The new modern German Puma armored vehicles have a number of technical problems, due to which they cannot be adopted by the Bundeswehr (German army), writes the German weekly Der Spiegel on Sunday, quoted by the DPA, EFE and Agerpres agencies.

New German armored car PumaPhoto: dpa picture alliance / Alamy / Alamy / Profimedia

None of the 18 armored Pumas recently inspected failed the test, with problems ranging from malfunctioning electronic systems to the condition of cables and serviceability. According to a letter sent to the leadership of the Ministry of Defense by the commander of the 10th Mechanized Division, General Rupprecht von Butler, the latter dropped to zero in just a few days of testing, which was seen by Der Spiegel.

The test maneuvers were carried out at the German army’s training ground for tanks and other types of armored vehicles, and their result caused concern among German defense ministry officials, especially since the Puma infantry fighting vehicle was intended to equip the German contingent of NATO’s Rapid Reaction Force from next year.

The last two of the 18 vehicles tested also failed during firing tests due to turret failures occurring at intervals of one and a half hours.

Minister of Defense, Social Democrat Christine Lambrecht called a meeting on this matter for Monday.

The Puma is a multi-role infantry fighting vehicle that began production in 2009 but was approved only last year. Puma will replace Marder armored vehicles, the latter included in military aid to Ukraine.​

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