The Wiesel airborne weapon carrier was in development for 21 years before it finally entered service in 1989 with the Bundeswehr's airborne units.

The vehicle has a welded steel hull that provides protection from small arms and shell splinters. Its suspension features three road wheels per side, a rear idler, one track return roller, and a sprocket at the front powered by an Audi 4-cylinder engine.

Two variants of the Wiesel are in service: one fitted with the TOW ATGM on a pedestal mount without armor protection (210 vehicles), and another with a 20mm dual-feed cannon (133 vehicles). The ATGM variant has a crew of three, while the gun variant has only two crewmen.

The Wiesel can be transported in a Transall aircraft (four Wiesels per load) or CH53G helicopter (two at a time).