Germany's Parliament Approves Purchase Of 50 Puma Infantry Vehicles - Defense Ministry

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th May, 2023) The Budget Committee of the German parliament on Wednesday approved the procurement of 50 German-made Puma infantry fighting vehicles, the German Defense Ministry said.

"The Budget Committee approved the purchase of 50 Puma infantry fighting vehicles. This system will replace the more than 50-year-old Marder infantry fighting vehicle. (German) Defense Minister (Boris) Pistorius welcomes this decision," the ministry said on Twitter.

In late April, German newspaper Bild am Sonntag reported that the defense ministry was planning to purchase 50 Puma infantry fighting vehicles for the needs of Germany's army, even though the equipment is known for frequent malfunctions and short lifespan.

According to Bild, the ministry is planning to sign a contract with defense concerns for the procurement of infantry vehicles worth 1.

5 billion Euros ($1.65 billion) in the nearest future. The ministry is also planning to manufacture 150 more units of equipment for the supply to NATO partners. The ministry is planning to receive 100 billion euros for the modernization of the army from a special fund.

German defense concern Rheinmetall has earlier announced that over 140 Puma infantry fighting vehicles would be modernized. Last year, former German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said that more than half of the 350 Puma vehicles in the army were not ready for combat. In December, she did not rule out a complete cancellation of further orders for the production of the equipment after reports that all 18 Puma vehicles that had taken part in military drills had malfunctioned.