Germany to spend $1.6 billion on purchasing 50 new Puma combat vehicles

Europe, News May 12, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

German lawmakers have approved the Defense Ministry’s request to grant $1.6 billion in funds for the procurement of 50 new Puma fighting vehicles. Germany’s parliamentary budget committee approve the purchase on May 10, 2023.

Germany’s Defense Ministry had requested the additional budget to purchase new fighting vehicles in order to strengthen the country’s defense capabilities and to fulfill NATO’s obligations by 2027. The budget was approved only two days before the manufacturers Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann’s offer was set to expire.

Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius appreciated the commission’s approval for funds. He said that “We need this Puma, especially in light of the changed security situation. We also have a responsibility towards NATO.”

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European governments have been increasing their defense spending exponentially to beef up their defense postures. Chancellor Olaf Scholz also vowed to ramp up the country’s defense spending to modernize military capabilities.

Pistorius described the addition of the new vehicle as a “quantum leap” for Germany’s defense capabilities, as it provides better protection, lethality, and mobility. In addition to bolstering its own defense, Germany has been tasked to contribute at least five battalions of land forces into NATO’s pool by 2027. Berlin is on a tightrope to meet NATO’s demands and needs to place orders for military equipment right now to receive deliveries in time before 2027.

Two PUMA infantry fighting vehicles at full speed on the training grounds in Munster, Germany. (Image Credit: Krauss-Maffei Wegmann)

To make matters worse, the country’s land forces have been facing a lot of technical issues with their fleet of fighting vehicles. A few months ago, several reports about mass outages of the older models of Puma infantry fighting vehicles emerged. At least 18 vehicles were reported to have failed during the exercise in December 2022.

The reports of mass failure of Puma vehicles affected negatively its reputation as the primary infantry vehicle for the German military. Some defense officials blamed the mishandling and lack of training as the main cause behind the mass failure of the vehicles and pushed to stick with the program. German Defense Minister at that time, Christine Lambrecht, said that the manufacturers must fix the problems quickly or see the program canceled.

The Puma is jointly built by Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, one of Europe’s largest defense manufacturers. It was designed to replace Germany’s aging fleet of Marder infantry fighting vehicles.

^{Puma IFV is the most advanced infantry fighting vehicle in the world. (Image Credit: Krauss-Maffei Wegmann KMW)}

German forces currently operate more than 500 units of Puma vehicles. It is expected that the newly approved batch of 50 new vehicles would be given to the German forces serving in NATO.

Apart from Germany, several other militaries use Puma fighting vehicles. The list includes Australia, Chile, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and the United States.