Land Panther: Germany’s Tracked Puma IFV
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Germany has always been known for producing excellent armored vehicles. A combination of features that arguably make it the world’s best tank, and fire sale prices stemming from Germany’s rapid disarmament, have made the Leopard 2 the standard main battle tank in Europe and beyond. The same level of innovation and execution was shown in the late 1960s, when Germany’s Marder became the west’s first Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV). Designs like the American M2/M3 Bradley, Sweden’s CV90 family and new SEP, Singapore’s Bionix-II, and Korea’s new XK-21 have stepped far beyond that legacy, however, and even the Russian region has continued to update their BMP designs. Meanwhile, the nature of military operations has changed to emphasize modularity, out of country missions, advanced electronic communications, and strong protection against threats like land mines.
The Marders need to be replaced, and this became a priority even within Germany’s limited defense budget. In response, German armored vehicle leaders Rheinmetall & KMW formed a 50/50 joint venture to design and produce a solution that would address these issues, and return Germany to a leadership position in the tracked IFV field. Enter the new Puma IFV – which has just received a EUR 3 billion production order from Germany…
- Puma IFV: Platform & Features
- Puma IFV: Project and Industrial Organization
- Puma IFV: Contracts & Key Events
- Additional Readings & Sources, incl. Peer Competitor links
Get instant access all DII coverage of the development of Germany’s contender among Infantry Fighting Vehicles when you subscribe to Defense Industry Insider. Our cross-linked article network and reference materials include:
- Platform specifications and capabilities including: reduced infrared signature, mine and armor protection ratings, armaments, and innovative features.
- Details of a large German base order, and the steps along the path to that goal.
- Numerous photos, and links to additional background resources and articles
- Reference links to peer competitors, including the Bradley M2/M3, Bionix II and CV90 armored vehicles, among others.
- Links to more articles from DII including "Germany’s FuInfoSys C4I System," and "Infantry-21: Germany’s IdZ-ES."
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