Why this German IFV is So Hot Right Now

Germany recently announced they are going to supply Ukraine with around 40 Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicles hopefully by March of 2023. This 50 year old vehicle is better than you might think. Germany issued development contracts to multiple companies, and 15 different prototypes for the Marder Infantry fighting vehicle were produced by 1963. In 1967, the Rheinstahl group created a third and final group of 10 prototypes that eventually led to the production of the Marder in 1969. Rheinstahl became the prime contractor, and the first Marder was delivered to the West German army in May 1971 By 1975 they’d produced over 2,100 Marders, which West Germany kept and stockpiled in the midst of the Cold War.

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Written by: chris cappy and Josh Simpson
Edited by: Savvy Studios

The Marder’s main armament is the 20mm Rheinmetall MK 20 Rh 202 autocannon that fires AP rounds at 1,100 m/s . It is mounted in the small two-man turret and is able to fire armor-piercing and high explosive rounds. The 7.62 mm MG3 machine gun attached coaxially to the left of the cannon allows the gunner to save main gun rounds if a soft target is in the open not behind cover. The MILAN anti-tank guided missile launcher can be attached to this turret, with up to 4 missiles carried inside the hull. I’ve seen conflicting reports on whether or not adding the MILAN missile launcher and its storage reduces the infantry capacity down to 5 dismounts.

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#ARMOR #INFANTRY #WAR