German army to equip with 50 additional Puma infantry fighting vehicles with Spike LR missiles
The German military vehicle makers, Rheinmetall and Krauss-Mafai-Wegmann (KMW) won this contract, which is worth 1.087 billion euros
Germany’s two military vehicle makers, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Rheinmetall, announced this week that they have been awarded by Germany’s Federal Office for Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) an order to build a further fifty Puma infantry fighting vehicles. The total value of the order comes to €1.087 billion. Of this amount, €574 million will go to KMW and €501 million to Rheinmetall, both of which are serving as subcontractors in the project.
In addition to the fifty armored fighting vehicles, the order encompasses spare part packages and special tool sets as well as eight MELLS flight-phase simulators. Furthermore, an option exists for additional driver training vehicles and the integration of a turret-independent secondary weapon system, or TSWA. Delivery is set to start in December 2025 and be complete by the beginning of 2027.
According to both companies, the most advanced and effective system of its kind, the Puma infantry fighting vehicle is the principal weapons system of the German Army’s mechanized infantry. It can carry a crew of nine: the vehicle commander, gunner and driver, plus a section of six infantry soldiers.
Last month, BAAINBw awarded an about $770 million order for the comprehensive modernization of 143 Puma IFVs in the German Army inventory that had not yet been upgraded to the latest S1 standard. The upgrade, to be complete in 2029, includes among other things the integration of high-resolution day- and night-capable camera systems, the MELLS multirole lightweight guided missile system (Spike LR version) as well as the integration of digital radio equipment. When they leave the factory, the fifty newly ordered vehicles will also conform to the latest S1 standard.
