The German military reported that the Puma IFVs intended to be used by the Immediate Response Forces demonstrated a large number of defects.

This was mentioned in a letter from Ruprecht Horst von Butler, Commander of the 10th Panzer Division, to the army inspector.

Spigel writes about this.

Butler reported that the 18 Puma BMPs used in training ceased to be operational.

“Of the 18 infantry fighting vehicles the сompany started with, combat capability fell to 0 IFVs during the last eight days of training,” Butler writes.

He also shared that two IFVs already in service also failed due to turret defects.

It is noted that IFV electronics are especially vulnerable, and a serious cable fire occurred in the driver’s compartment of one of the vehicles.

The military was aware of possible problems with equipment, but previously, they did not occur with this frequency. This number of problems was unexpected since IFVs were used exclusively on the training grounds and there they were not overused.

“Despite all the good preparation, the operational readiness of the vehicle will be a lottery. Unfortunately, I should put it so harshly,” Butler reports in his letter.

For now, the military will be using the Marder IFV.

Spigel emphasizes that recently, the government approved the first purchases worth almost 13 billion euros for the Bundeswehr from a special fund.

This would cover the purchase of F-35 aircraft, new radios, snow vehicles, and the modernization of the Puma IFV.

Puma IFV

The Puma is the latest generation of German infantry fighting vehicles. It is a joint project of Projekt System & Management GmbH (PSM) concerns Krauss Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Rheinmetall (RLS). The Bundeswehr ordered 350 of these IFVs in 2012.

Puma IFV has a modular principle of shell protection. This allows replacement with newer security elements during upgrades. Active protection systems are also installed on the IFV. The MUSS system detects incoming projectiles and actuates electronic and pyrotechnic countermeasures.

The hull of shell armor can withstand an explosion of mine or IED weighing up to 10 kg. The side armor can withstand a 14.5 mm caliber and when equipped with additional protection – 30 mm rounds. Modular additional protection of level C (Combat) covers the front part, turret, bottom, and sides.

The main armament is a 30 mm autocannon. In addition, a 5.56 mm HK MG4 machine gun is installed, along with the 76 mm SKWA fragmentation grenade system operating at a distance of up to 50 m. The Spike ATGM could also be installed on the vehicle.