“….the future tank has to be in sync with technological battlefield advancements,” the RFI says, adding that it needs to upgrade and incorporate systems to negate ISR systems, counter new threats and enhance its operational performance. It is also buying dozens of US-made F-35 fighter jets but that project has run into problems, with the defence ministry raising concerns about delays and additional costs.While tanks have been the dominant battle winning factor of the land forces, it faces new threats from loitering munitions, UCAVs (unmanned combat aerial vehicles) and their targeting have been made easier with a progress in the adversary’s ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) capabilities, it says. The military has 350 Puma tanks, but only 42 had been set up to be used with the Nato force.īerlin earlier this year announced plans to invest €100bn ($106bn) to modernise its armed forces, casting aside a postwar reluctance to spend big on its military to face the threat from Russia.

Lambrecht said that Germany would still fulfil its obligations towards the alliance, and instead of the Pumas would use ageing Marder tanks.Ī defence ministry spokesperson said work was being conducted at full speed on “damage assessment”, adding there had been an “unusually high failure rate” with the tanks. The Pumas were supposed to be ready for use in a Nato taskforce for rapid deployments from January. “Our troops must be able to rely on weapons systems that are robust and stable in combat,” Lambrecht added. She ordered a probe into what went wrong, and said until the vehicles prove “stable” there won’t be any new orders. “The latest failures of the Puma tanks are a harsh setback,” Lambrecht in a statement earlier on Monday.

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