The Bundeswehr is threatened with massive savings in the procurement of the Puma infantry fighting vehicle. According to an internal cross-off list from the authority, the appointment, which has already been postponed to 2022, should be canceled.
The
Bundeswehr is threatened with massive savings in the procurement of the German armored
personnel carrier Puma. As WirtschaftsWoche learned from armaments circles in Berlin, there are well-developed plans in the Federal Ministry of Defense to postpone the planned investments indefinitely or to cancel them entirely. According to an internal cross-off list of the authority, the second order for 220 copies, which has already been postponed to the year 2022, should be canceled.
The technical retrofitting of the 350 vehicles that have already been delivered to the so-called VJTF standard is also to be stopped until further notice. This involves orders with a total value of up to 5.2 billion euros for the manufacturers
Rheinmetall from Düsseldorf and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) from Munich. According to industry estimates, the cuts threaten well over 1,000 jobs. KMW would have to close at least one location.
Rheinmetall and KMW did not want to comment on the ongoing proceedings. The Ministry also did not want to comment on the procedure itself. A spokeswoman said, however, that in order to finance the technical retrofitting, the authority wanted to “submit the 25 million euro bill to the budget committee in this legislature”.
The reason for the cuts are apparently the additional costs of other major projects in the armaments sector. Because
Germany sees itself in partner countries with the European fighter jet FCAS, naval supply ships, submarines and the sea reconnaissance aircraft P-8 Poseidon, the only savings option remains the puma - the only major army project, explained a person familiar with the matter at WirtschaftsWoche.
mandiner.hu
