German Puma fighting vehicle: The Ministry of Defence has said that software issues with the Puma infantry fighting vehicle will create delays in the German army’s upgrades.
According to the local military news website Augengeradeaus.net, officials at the Bundeswehr, the German military, had originally intended to accept an initial batch of updated Pumas by the end of 2023. There were 15 models in total. However, according to defence authorities, the manufacturer—a joint venture between Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann—estimates that the modifications will not be completed until late February.
For the military here, the Puma vehicles have been somewhat of a white whale. The goal of their development and upgrade was to propel Germany’s analogue ground forces into the digital battlefield, but it has taken years longer than anticipated.
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German Puma fighting vehicle
A ministry review described the vehicle as revolutionary but prone to errors after it was reported a year ago that eighteen Pumas had malfunctioned during an exercise. Nevertheless, the government continued to spend money on the programme since it promised a major capability boost over the current, long-standing Marder vehicle fleet.
In May, German lawmakers approved a request from the government to spend more than $1 billion on 50 brand-new cars. Hundreds of millions of euros have also been spent on equipping the 350-strong Puma fleet with the newest technological features in an intermediate and final configuration. Better driver situational awareness, a missile capability, and networking features are the results of such work.
A statement from the defence ministry claims that the primary testing and training activities for the upgraded Pumas are unlikely to be impacted by the minimum two-month delay. The outcome of such events then directly affects pledges made to allies.
Defence officials intend, for instance, to station Pumas in Lithuania, where plans are afoot for a permanent German troop presence. The cars will also be a mainstay of Berlin’s next NATO army deployments.
