200th Puma IFV shipped to Bundeswehr
Rheinmetall has shipped the 200th Puma infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) for the German military, the company announced on 5 June.
The vehicle will be received by the Bundeswehr’s force integration organisation in Munster, Lower Saxony.
The Puma IFV is produced by Projekt System & Management (PSM), a 50:50 joint venture between Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmannin. The company will also be responsible for providing subsequent in-service support. Each of the two partners is responsible for manufacturing half of the vehicles on order; this is the 100th Puma manufactured by Rheinmetall.
Delivery of all 342 combat vehicles to Germany, which commenced in 2015, is scheduled for completion in 2020. In addition to the IFVs the Bundeswehr has also taken delivery of eight driver training vehicles.
The Puma vehicle is designed to provide soldiers with battlefield lethality, mobility, C2 and situational awareness. The Puma has advanced fire power and network-enabled capabilities. The compact IFV can accommodate nine soldiers and can be airlifted into the theatre of operations in an A400M military transport plane.
PSM is also working to expand the vehicle’s capabilities, including undertaking development of the new ‘turret-independent secondary weapon system’ which will enable the use of non-lethal munitions, as well as installation of advanced visualisation technology and displays, and improving training options.
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