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Rheinmetall wins $380 million contract for Puma IFV ammunition

17th January 2024 - 20:37 GMT | by Shephard News Team in London

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The 30mm-armed Puma tracked IFV was developed by Projekt System & Management (PSM). (Photo: German Army)

Rheinmetall has been manufacturing 30mm x 173 DM21 service ammunition for German Puma IFV under a framework deal signed in 2022.

Rheinmetall has been awarded a €350 million (US$380 million) contract by the German Bundeswehr for the supply of several hundreds of thousands of round of 30mm x 173 DM21 service ammunition for the Puma infantry fighting vehicle. The latest deal marked the third call off of a €576 million deal signed in December 2022. Delivery on the latest contract award will begin this year and continue through to 2027.

A first call-off of DM21 automatic cannon ammunition under the existing framework contract was issued in late 2022 and second a call-off followed in mid-2023 with more expected beyond the most recent one.

The Puma infantry fighting vehicle has been armed with a Rheinmetall MK30-2/ABM, specifically designed to fire airburst ammunition.

Combining a high rate of fire with cutting-edge ammunition technology, the MK30-2/ABM is an uncompromisingly excellent, extremely reliable weapon system, perfect for engaging ground, air and maritime targets.

Rheinmetall produces and supplies two main types of 30mm x 173 service ammunition: the Kinetic Energy Time Fuse (KETF) DM21 (airburst) and the KE DM33 (armour-piercing), as well as the DM58 practice round.

Extremely reliable programming of the KETF DM21 has enabled the Puma to engage larger soft targets and semi-hard area targets. The KE DM33 belongs to the new generation of subcalibre Armour Piercing Fin Stabilised Discarding Sabot – Tracer (APFSDS-T) ammunition.