German land armaments company Rheinmetall will supply Ukraine with a further 20 Marder infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) following a request from the German Government, with the platforms due to be delivered this summer.
Awarded in May, the contract order is valued in the “lower-two-digit million-euro range” according to Rheinmetall. The company shipped the first of 20 earlier awarded Marder IFVs to Ukraine in March, with a further 20 vehicles delivered directly from existing Bundeswehr stocks.
In addition to the Marders ordered to date, Rheinmetall can make a further 60 available, stated a 23 June release, with work on this is already underway at Rheinmetall’s plants in Kassel and Unterlüß. Up to ten infantry fighting vehicles can be delivered per month.
With the additional awards, and the potential for further deliveries, Ukraine could receive up to 120 Marder IFVs, with additional vehicles likely serving to replace battlefield losses as its counter-offensive against Russia continues.
Also, under the German Government’s “Ringtausch” programme, Greece will also be receiving 40 Marder IFVs, which are also due to be delivered this summer.
The “Ringtausch” is a multilateral equipment exchange programme designed to support Ukraine’s war effort in the face of Russian aggression. In cooperation with Germany’s European neighbours and NATO partners, Soviet-era heavy equipment is being transferred to Ukraine in exchange for surplus Western-made systems.
Rheinmetall is taking part in various “Ringtausch” exchanges involving the armed forces of Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
The vehicles being made available are overhauled Marder 1A3 systems formerly owned by the Bundeswehr. As early as spring 2022, Rheinmetall Landsysteme began restoring the infantry fighting vehicles to a state of immediate combat readiness at its own expense at its sites in Unterlüß and Kassel.
Developed for the Bundeswehr and still in service with the German Army, the Marder IFV has been modernised over the course of its more than 50 years of operations with the Marder 1A5 being the latest iteration.
