Germany will supply 20 Marder infantry fighting vehicles to the Ukrainian military

The German Ministry of Defense has placed an order with the arms conglomerate Rheinmetall to prepare and export 20 Marder infantry fighting vehicles for deployment on the Ukrainian front.

This was reported by the German publication Berliner Zeitung

The management of the conglomerate announced this commission from the authorities of the Federal Republic of Germany at its production facility in Unterlüß. The vehicles are expected to be delivered to Ukraine by the end of July. The final manufacturing cost of the IFVs has not been specified by the manufacturer. However, it is known that the order will be paid for by the German government.

Previously, Ukraine had already received 40 vehicles of this type. Half of them were sent by the Rheinmetall company, while the other half were drawn from Bundeswehr depots.

Rheinmetall also has a proposal to prepare an additional 60 IFVs for Ukraine. However, the implementation of this request will require time as the vehicles need to undergo necessary upgrades.

Additionally, the company plans to send the first batch of ammunition consisting of 10,000 rounds for the Gepard anti-aircraft tanks, which are already being used by the Ukrainian air defense forces to defend against Russian missiles. Earlier, the delivery of ammunition for Gepard from Switzerland was discussed, but the country declined citing its neutral status. Subsequently, Rheinmetall built a new ammunition factory in Unterlüß. In total, Rheinmetall has a signed contract for the supply of 300,000 rounds.

Rheinmetall also announced the production of Fuchs armored transport vehicles in one of the Eastern European countries. The declared plans include the manufacturing of 40 vehicles this year and 100 units of equipment the following year. However, this project is still awaiting official approval.

Currently, the world is widely discussing the plans of the Ukrainian army to regain the territories occupied by Russia. The Ukrainian side actively urges its Western partners to provide various types of weaponry, including armored infantry vehicles. This year, Washington has already provided significant combat support to Ukraine with its Bradley fighting vehicles.

It should be noted that last month the Minister of Defense of Ukraine appealed to his Australian counterparts with a request to provide additional Hawkei armored transporters, which would greatly assist the Ukrainian military during future offensives.