Spiegel: Germany is experiencing serious problems with the technical condition of the Puma BMP, none of the 18 Puma armored personnel carriers are ready for operation, the newspaper writes. According to him, electronics is considered the most vulnerable part. It is expected that the combat readiness of the BMP can be restored only in three to four months
BMP Puma
The Bundeswehr is experiencing serious problems with the technical condition of the Puma BMP. This is reported by Der Spiegel with reference to the commander of the 10th Panzer Division. Of the 18 modern Puma armored personnel carriers designed for the NATO Rapid Reaction Force, none is ready for operation.
According to the magazine, the electronics of armored personnel carriers are particularly vulnerable: for example, a strong fire occurred in one of the IFVs, the cable in the driver’s cab caught fire. The publication cites military correspondence that the nature of the defects was already known to the German Armed Forces, but they “never manifested with such frequency”.
Two more Puma infantry fighting vehicles in operation failed on the second day of shooting due to tower defects.
“We must proceed from the fact that the full combat readiness of armored personnel carriers can be restored only in three to four months,” Der Spiegel quotes the military’s correspondence.
Earlier, the publication, with reference to a confidential report for the defense committee, reported that German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht recognized the country’s inability to fully fulfill its obligations under NATO.
The document stated that there were problems with the deployment of the NATO Rapid Reaction force by the Bundeswehr in 2023.
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz denied this information in an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung. “The Bundeswehr is effective, it has proven this many times, and any other statement will not be fair to the activities of our soldiers,” he said.
According to Scholz, the German authorities should respond to the changed situation in the world and invest much more money to modernize the Bundeswehr.
Nevertheless, in early December, the Chancellor admitted that the Bundeswehr is in a difficult situation, the military is experiencing a shortage of ammunition.
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