Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/713424
so-called medium force over heavy units, as well as due the starting "War against terror- ism". The birth of Puma Directly after cancellation of the project of NGP, the preparation of requirements for a new ve- hicle were almost immediately started. The most important requirement was the limit of weight and size of the machine at a level that would allow being transported by the new Airbus A400M heavy transport aircraft. At the same time, the requirements concerning bal- listic and anti-mine protection, as well as tacti- cal mobility remained the same. The construc- tion was to be modular, easily upgradeable, so that it could become the basis for designing future special purpose vehicles. From the very beginning, it was assumed to adjust commu- nication systems of the vehicle to operate in a network centric battlefield. The expectations of Bundeswehr concerning the fire power be- came slightly lower – it was decided that a 30 mm cannon with subcaliber armor piercing, fin stabilized ammunition and air-burst program- mable ammunition would be sufficient. On 20 September 2002, a contract was signed for the development of a new infantry fight- ing vehicle. That task was entrusted to the company PSM (Projekt Systems&Management GmbH), which constituted a joint-venture of KMW and Rheinmetall Defence. In order to meet the difficult requirements (good pro- tection, limited weight and size), contractors decided at the very beginning that the new vehicle would highly depend on modular pro- tection. During the design stage, many ideas were taken from experience gained in projects PUMA, Marder 2, and NGP-SPz. During the first years, five vehicles were to be created, apart from the demonstrator. Initially, the designed construction was called the Hedgehog (Igel) or the Panther. Finally, PSM vehicle was named Puma. The official presentation of the demonstrator took place on 20th December 2005. The com- pletion of other prototypes ended in 2007. Those vehicles were used i.a. for traction tests, armament tests, and tests concerning on-board sub-systems. The were also tried at proving grounds with the participation of their future user. The results were satisfying. That is why on 15 November 2007, the Federal Office of Military Technology and Supply (Bundesamt für Wehrtechnik und Beschaffung, BWB) signed with PSM a contract worth 3.1 billion EUR for the deliveries of 405 Pumas. In July 2012, due to the changes concerning the force of German army, the number of ordered machines was decreased to 350. Among them, there are 342 infantry vehicles and 8 vehicles for driver train- ing. At the end of 2013, the value of the project was estimated to amount 4.3 billion EUR. In December 2010, BWB received the first two Pumas from the implementation batch, finished in picking close to the final version. Those ve- hicles clearly differed from prototypes, i.a. the number of drive wheels was increased and the firmness of the main armament assembly was improved. During the first stage, the pre-seri- al vehicles with test crews from Bundeswehr training facilities participated in intensive tests at proving grounds. However, there were some obstacles that revealed significant shortcom- ings. According to information from the press, problems mainly concerned optoelectronic equipment, fire control system, and the limited view of the driver. The next stage included tests under extreme weather conditions. Since September 2012, Pumas were used in Norway. On that time, the temperatures reached -30°C. In September- October 2013, vehicles were tested in UAE. That tests were also positive for the Pumas, despite the average temperatures of +35°C and some- times even +50°C. Since May 2013, there were also intensive tests concerning operation. In June 2014, the end of test stage was officially announced and one of the pre-series Pumas VEHICLES