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Rheinmetall Landsysteme Marder

1971 ARMORED PERSONNEL CARRIER COLD WAR MODERN

History

After World War II (1939-1945), Germany was divided into East and West countries, influenced by the Soviet Union and Western powers respectively. The Wehrmacht was also in ruins at the time, and it was not until November 12, 1955, that official military service was finally reformed, at least in West Germany.

The service sought to adopt a modern, robust design that would allow it to store its inventory, and eventually focused on a dual/multi-purpose tracked chassis for multiple roles on the battlefield: armed tank killer, anti-tank Guided Missile Carrier (ATGM) and Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV). In terms of procurement and maintenance obligations, it is logical to reuse the same base chassis.

Some of the Army's demands include an effective area-suppressed 20mm autocannon, NBC (nuclear, biological and chemical) support in the event of a nuclear war, and an internal passenger capacity of 12 -- although not all of these are meet-before-the-end.

Design work ran from 1960 to 1969, culminating in a pilot vehicle built around IFV requirements, extensively tested, and ultimately reviewed by Army authorities. In the end, the design known as the "Marder Schutzenpanzer Neu M-1966" was ahead of all others.

With the backing of the Army, manufacturing is undertaken and traded by longtime German military contractor Rheinmetall Landsysteme. From 1969 to 1975, a total of 2,136 cars were built. The first batches were delivered to the German Armed Forces in 1970 and entered service soon after.

The Marder's design can be considered today as a traditional design of an armored personnel carrier. It consisted of a crew of three - driver, commander and gunner - with the driver sitting forward on the left side of the hull and the other seat just aft.

Up to seven combat-ready troops can be carried back and forth, with access hatches above the rear troop compartment and a large rectangular entry/exit door at the rear of the hull (folded down to act as a makeshift ramp). The power pack is installed on the right front side of the fuselage.

Dimensions include 22.2' long, 10.7' wide and 9.8' high. The weight is 31.5 tons (short).

Above the center is a two-person tower that can be traversed 360 degrees. The position carries a Rheinmetall Mk 20 Rh 202 series 20mm automatic cannon capable of defending the vehicle against fire. An optional 7.62mm remote-controlled machine gun is mounted to the rear of the vehicle to protect the vehicle's vital rear quadrant from enemy infantry attempting to overtake the vehicle.

Part of the fleet (since at least 1977) has also received support for the French Milan ATGM, a proven tank-killing missile that increases the vehicle's field survivability.

Power is supplied to a conventional track wheel arrangement by an MTU MB833 Ea-500 diesel unit, producing 591 hp. There are six road wheels (dual tires) on one side of the fuselage, the drive sprocket is in the front, and the chain idler is in the rear. The engine is connected to a RENK HSWL 194 series drivetrain and the suspension is a torsion bar variant.

Road speeds can reach nearly 50 miles per hour and range is up to 325 miles, giving the Marten good speed and off-road capability while keeping up with the workhorse.

Overall protection against small arms fire and shrapnel is solid, although the front of the hull (on the glacis panel) offers slightly more protection up to 20mm projectiles. The upper part of the track was protected by serrated side skirt armor plates. The armor scheme is welded steel.

Despite its Cold War origins, the Marder vehicles survived largely due to relatively stable German site demand, solid German engineering and modernization programs. There were also plans to develop a new and improved version of the Marder in the mid-1980s, called "Marder-2", which would downgrade the original vehicle to "Marder-1".

However, the car went nowhere and the name change never happened.

The Marder variant was based on the Marder 1, followed in 1979 by the Marder 1A1(+), which installed a new dual feed system for the 20mm cannon. Thermal imaging and night vision support were also added at this time. About 674 cars were converted to this standard. Marder 1A1(-) follows the changes listed in 1A1(+), but does not receive thermal imaging equipment.

About 350 cars have adopted this standard.

The Marder 1A1A3 is the A1 model, but with a SEM80/90 radio. The Marder 1A1A4 follows the kit but is based on the A1A model. The Marder 1 and the A1 turret were combined with the A2 chassis to complete the Marder 1A1A2. The radio adaptation of A1A2/A1A4 resulted in the A1A5 standard.

The Marder 1A2 appeared in 1984 as a new modern build and all previous forms were finally updated to standard. Both the refueling and cooling systems have been improved, and new sights have been installed. The suspension system has also been improved.

The SEM80/90 radio subsequently produced the Marder 1A2A1.

In 1988, the Marder 1A3 appeared and Radiofit produced the codename 1A4. In 2003, the Marder 1A5 was introduced, introducing improved anti-tank mine survivability and a new fighting compartment. However, only 74 cars were upgraded to this standard (1A3 models).

The Marder 1A5A1 is the latest version of the tank with improved IED protection and occupant comfort such as an air cooling system.

Despite entering service in the early 1970s, the Marder was not used on German missions in Afghanistan until 2009. In the battles that followed, the Marten proved to be an indispensable participant in the Allied forces, especially the German soldiers who depended on it.

Fighting in this environment prompted designers to add air conditioning systems and better IED survivability.

Outside of the West German/German army, the Marder was only adopted by a small fraction of the population worldwide. These include Chile, Indonesia and Jordan.