Puma for the Bundeswehr
In the early seventies, the Marder was adopted by the Bundeswehr. This car in its time was considered one of the best representatives of its class. However, over the past four decades, BMP Marder has become obsolete both morally and physically. In the future, outdated armored vehicles are proposed to be replaced with new PUMA infantry fighting vehicles. Like its predecessor, the PUMA machine must have high performance that gives it superiority over competing technology. However, this project, which was launched in the mid-eighties, has not yet reached the stage of delivery of serial vehicles to the troops.
The PUMA infantry fighting vehicle project was developed as part of the same-name program for creating a promising infantry fighting vehicle. The name of the PUMA program fully revealed the main priorities and was decoded as Panzer Unter Minimalen Aufwand (“Minimum cost armored vehicle”). At the same time, the name of the car corresponded to the German tradition of naming armored vehicles, implying “bestial” names.
In 1986, the PUMA vehicle project, developed by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), was submitted to the competition of the Turkish army, while choosing a new armored vehicle to equip the ground forces. In this competition, the development of KMW gave way to competitors, but was highly appreciated by specialists. Work on the project continued and soon a new version of the promising BMP appeared, which differed from the previous one in a number of innovations and changes. It is this version of the "Puma", which appeared in 1988 year, later became the basis for the modern version of the machine offered for delivery to the troops. Work on the modern version of the project started in 1996 year.
PUMA has the look, traditional for modern infantry fighting vehicles. This is a tracked armored vehicle with a front-mounted engine compartment, a swiveling turret with armament and aft troop compartment. Apparently, when creating a new project, KMW engineers did not resort to original promising solutions, but decided to use and develop already known and proven ideas.
The PUMA armored body is welded from armor plates, providing all-round protection against 14,5-mm bullets. If necessary, the machine can be equipped with additional booking modules. There are two options for such protection, received the symbols "A" and "C". When equipped with an “A” kit, the armored vehicle receives additional equipment weighing just over one ton, providing frontal projection protection from 30-mm projectiles of automatic cannons and cumulative ammunition. When using modules of the “A” system, the weight of the PUMA infantry combat vehicle in the transport position does not exceed 31,5 t, due to which it can be transported by advanced Airbus A400 military transport aircraft.
The set of "C" includes several additional modules with a total weight of about 9 tons, made on the basis of spaced and combined armor. These are two large-size modules installed on the sides of the machine, modules to enhance the protection of the roof of the hull and the tower, as well as the module covering the forehead, sides and stern of the tower. Using the "C" complex allows you to provide all-round protection of the combat vehicle from 30-mm projectiles. The dimensions and weight of the PUMA armored vehicle with the protection system “C” installed on it allows it to be transported by rail. In the early stages of the project, it was planned to create a third set of mounted armor with the letter “B”, which was to provide not only an enhanced level of protection, but also the possibility of transporting the car by rail. The results of the work on the set “C” showed that it is possible to get by with two options of additional booking, and the third will lead to an unjustified complication and increase in the cost of the project.
The layout of the PUMA BMP hull is standard for this class of equipment, but it has several interesting features. The engine and transmission units are located in front of the hull, shifted to the starboard side. Next to the engine in the board has a grille that provides cooling of the power plant. To the left of the engine is the workplace of the driver. Behind it is the gunner's place. Place the commander of the machine is located to the right of the gunner. Behind the gunner’s and commander’s backs there is a fighting compartment with an uninhabited tower, equipped with remote-controlled mechanisms. An interesting feature of the tower is its location - for a more convenient arrangement of the internal volumes of the hull it is shifted to the left side. In the aft troop compartment there are six places for soldiers. The fighters are sitting at the boards facing each other. On the right side of the hull four seats are installed, on the left - two. In the stern of the hull there is a large lowered ramp, which facilitates the landing and leaving the car.
Marines must get into the car and leave it through the stern ramp. The crew of the machine for these purposes must use the hatches. The driver and commander have their own hatches, the gunner must use the hatches of other crew members or get into the car through the ramp. To make it easier to leave the car in the conditions of blockages, the hatches do not rise up and sideways, but move on the axle. In the roof of the troop compartment the same hatches for the fighters are provided. The hatches of the commander and the gunner are equipped with periscope observation devices. Airborne compartments are equipped with similar instruments. For more driving comfort, the driver has monitors to which the signal from the cameras on the sides and rear of the hull is output. The gunner must monitor the situation with the help of a video system installed on the combat module.
BMP "Puma" is equipped with 10-cylinder diesel engine MTU V10 892 XHUMX horsepower Thanks to such a power plant, even when using a heavy set of additional protection “C”, the specific power of the machine exceeds the 1100 hp. per ton. Accordingly, when the “A” kit is installed, the value of this parameter is even higher. The running gear of the car has six road wheels with a hydropneumatic suspension on each side. The drive wheel is located in the front of the hull, the guide - in the stern. The maximum speed of PUMA infantry fighting vehicles on the highway is at the level of 25 km / h. Power reserve - 70 km.
Armament BMP PUMA installed on the original uninhabited tower with remote control. The main weapons The armored car is an 30-mm automatic cannon Rheinmetall MK 30-2 / AVM, using standard NATO projectiles 30x173 mm. The ABM modification gun is equipped with a muzzle device for programming a projectile fuse. It is noteworthy that the gun is installed with a shift to the starboard side of the tower, which, in turn, is mounted with a shift to the left side of the hull. Thus, the barrel of the gun in a neutral position coincides with the longitudinal axis of the armored vehicle, which facilitates the control of the weapon. The Rheinmetall MK 30-2 / AVM gun allows you to fire at a distance of up to 3000 m with a rate of up to 700 shots per minute. At the same time, the PUMA machine control system limits the maximum rate of fire of 200 per minute. This is said to be done to ensure acceptable accuracy of fire. Tower mechanisms provide circular guidance horizontally. Vertical guidance angles from -10 ° to + 45 °. It is possible to shoot in three modes: single, single, with minimum intervals and automatic.
The ammunition of the main weapon of an infantry fighting vehicle consists of 400 projectiles. Half of the ammunition is ready for use and is placed in a special box in the aft of the tower. The remaining shells are located inside the fighting compartment, under the tower. The gun can use two types of ammunition. For firing at armored targets, the PMC 287 armor-piercing feathered projectile is used, capable of penetrating 2000 mm of armor at a distance of 60 m (meeting angle 60 °). As a high-explosive fragmentation ammunition used projectile Oerlikon-Contraves AHEAD with a programmable fuse, providing undermining at a given distance. AHEAD projectile contains 162 finished tungsten cylindrical striking elements. After the explosion, the striking elements fly towards the target, forming a relatively narrow cone. Automatics of the cannon and the fire control system with the help of a snuggling device determine the initial velocity of the projectile and sets the projectile's detonator to explode at a specified time and at a specified distance from the gun.
To the right of the cannon on the Puma turret, an MG4 machine gun, caliber 5,56 mm, is mounted. In the tower is placed ammunition in 1000 cartridges. Another thousand cartridges for the machine gun is in the packing of the fighting compartment. A six-barreled SKWA grenade launcher system, capable of firing 76-mm fragmentation grenades and hitting targets at distances to 50 m within a sector of width 90 °, is mounted in the stern of the vehicle. The grenade launcher system is controlled by paratroopers. To combat armored vehicles PUMA can carry anti-tank missile system Spike-LR.
To control the weapons, the gunner and the commander of the PUMA infantry combat vehicle have Carl Zeiss sights. Both sighting devices are built on a two-channel scheme (day and night channels) and equipped with a laser rangefinder. The image with the sights is displayed on the monitors at the workplace. An additional monitor is provided in the troop compartment. With it, the commander of the paratroopers can monitor the situation on the battlefield. Sighting devices associated with a fire control system. Declared the possibility of data transfer between machines.
BMP PUMA turned out quite compact. Its length does not exceed 6,8 meter, width is equal to 3,25 m, height - 2,98 m. The combat weight of the vehicle depends on the used set of modules for additional booking. The maximum value of this parameter (armor set “C”) reaches 43 tons, the minimum (without additional reservations) is 30,5 tons. A sufficiently large combat weight of the vehicle affected its driving characteristics, however, it allowed to increase the level of protection and, as a result, survivability on the battlefield .
The design of the current PUMA infantry combat vehicle was launched in 1996. At the beginning of 1998, the customer, represented by the German Ministry of Defense, approved the technical requirements for the project. The continuation of the development and adjustment of requirements in the 2002 year was followed by a contract. In accordance with this document, by the end of 2005, KMW was supposed to submit the first prototypes of the new armored vehicle. In addition, the document stipulated the delivery of some systems intended for testing.
A new contract appeared in 2004, requiring KMW to build five pre-production machines of the new model. At that time, it was assumed that the first contract for the serial construction of PUMA infantry fighting vehicles would allow the Bundeswehr to obtain 405 of such vehicles. In 2006, the pre-production technology was built and transferred to the customer. In November, the German military 2007 confirmed the desire to get a new type of production machines after the 2010 year.
The PUMA machine has earned a large number of laudatory reviews, but the tests of the built prototypes have worsened its image. Testers noted problems with the fire control system, poor performance of night vision devices and other malfunctions of various systems. For example, the wireless data exchange system between the BMP electronics and the components of the advanced equipment of the Gladius soldier was particularly criticized. Also worth noting are the regular attacks on the BMP combat mass. Some German military believe that the maximum combat weight of about 43 tons, although it allowed to provide a high level of protection, is excessive and impairs mobility, and also leads to excessive loads on the undercarriage.
According to the plans of the last few years, the German armed forces were to receive the first PUMA production vehicles in 2014. In October last year, German Defense Minister Thomas de Mezieres, speaking in the Bundestag, said that the new BMP would not be adopted. The reason for this decision was the numerous shortcomings of the proposed technology, identified during the testing of prototypes. The existing problems do not allow initiating the start of serial construction of new BMPs.
Thus, one of the main German projects of the last time was in an ambiguous position. In order to successfully complete the development and start mass production, KMW must eliminate all the detected deficiencies, otherwise the PUMA project risks stopping at the testing stage. The further fate of the project is not completely clear. According to reports, the development company is currently trying to finalize the project, taking into account the customer's claims.
On the materials of the sites:
http://army-guide.com/
http://btvt.narod.ru/
http://armyrecognition.com/
http://bmpd.livejournal.com/
The PUMA infantry fighting vehicle project was developed as part of the same-name program for creating a promising infantry fighting vehicle. The name of the PUMA program fully revealed the main priorities and was decoded as Panzer Unter Minimalen Aufwand (“Minimum cost armored vehicle”). At the same time, the name of the car corresponded to the German tradition of naming armored vehicles, implying “bestial” names.
In 1986, the PUMA vehicle project, developed by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), was submitted to the competition of the Turkish army, while choosing a new armored vehicle to equip the ground forces. In this competition, the development of KMW gave way to competitors, but was highly appreciated by specialists. Work on the project continued and soon a new version of the promising BMP appeared, which differed from the previous one in a number of innovations and changes. It is this version of the "Puma", which appeared in 1988 year, later became the basis for the modern version of the machine offered for delivery to the troops. Work on the modern version of the project started in 1996 year.
PUMA has the look, traditional for modern infantry fighting vehicles. This is a tracked armored vehicle with a front-mounted engine compartment, a swiveling turret with armament and aft troop compartment. Apparently, when creating a new project, KMW engineers did not resort to original promising solutions, but decided to use and develop already known and proven ideas.
The PUMA armored body is welded from armor plates, providing all-round protection against 14,5-mm bullets. If necessary, the machine can be equipped with additional booking modules. There are two options for such protection, received the symbols "A" and "C". When equipped with an “A” kit, the armored vehicle receives additional equipment weighing just over one ton, providing frontal projection protection from 30-mm projectiles of automatic cannons and cumulative ammunition. When using modules of the “A” system, the weight of the PUMA infantry combat vehicle in the transport position does not exceed 31,5 t, due to which it can be transported by advanced Airbus A400 military transport aircraft.
The set of "C" includes several additional modules with a total weight of about 9 tons, made on the basis of spaced and combined armor. These are two large-size modules installed on the sides of the machine, modules to enhance the protection of the roof of the hull and the tower, as well as the module covering the forehead, sides and stern of the tower. Using the "C" complex allows you to provide all-round protection of the combat vehicle from 30-mm projectiles. The dimensions and weight of the PUMA armored vehicle with the protection system “C” installed on it allows it to be transported by rail. In the early stages of the project, it was planned to create a third set of mounted armor with the letter “B”, which was to provide not only an enhanced level of protection, but also the possibility of transporting the car by rail. The results of the work on the set “C” showed that it is possible to get by with two options of additional booking, and the third will lead to an unjustified complication and increase in the cost of the project.
The layout of the PUMA BMP hull is standard for this class of equipment, but it has several interesting features. The engine and transmission units are located in front of the hull, shifted to the starboard side. Next to the engine in the board has a grille that provides cooling of the power plant. To the left of the engine is the workplace of the driver. Behind it is the gunner's place. Place the commander of the machine is located to the right of the gunner. Behind the gunner’s and commander’s backs there is a fighting compartment with an uninhabited tower, equipped with remote-controlled mechanisms. An interesting feature of the tower is its location - for a more convenient arrangement of the internal volumes of the hull it is shifted to the left side. In the aft troop compartment there are six places for soldiers. The fighters are sitting at the boards facing each other. On the right side of the hull four seats are installed, on the left - two. In the stern of the hull there is a large lowered ramp, which facilitates the landing and leaving the car.
Marines must get into the car and leave it through the stern ramp. The crew of the machine for these purposes must use the hatches. The driver and commander have their own hatches, the gunner must use the hatches of other crew members or get into the car through the ramp. To make it easier to leave the car in the conditions of blockages, the hatches do not rise up and sideways, but move on the axle. In the roof of the troop compartment the same hatches for the fighters are provided. The hatches of the commander and the gunner are equipped with periscope observation devices. Airborne compartments are equipped with similar instruments. For more driving comfort, the driver has monitors to which the signal from the cameras on the sides and rear of the hull is output. The gunner must monitor the situation with the help of a video system installed on the combat module.
BMP "Puma" is equipped with 10-cylinder diesel engine MTU V10 892 XHUMX horsepower Thanks to such a power plant, even when using a heavy set of additional protection “C”, the specific power of the machine exceeds the 1100 hp. per ton. Accordingly, when the “A” kit is installed, the value of this parameter is even higher. The running gear of the car has six road wheels with a hydropneumatic suspension on each side. The drive wheel is located in the front of the hull, the guide - in the stern. The maximum speed of PUMA infantry fighting vehicles on the highway is at the level of 25 km / h. Power reserve - 70 km.
Armament BMP PUMA installed on the original uninhabited tower with remote control. The main weapons The armored car is an 30-mm automatic cannon Rheinmetall MK 30-2 / AVM, using standard NATO projectiles 30x173 mm. The ABM modification gun is equipped with a muzzle device for programming a projectile fuse. It is noteworthy that the gun is installed with a shift to the starboard side of the tower, which, in turn, is mounted with a shift to the left side of the hull. Thus, the barrel of the gun in a neutral position coincides with the longitudinal axis of the armored vehicle, which facilitates the control of the weapon. The Rheinmetall MK 30-2 / AVM gun allows you to fire at a distance of up to 3000 m with a rate of up to 700 shots per minute. At the same time, the PUMA machine control system limits the maximum rate of fire of 200 per minute. This is said to be done to ensure acceptable accuracy of fire. Tower mechanisms provide circular guidance horizontally. Vertical guidance angles from -10 ° to + 45 °. It is possible to shoot in three modes: single, single, with minimum intervals and automatic.
The ammunition of the main weapon of an infantry fighting vehicle consists of 400 projectiles. Half of the ammunition is ready for use and is placed in a special box in the aft of the tower. The remaining shells are located inside the fighting compartment, under the tower. The gun can use two types of ammunition. For firing at armored targets, the PMC 287 armor-piercing feathered projectile is used, capable of penetrating 2000 mm of armor at a distance of 60 m (meeting angle 60 °). As a high-explosive fragmentation ammunition used projectile Oerlikon-Contraves AHEAD with a programmable fuse, providing undermining at a given distance. AHEAD projectile contains 162 finished tungsten cylindrical striking elements. After the explosion, the striking elements fly towards the target, forming a relatively narrow cone. Automatics of the cannon and the fire control system with the help of a snuggling device determine the initial velocity of the projectile and sets the projectile's detonator to explode at a specified time and at a specified distance from the gun.
To the right of the cannon on the Puma turret, an MG4 machine gun, caliber 5,56 mm, is mounted. In the tower is placed ammunition in 1000 cartridges. Another thousand cartridges for the machine gun is in the packing of the fighting compartment. A six-barreled SKWA grenade launcher system, capable of firing 76-mm fragmentation grenades and hitting targets at distances to 50 m within a sector of width 90 °, is mounted in the stern of the vehicle. The grenade launcher system is controlled by paratroopers. To combat armored vehicles PUMA can carry anti-tank missile system Spike-LR.
To control the weapons, the gunner and the commander of the PUMA infantry combat vehicle have Carl Zeiss sights. Both sighting devices are built on a two-channel scheme (day and night channels) and equipped with a laser rangefinder. The image with the sights is displayed on the monitors at the workplace. An additional monitor is provided in the troop compartment. With it, the commander of the paratroopers can monitor the situation on the battlefield. Sighting devices associated with a fire control system. Declared the possibility of data transfer between machines.
BMP PUMA turned out quite compact. Its length does not exceed 6,8 meter, width is equal to 3,25 m, height - 2,98 m. The combat weight of the vehicle depends on the used set of modules for additional booking. The maximum value of this parameter (armor set “C”) reaches 43 tons, the minimum (without additional reservations) is 30,5 tons. A sufficiently large combat weight of the vehicle affected its driving characteristics, however, it allowed to increase the level of protection and, as a result, survivability on the battlefield .
The design of the current PUMA infantry combat vehicle was launched in 1996. At the beginning of 1998, the customer, represented by the German Ministry of Defense, approved the technical requirements for the project. The continuation of the development and adjustment of requirements in the 2002 year was followed by a contract. In accordance with this document, by the end of 2005, KMW was supposed to submit the first prototypes of the new armored vehicle. In addition, the document stipulated the delivery of some systems intended for testing.
A new contract appeared in 2004, requiring KMW to build five pre-production machines of the new model. At that time, it was assumed that the first contract for the serial construction of PUMA infantry fighting vehicles would allow the Bundeswehr to obtain 405 of such vehicles. In 2006, the pre-production technology was built and transferred to the customer. In November, the German military 2007 confirmed the desire to get a new type of production machines after the 2010 year.
The PUMA machine has earned a large number of laudatory reviews, but the tests of the built prototypes have worsened its image. Testers noted problems with the fire control system, poor performance of night vision devices and other malfunctions of various systems. For example, the wireless data exchange system between the BMP electronics and the components of the advanced equipment of the Gladius soldier was particularly criticized. Also worth noting are the regular attacks on the BMP combat mass. Some German military believe that the maximum combat weight of about 43 tons, although it allowed to provide a high level of protection, is excessive and impairs mobility, and also leads to excessive loads on the undercarriage.
According to the plans of the last few years, the German armed forces were to receive the first PUMA production vehicles in 2014. In October last year, German Defense Minister Thomas de Mezieres, speaking in the Bundestag, said that the new BMP would not be adopted. The reason for this decision was the numerous shortcomings of the proposed technology, identified during the testing of prototypes. The existing problems do not allow initiating the start of serial construction of new BMPs.
Thus, one of the main German projects of the last time was in an ambiguous position. In order to successfully complete the development and start mass production, KMW must eliminate all the detected deficiencies, otherwise the PUMA project risks stopping at the testing stage. The further fate of the project is not completely clear. According to reports, the development company is currently trying to finalize the project, taking into account the customer's claims.
On the materials of the sites:
http://army-guide.com/
http://btvt.narod.ru/
http://armyrecognition.com/
http://bmpd.livejournal.com/
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