The army mourns the loss of a comrade

2023-10-16 19:12:37

Accident with a battle tank at the Allentsteig military training area

Vienna (OTS) – In an accident with a “Leopard” 2A4 main battle tank at the Allentsteig military training area, a 24-year-old non-commissioned officer from the Ried im Innkreis district was fatally injured, as were three other soldiers – a 23-year-old non-commissioned officer from Grieskirchen and two military servants (19 and 20 years old, both). from the Wels-Land district) were slightly injured. You are in the hospital.

Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner is deeply affected: “My thoughts are with the family and friends of the deceased soldier. It’s a sad day for the armed forces. Those affected receive all support and care from the Armed Forces. The accident is currently being investigated. I would like to thank all the emergency services who made a rapid rescue chain possible and were able to provide immediate care to the injured. I wish the injured a speedy recovery.”

The soldiers of Panzer Battalion 14 spend the third week at the military training area in Allentsteig; the basic military servants moved in in July. The investigative commission of the locally responsible military command in Lower Austria is on its way to Allentsteig to investigate the cause of the accident.

Most recently, on July 5, 2012, a professional soldier died in an accident with an armored personnel carrier; also at the Allentsteig military training area.

The 14th Panzer Battalion:
The Panzer Battalion 14 is the only tank battalion in the Federal Army and is stationed in the Hessen barracks in Wels. The task of a tank battalion is to support the infantry fight in tank terrain in cooperation with Panzergrenadiers.

The main battle tank “Leopard”:
The “Leopard” 2 main battle tank is the main weapon system of the Austrian armored force. It has been introduced in the Federal Army in version A4. The tank has a 120 millimeter cannon as its main weapon. The tank has a crew of four, 55 tons, an engine output of 1,500 hp and a top speed of 72 km/h. The Federal Army has 58 “Leopard” battle tanks.