Rheinmettal, KMW Deliver Puma Infantry Combat Vehicle To Germany

Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) have handed over the Puma infantry fighting vehicle to the German Bundeswehr today.

The Bundeswehr’s fielding of the Puma IFV gives its mechanized infantry a new main weapons system that will gradually supersede the Marder, first introduced over forty years ago.

Delivery of all 350 infantry fighting vehicles will take place by 2020, the companies announced in a joint statement.

Awarded to PSM GmbH in 2004, the contract today is worth around €4.3 billion, including separately ordered additional equipment. PSM is a joint venture of Rheinmetall and KMW.

In joining forces to create the Puma, German defence giants KMW and Rheinmetall have produced a weapons system that represents an entirely new dimension in armoured vehicle design.

The Puma is the suitable solution for operational scenarios of every kind in every climate zone, and sets new standards in all relevant capability categories.

Despite many countervailing factors, it was possible to stay within the original budget parameters set out in the contract.

The first performance characteristic of the Puma is Lethality. Its newly developed MK30-2/ABM 30mm automatic cannon and programmable ammunition allows it to effectively engage a wide spectrum of targets, even behind cover.

The vehicle’s hydro-pneumatic chassis and powerful engine make the Puma highly manoeuvrable even in the toughest terrain as well as enabling a top speed of 70 km/h. This means it can operate on the battlefield in tandem with the Leopard 2 tank.

A modular protection system consisting of active and passive components protects the crew from mines, improvised explosive devices, bomblets, shrapnel and ballistic threats such as shaped charges and kinetic energy rounds.

Digitized command and control technology make it easier for the crew to operate the vehicle and its subsystems, simplifying command procedures and bringing the Puma directly into the networked operations loop.

Advanced optics, optronics and sensors give the crew maximum situational awareness around the clock, enabling early detection and highprecision engagement of emerging threats.