Germany’s Federal Office for Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) has awarded Projekt System & Management GmbH (PSM), a joint venture of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Rheinmetall, an order to retrofit a further 143 Puma infantry fighting vehicles.
In doing so, the German government is exercising two options contained in the contract for retrofitting original Puma infantry fighting vehicles to the new S1 design status. This contract was signed in June 2021.
The order volume is in the region of €770 million. By 2029, the key capabilities of firepower and command and control of all 143 Puma systems will be brought up to date. Exercising these options assures that every Puma in the Bundeswehr inventory will conform to the uniform S1 design status. Among other things, the retrofit includes the integration of high-resolution day- and night-capable camera systems, the MELLS multirole-capable lightweight guided missile system, and digital radio equipment.
The Puma Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) was designed to replace the aging Marder 1A3 IFV. it is 7.35 meters long, 3.80 meters wide, and 3.37 meters tall. It has a combat weight of 43 tonnes and can carry a crew of 3 plus 6 fully equipped soldiers. The vehicle is powered by a 10-cylinder, 800-horsepower MTU diesel engine, giving it a top speed of 70 km/h on roads and 50 km/h off-road. The Puma has a range of up to 600 kilometers.