“Homework” agreed
“Puma” gets a new chance – “essential for the army”
01/13/2023 5:34 p.m
The “Puma” remains an integral part of the army. After the mishaps during a target practice, the device is to be improved – as is the case with the training of the soldiers. Inspector General Zorn sees the armored personnel carrier returning to the NATO intervention force before the summer.
Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht wants to hold on to the “Puma” infantry fighting vehicle after a comprehensive analysis of the breakdowns. However, industry and the Bundeswehr have “homework” to do together, said the SPD politician in Berlin at a top meeting with the manufacturers. Accordingly, it is about “construction changes”, better training of the soldiers in dealing with damage and closer cooperation between companies and the Bundeswehr, even during ongoing exercises. “The troops want to continue to hold on to the Puma.”
During a shooting exercise, all 18 infantry fighting vehicles deployed failed. 17 of the tanks have now been repaired. According to earlier information from the Ministry of Defence, a damage analysis mainly revealed minor and medium-sized damage. However, Lambrecht has put the purchase of further Puma tanks and their use for the NATO Rapid Reaction Force (VJTF) on hold for the time being. There he was replaced by the older “Marder”.
Bundeswehr Inspector General Eberhard Zorn was confident that the Pumas could return to the so-called NATO spearhead in the first half of the year. He was clearly committed to the highly digitized weapon system, which is the linchpin of the “Future Infantryman” concept: “The ‘Puma’ has a clear future with us in the Bundeswehr,” said Zorn. “The Puma is essential for the development of the Army’s capabilities and above all for the future viability of the Army.”
“We are firmly convinced that the Puma is a highly modern and the best armored personnel carrier in the world,” said Rheinmetall boss Armin Papperger. The head of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), Ralf Ketzel, confirmed that the industry had been surprised by the reports of the failures. His company is convinced of the infantry fighting vehicle and its capabilities. Ketzel spoke of groundbreaking innovations.
Lambrecht defended the decision to have put an additional purchase of further “Puma” and the participation in the rapid reaction force on hold. Anything else would have been irresponsible after the failures became known. She will stick to the decisions until the concerns have been dispelled. “We need a reliable system,” she said.
However, it remained unclear what exactly and in detail went wrong during the shooting practice. The CDU member of the Bundestag Roderich Kiesewetter had said the day before that the failures were obviously due to “operating errors and maintenance errors” in the Bundeswehr. “In any case, the buck is not in the hands of the industry, which was quickly prejudiced,” he told the broadcaster Welt. “In any case, the minister has political leadership responsibility.” A Rheinmetall spokesman said at the beginning of the year that “almost all the damage” was “trivial”. A comprehensive repair was only necessary on one of the vehicles that had a cable fire.