PUMA: Green light for the German new infantry fighting vehicle
Rheinmetall DeTec also awarded further contracts
12/02/2004
The Budget Committee of the German Bundestag has just given the go-ahead for the most important project of the German land systems industry: the new Puma infantry fighting vehicle.
The procurement contract for the low rate initial production, valued at approximately €350 million, is to be awarded to the company Projekt System und Management (PSM) GmbH of Kassel. PSM is a 50:50-joint venture of Rheinmetall Landsysteme (RLS) of Kiel and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann of Munich. Rheinmetall Landsysteme is a subsidiary of the Rheinmetall DeTec group, the defence technology branch of Rheinmetall AG of Düsseldorf.
In total, the German Army is to be equipped with 410 vehicles, costing roughly €3.05 billion. The decision just taken contains an option valid till 2007 for the full scale production of the infantry fighting vehicle (IFV).
In 2002, PSM was awarded a contract to develop the new IFV for the Bundeswehr. Roll-out of the first prototype is planned for the end of 2005.
The German Parliament has also approved the award of two other important contracts to Rheinmetall. A working group consisting of the companies Rheinmetall Landsysteme and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann will be tasked with outfitting some 1,500 vehicles of the German Army with a state-of-the-art command and information management system corresponding to the Bundeswehr's new mission profile of international crisis management.
The first phase of the order (worth some €19 million) encompasses the manufacture, delivery and testing of prototype units for field trials, as well as an option for full-scale production, the total volume of which comes to €380 million.
Also coming in the wake of the recent decision of the Budget Committee, Rheinmetall Landsysteme will be awarded a €58 million-contract to supply the German Army's crack Gebirgsjäger mountain troops with 75 Bv206s armoured command and transport vehicles; RLS will serve as main contractor. Versatile, air portable, and highly manoeuvrable in all types of terrain, these armoured vehicles will make a major contribution to enhancing the overall operational effectiveness of these elite infantry units.
The Puma infantry fighting vehicle is a key project for the German defence industry, a clear expression of its technological superiority in this important domain. The vehicle offers a degree of crew protection and system survivability unrivalled anywhere in the world.
Systematically designed to meet the future needs of our armed forces, this medium-weight vehicle can be airlifted to crisis regions in the new A400M transport aircraft. The Puma is a modular system with a high degree of battlefield effectiveness.
No vehicle in its class comes close to such excellent protection of the crew against mines and rocket propelled grenades, the most serious threats in crisis regions.
Due to its newly developed 800 kW engine, novel turret design and use of programmable ammunition, the Puma sets an entirely new global standard in the world of armoured vehicle design. More than 30 years after the Marder IFV was first fielded by the Bundeswehr, the Puma – with its expanded scope of capabilities – represents the transition to a completely new category of combat vehicles.
Contact
Rheinmetall AG
Corporate Sector Defence
Press and Information
Oliver Hoffmann
Rheinmetall Platz 1
40476 Düsseldorf
Germany
Phone: +49 211 473-4748
Fax: +49 211 473-4157
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