Rheinmetall Ramps Up Support for Ukraine with 20 Additional Marder IFVs

At the request of the German authorities, Rheinmetall is once more supplying Ukraine with Marder infantry combat vehicles. Secured in May 2023, the contract holds a value in the lower two-digit million-euro bracket. The Marders are scheduled for delivery this summer.

Representing the German government, Rheinmetall previously dispatched the initial batch of twenty Marder IFVs to Ukraine on 21 March 2023. Ukraine additionally acquired another twenty of these reliable units directly from current Bundeswehr reserves. Beyond the Marders ordered thus far, Rheinmetall is prepared to provide an additional sixty units. Preparation for this is already in progress at Rheinmetall’s facilities in Kassel and Unterlüß, with the potential to deliver up to ten infantry combat vehicles each month.

Through the German government’s “Ringtausch” initiative, Greece is set to receive forty Marder IFVs as well. These are also expected to be dispatched this summer. The “Ringtausch” is a multilateral military equipment exchange initiative aimed at bolstering Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression. In collaboration with Germany’s European allies and NATO partners, Soviet-era heavy equipment is being transferred to Ukraine in return for surplus Western-made systems. Rheinmetall is actively involved in various “Ringtausch” exchanges with the armed forces of Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

The vehicles being provided are refurbished Marder 1A3 models previously utilized by the Bundeswehr. As early as spring 2022, Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH commenced the restoration of these infantry combat vehicles to a state of immediate battle readiness at its own cost at its locations in Unterlüß and Kassel.

Engineered for the Bundeswehr and still operational with the German Army, the Marder infantry fighting vehicle ranks among the most dependable armaments of its kind globally. Continuously updated, the vehicle has experienced repeated combat enhancements throughout its service history.