Happy Birthday! 50 years Armored Infantry Fighting Vehicle Marder

The armored infantry fighting vehicle Marder is celebrating its 50th anniversary today: Half a century ago, on May 7, 1971, the German Army put the first series vehicles into service. This took place with simultaneous ceremonies in Kassel and Kiel - the seats of the original manufacturers of the proven workhorse of the German mechanized infantry, Thyssen-Henschel and Krupp MaK. Both companies have been part of Rheinmetall since 1999 and 2001, respectively.

The concept of the infantry fighting vehicle focused on defense in Central Europe: the Marder was intended to significantly contribute to the Army's mobile combat operations in conjunction with the Leopard 1 main battle tank. However, its operational history posed many other challenges for it. During the "Cold War," the Marder was only used in training and large-scale maneuvers, which demonstrated the credible defense readiness of NATO's partner, the Federal Republic of Germany.

In Use Worldwide

Meanwhile, the German Army no longer has any Leopard 1 in service. The same applies to other historical contemporaries of the Marder, such as the Luchs reconnaissance armored vehicle, the Starfighter F-104 combat aircraft, or the BO 105 and Bell UH-1D helicopters. The Marder, on the other hand, had to prove itself in overseas deployments, including Kosovo and Afghanistan. As part of the Quick Reaction Force, it was in the heat of battle in Kunduz and Mazar-e Sharif. To this day, the Marder continues to serve in the German Armed Forces. In addition to Germany, Chile, Indonesia, and Jordan also use the Marder.

Rheinmetall has proven expertise and experience with the proven infantry fighting vehicle. On behalf of the Bundeswehr, the company has implemented various measures in recent years to enhance the combat capabilities and extend the service life of part of the German Marder fleet. Pimp my Marder: Why extending the service life of the Marder is necessary.

Pimp my Marder

These included equipping combat room cooling systems, new vision aids for drivers, gunners, and commanders, integrating the multi-role capable Lightweight Anti-tank Guided Missile System MELLS, and a new powertrain. With the current measures implemented to extend the service life, the infantry fighting vehicle Marder is expected to remain in operation until the end of this decade. All information about the modern Marder on the Bundeswehr website.

The extremely reliable and combat-proven Marder will remain an important workhorse for the German mechanized infantry for several more years, even as a changing of the guard is already evident in the branch: On March 18, 2021, the Inspector of the Army declared the tactical combat capabilities of the Panzergrenadier system.

The New German Cat is Coming

The Panzergrenadier system essentially consists of a new configuration of the infantry fighting vehicle Puma, delivered by the PSM GmbH joint venture led by Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, and the Future Soldier-Expanded System in the VJTF2023 version developed by Rheinmetall. It is intended to significantly contribute to the combat power and combat readiness of the VJTF 2023. HERE you can find the documentary about the new German cat on SPARTANAT.

For the first time in Germany, the Panzergrenadier system combines a digitalized vehicle platform - the Puma in the enhanced VJTF configuration - with a soldier system equipped with digital radio technology. The close networking of sensors and effectors of both the soldiers and the infantry fighting vehicles minimizes the time between reconnaissance and action. This fusion into an integrated system enables effective tactical collaboration between soldiers and their armored vehicles, increasing the operational value of the mechanized infantry. See how modern mechanized infantry operate - Watch the comparison in the film: Marder versus Puma.

PUMA Online: www.psm-spz.de

BUNDESWEHR Online: www.bundeswehr.de

RHEINMETALL DEFENCE Online: www.rheinmetall-defence.com