Marder (IFV)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Marder 1A3
German Army Marder
General characteristics
Crew	3 (commander, gunner, driver) + 6 troops
Length	6.88
Width	3.38
Height	3.015
Weight	33.5
Armour and armament
Armour	?
Main armament	20 mm Rheinmetall MK 20 Rh202 autocannon MILAN ATGM launcher
Secondary armament	7.62 mm MG3 machine gun
Mobility
Power plant	MTU MB 833 diesel engine 600 hp (441 kW)
Suspension	torsion bar
Road speed	65
Power/weight	hp/tonne
Range	460

The Marder is a German infantry fighting vehicle operated by the German Army as the main weapon of the Panzergrenadier (mechanized infantry) from the 1970s through the present day. Its successor, the Puma, is under development.

1 Development
2 Overview
3 Armament
4 Variants
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Development

Development of the Marder ran from January 1960, when the first development contracts were issued, to 7 May 1971, when the first production vehicles were given to the German army.

The vehicle was intended to be an improvement over the Schützenpanzer Lang HS.30. The main requirements were:

A capacity of 12 infantrymen.
A more reliable 20 mm cannon.
The infantry must be able to fight from within the vehicle or dismounted.
Protection from Nuclear, Biological and Chemical weapons.

Initially development contracts were awarded to two groups of companies the Rheinstahl group (Rheinstahl-Hanomag, Ruhrstahl, Witten-Annen, Büro Warnecke) and the second group comprising Henschel Werke and the Swiss MOWAG company. This resulted in the production of seven prototype vehicles. A second set of eight prototype vehicles were built between 1961 and 1963. Development priority was then switched for a while to the development of the Jagdpanzer 90 mm Kanone.

In 1967, after military requirements were fininalized, a third and final set of ten prototypes were built. Final development work was completed by the Rheinstahl group, and 10 pre-production vehicles were built and completed troop trials with the German army between October 1968 and March 1969. In May 1969, the vehicle was officially named the "Marder 1" and in October Rheinstahl was chosen as the prime contractor.

The first production Marder 1 was handed to the German army on 7 May 1971. Production of the vehicle continued until 1975, with 2,136 vehicles being completed.

In 1975 the Milan missile was first adapted to be fired by commander from his open hatch, and between 1977 and 1979 Milan missiles were fitted to army vehicles.

A number of upgrade programs were carried out, that included fitting night vision equipment and a thermal imager, as well as upgraded the ammunition feed to the 20 mm cannon.

The A3 upgrade program began in 1988, with Thyssen Henschel being awarded a contact to upgrade 2,100 Marder 1 A1/A2 series vehicles to A3 standard at a rate of 220 a year. The first upgraded vehicles reached the German army on 17 November 1989. The modifcation package included:

Improved armour weighing 1,600 kg intended to protect against the 30 mm 2A42 cannon on the Russian BMP-2. The armour also provided additional protection against cluster bomblets.
The hatches over the infantry compartment were re-arranged.
Suspension was reinforced, a new braking system was installed, the gearbox adjusted. The heating system was replaced with a water based heating system.
Turret was reconfigured.
Total weight is now 35,000 kg.

[edit] Overview

Developed as part of the rebuilding of Germany's armoured fighting vehicle industry, the Marder has proven to be a successful and solid infantry fighting vehicle design. While it does include a few unique features, such as the fully remote machinegun on the rear deck, it is overall a simple and conventional machine with rear exit hatch and side gun ports for mounted infantry to fire through.

The government of Greece (as of 2005) is in negotiations with the German army for the purchase of 500 Marder vehicles, following the development of Germany's new Puma IFV. The vehicles were previously used by the German army and are to be retired.

[edit] Armament

A Marder 1 A3 fires its 20 mm cannon in a training exercise.

Primary armament is the 20 mm Rheinmetall MK 20 Rh202 autocannon mounted in a small two-man turret mid-mounted on the hull with armour-piercing and HE rounds.

Secondary weapon is a 7.62 mm MG3 machine gun mounted coaxially to the main gun. Early Marders up to and including version 1A1 had a second MG3 attached to the rear deck in a fully remote controlled housing.

On current models since version 1A2, a MILAN anti-tank guided missile launcher can be attached to the turret to provide enhanced anti-armour capabilities.

There are four (two per side) gun ports which can be used by mounted infantry to provide additional fire against attacking infantry targets. Only Marder 1a1 and 1a2 had been equipped with this. Marder 1a3 and above do not have gun ports due to extra layer of amour and outside storage boxes.

Six smoke dischargers can create a visual and infra-red blocking smoke screen.

[edit] Variants

A Marder 1A3 fires a Milan missile during a training exercise.

The Marder 1A3 is the currently most common version of this system, and is in service with the German Bundeswehr, the Marder 1A4 differs from the 1A3 only by the use of a cryptography-capable radio-set. Newest Version of the Marder is the Marder 1A5 with advanced mine protection. But only a small number is in service.

The Marder served as the basis for Thyssen-Henschel's medium tank design which became the TAM for Argentina. The Marder is also used as a carrier for the Roland air defence system. The Kanonenjagdpanzer and Raketenjagdpanzer 2, which have been developed in parallel with the Marder, use the same chassis as the Marder.

Marder 1 (1971 -)
- Marder 1 with Milan - a Milan launcher was fitted to all Marder's between 1977 and 1979.
- Marder 1 A1(+) (1979 - 1982)- dual feed for 20 mm canon enabling choice of ammunition, night vision equipment including image intensifiers and a thermal imager. Infantry capacity reduced to five. Applied to 674 vehicles between 1979 and 1982.
- Marder 1 A1(-) (1979 - 1982) - as A1(+) but without thermal imager. 350 vehicles upgraded to this standard.
  - Marder 1 A1A3 - a Marder A1 with SEM 80/90 cryptographic radios.
- Marder 1 A1A as 1 A1 but without any passive night vision equipment. 1,112 vehicles upgraded to this standard.
  - Marder 1 A1A4 - a Marder A1A with SEM 80/90 cryptographic radios.
- Marder 1 A1A2 - a converted Marder 1 with A1 turret and A2 chassis
  - Marder 1 A1A5 - a Marder A1A2 with SEM 80/90 cryptographic radios.
- Marder 1 A2 (1984 - 1991) Between 1984 and 1991, all German Marder 1's were upgraded to A2 standard, this included substantial modification of the suspension,fuel tanks, cooling system and water-jet cleaning system. Additionally a new sighting system was installed. The infra-red search light equipment was removed . And all vehicles were fitted with thermal imagers except for the 674 A1(+) vehicles, which already had them.
  - Marder 1 A2A1 - a Marder 1 A2 with SEM 80/90 cryptographic radios.
- Marder 1 A3 (1988 - 1998)
- Marder 1 A5 (2003-2004) Additional anti-mine armor and completely remodelled interior in order to avoid blast and shock injuries to the crew when hit by a mine. Applied to 74 Marder 1 A3 only.