of approximately 300 Fenneks . The first vehicle was delivered to the Netherlands in July 2003 and the first to Germany in December of the same year . Deliveries will continue until 2011 ( additional orders for the German Army are planned from 2015 on ) . The Dutch SP Aerospace company , which produced the Fennek for the Dutch military , was declared bankrupt in August 2004 . A new company called Dutch Defence Vehicle Systems ( DDVS ) was created to continue the production of the vehicles for the Royal Netherlands Army . Specifications . The Fennek has four wheels with selectable two or four wheel drive . It has a Deutz diesel engine producing 179 kW , giving it a top speed of 115 km / h . Tire pressure can be regulated by the driver from inside the vehicle to suit terrain conditions . The primary mission equipment is an observation package mounted on an extendable mast . Sensors include a thermal imager , daylight camera and a laser rangefinder . Combined with the vehicle ' s GPS and inertial navigation system the operator can accurately mark targets or points of interest and pass that data to the digital battlefield network . The sensor head of the observation package can also be removed and mounted on a tripod for concealed operation , as can the control unit from the vehicle should the crew want to use the entire system dismounted . Many Fenneks of the German Army are also equipped with Aladin miniature UAVs . Various weapons can be fitted , such as a 12 . 7 mm machine gun for the Dutch reconnaissance version , a Rafael Spike anti - tank missile on the Dutch MRAT version or a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher ( HK GMG ) or Rheinmetall MG3 for the German vehicles . The Royal Netherlands Army also placed an order at the Turkish company Aselsan for 18 Raytheon Stinger surface - to - air missile launchers to be fitted on the Fennek . The launcher in this case is the Stinger Weapon Platform ( SWP ) , with four Stinger missiles intended for mid - range air defence . The launcher can be controlled from on board the vehicle , or else remotely as part of a distributed air defense system . On the Dutch Fennek the primary weapon is the 7 . 62 millimeter machine gun . The vehicle is protected all - round against 7 . 62 mm rounds and additional armour can be added if the mission requires . The air conditioning system provides protection against nuclear , biological and chemical warfare and the crew compartment is protected against anti - personnel mines . Operational record . Both Germany and the Netherlands have deployed Fennek reconnaissance vehicles to Afghanistan in support of ISAF . On 3 November 2007 a Dutch Fennek was hit by an improvised explosive device killing one and wounding two other occupants . The vehicle and its crew were taking part in an offensive operation targeting the Taliban in the province of Uruzgan , Afghanistan . In another incident a German Fennek was hit by a rocket - propelled grenade . Its hollow charge jet penetrated the vehicle through the right front wheel rim , passed through the vehicle and blew the left door off the hinge . Thanks to the spall liner the crew sustained only negligible injuries .