Armoured Engineering Vehicle 2 brings different abilities to Canadian Army

December 20, 2021 - Lt Ben Campbell

The Armoured Engineering Vehicle 2 (AEV 2) is an asset held by 17 Armoured Engineer Squadron (17 Armd Engr Sqn) at 1 Combat Engineer Regiment, which was first introduced only a few years ago.

The AEV 2 is a vehicle built from a Leopard 2 tank chassis with a dozer blade and excavator arm, along with various engineering tools.

The AEV 2 brings many capabilities to the battlefield in both defensive and offensive mechanized operations. On defensive operations, the AEV is critical for digging positions of fire for friendly armoured fighting vehicles, anti-tank ditches, and conducting other earth moving operations, while in the offense it is used mainly for breaching obstacles.

This October, during the Combat Team Commander Course (CTCC), the AEV 2 successfully displayed its capabilities within a combat team. Two AEVs were integrated into a combat team along with an engineer field troop, and were used to breach anti-tank ditches to allow the combat team to move and assault enemy objectives.

During CTCC there were several opportunities for the AEVs to be used within the combat team, providing Armoured Engineer Operators (AEO) with excellent opportunities to hone their skills. CTCC provided great opportunities for AEOs to work with other trades and also helped expose Armoured and Infantry personnel to working with the AEV in a combat team.

Since the transition from the AEV 1 to the AEV 2, this opportunity was an early demonstration of the AEV 2 and its significantly vast capabilities. This exercise and opportunity was a significant milestone not only for 17 Armd Engr Sqn, but also the Canadian Army as a whole, as combined arm groupings are a vital ground to the Canadian Army, and the AEV 2 is a key engineer asset to these combined arm groupings.

It is 17 Armd Engr Sqn’s vision to further define the AEV 2 and its capabilities, while continuing to identify best practices to deliver the effects on the battlefield.