Gepanzerte Pioniermaschine (GPM) was the design for two prototype armored engineer vehicles for the Bundeswehr. At the end of the 1960s, it was determined hitherto the forward troops demanded a better answer than the Pionierpanzer 2 currently in use, and in 1972, research began on the development of an improved successor. The firms Eisenwerke Kaiserslautern (EWK, now Santa Barbara Systems, a division of General Dynamics) and Maschinenbau Kiel (MAK) were each commissioned to build prototypes. Hull, running gear, and drivetrain were derived from the Bergepanzer 2A1.