German Ringtausch continues as Greece swaps ex-GDR armour for Marders
Six Marders were delivered in October by Rheinmetall to the Hellenic Army, with 34 more due by the end of 2023. (Photo: Hellenic Army General Staff)
The first Marder 1A3 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) supplied by Rheinmetall to Greece under the Ringtausch scheme were presented as part of a parade of the Hellenic Armed Forces (HAF) during a national holiday on 28 October in Thessaloniki.
The HAF are in turn donating 162 Soviet-era BMP-1 IFVs and other military equipment to Ukraine and are receiving the 40 Marders in exchange. The BMP-1s were supplied by Berlin to Greece after the end of the Cold War and originally equipped the army of the former East Germany.
In addition to the Marders, ammunition, an integrated service package including training and spare parts will be provided by the German Armed Forces and Rheinmetall. Deliveries are due to be complete by the end of 2023.
The vehicles provided are overhauled Marder 1A3s from former German Army stocks. They have been repaired by Rheinmetall Landsysteme at the company's own expense since spring 2022 and are ready for immediate use upon delivery. The first vehicles left Rheinmetall's site at Unterlüß on 11 October en route to Greece.
According to Shephard Defence Insight, Greece has a requirement for a new 8x8 wheeled IFV to replace legacy tracked vehicles, but no formal programme has been launched yet. It is unclear what the impact of the Marder deliveries will be on this requirement.
In September, Shephard reported that the German government had opted not to supply the 40 Marders directly to Ukraine despite requests for them from Kyiv.
Rheinmetall is also involved in Ringtausch exchanges with the Czech and Slovak armed forces, supplying them with Leopard 2A4 tanks.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Land Warfare
-
Arquus and Milrem push their UGVs fitted with long-range missiles
Arquus displayed the Drailer uncrewed ground vehicle (UGV) integrating the Akeron LP long-range missile at the Techterre technology demonstrator event ahead of trials in September.
-
Czech CAESAR howitzer order at risk of cancellation
The Czech Republic ordered 52 CAmion Equipé d’un Système d’ARtillerie (CAESAR) self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) in 2021 and added another 10 a year later. A cancellation of the programme would impact both the army’s capabilities and local industry which is involved in the manufacture.
-
Sweden turns to Nammo and Rheinmetall as world demand grows for 155mm shells
Demand for ammunition continues to increase with manufacturing capability growing to match. Sweden have turned to the two supply lines of Rheinmetall and Nammo as part of a Nordic effort to meet demand. The Polish Government has also announced a US$700 million investment to boost manufacture of munitions.
-
Malaysia signs for two additional GM400α air surveillance radars
The order is in addition to two systems ordered in 2023. It forms part of a family of systems which is becoming widely used and part of a growing demand for the capability, both in deliveries and requirements.
-
US Army’s Precision Strike Missile moves into production phase after test successes
Lockheed Martin’s Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) is a next-generation surface-to-surface missile system and is a planned replanned replacement for MGM-140 Army Tactical Missiles System (ATACMS). It is to be fired from M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers.