Panzer Puma para la Infantería de Marina de Chile

The Puma (own way of writing: PUMA) is an armored infantry vehicle, which is developed and produced of the German arms manufacturers Krauss Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Rheinmetall land systems (RLS).

The execution takes place via project system management (PSM), a joint undertaking of KMW and RLS. It is to replace the armored infantry vehicle starting from 2010 at the army of the German Federal Armed Forces, which will receive altogether 410 pieces, Marder.

Overview

The Puma is in the basic equipment of air-transportable armored infantry vehicles with tower operated by remote control and crewless and constant combat area. The crew consists of nine persons and is divided into a contactor troop, consisting of six soldiers, and a firm vehicle crew, consisting of group leader (GrpFhr), troop leader weapon system (TrpFhrWaSys) and driver (MKF).

The contactor troop consists of troop leader and 5 contactors. In exceptional cases the sinking force with the group leader increases on seven. The vehicle leads then that troop leader weapon system (gunner).

The arrangement of the crew in the vehicle is thereby as follows: The driver sits in front left, behind him the gunner. It serves the weapon system and sits before the turning carrier of the crewless tower, the transmission of the control instructions effected over sliprings.

The group leader sits right directly beside the gunner and orders over its own sliding hatch. It supports so the driver when leading the vehicle in the traffic.

Due to the asymmetrical arrangement of the tower on the left vehicle side the group leader has direct view on the soldiers in the rear combat area and to the troop leader.

Contrary to the armored infantry vehicle Marder sits itself opposite the contactor troop („face ton face). 4 soldiers sit on the right and 2 soldiers on the left side. A central pilot rack under the tower serves as reservoir for the equipment.

Against fires the combat area orders over a fire suppression plant (BUA). Equipped with infrared detectors the plant deletes arising fires in 150 milliseconds. The gaseous fire extinguishing agent DeuGen n is harmless according to manufacturer for humans.

Beyond that the troop leader orders over a sliding hatch, and the rear flap can be part-opened, which permits, to use these as emplacement for 2 soldiers.


Joint Fire support team are the system group from artillery observers and forward observers of the mortars as well as the forward air CONTROLLER of the Air Force. Their task is it, the fire of the artillery to steer mortars and the close air support into the goal.

Development

Project engineering and realization

The origins of the Puma go back into the year 1996. It is based on the project new one armored platform (NGP), which planned a universal platform for different weapon systems. Thus at the beginning of of 1998 the tactical concept of new armored infantry vehicles (NeSPz) was approved and led occasionally under the project names Panther and hedgehog.

After an ascertainment of need in the year 2002 end of 2002 the conclusion of a contract followed.

The contract covered the supply of an overall system demonstrator (GSD) in December 2005. Beside the GSD likewise three further subsystem demonstrators (TSD) for weapons/ammunition as well as mobility and protection are contained in the contract.

In December 2004 the German Federal Armed Forces signed a contract to the supply of 5 preferred pilot lot vehicles with an option for 405 further armored infantry vehicles. The supply of the pilot lot vehicles took place like planning in the year 2006.

It used over at the military engineering agencies of the BWB the fitness of the system to prove as well as weak points uncover.

Starting from the year 2010 the planned quantity production is to retard so also due to the technical problems around two and a half years

Specifications

-Crew 3 (driver, commander, gunner) + 6 (contactor troop)
-Length 7.40 m
-Width 3.43 m protection stage A
3.70 m protection stage C
-Height approx. 3.10 m
-Weight Protection stage A = 31.45 tons
-Protection stage C = 41 tons
-maximally 43 tons

Armoring and armament

-Armoring modular, compound armoring (AMAP)
Main armament 1 x 30 mm MK 30-2/ABM (Hunter killer ability)
-Secondary armament Mg 4, Kal. 5.56 mm, smoke grenade discharge unit 76 mm
Explosive throw plant 76 mm

Mobility
Drive V10 892 High power Density of MTU Friedrichshafen
800 KW
Suspension hydropneumatically
Maximum speed 70 km/h (road)
Achievement/weight 25 KW/ton (protection stage A)
19,5 KW/ton (protection stage C)
Range 600 km (road)