Armored industry of Germany
The armored industry of Germany is a developed industry in the country's defense industry. It is able to ensure the production of all types of armored combat vehicles (BBM): tanks, infantry fighting vehicles (BMPs), armored personnel carriers (BTRs), combat reconnaissance vehicles (BRMs) and other armored vehicles, as well as a high technical level of development and competitiveness of both the final products and the main systems and subsystems (weapons, armor protection, chassis engines).
Germany has production facilities with a full technological cycle for the production of modern BBM. Currently, more than 60 factories of basic industries, including more than 30 machine-building, up to ten automobile, three metallurgical, two shipbuilding, three electrotechnical and others are involved in the production of armored vehicles. This is due to the peculiarities of the production of components of armored vehicles (towers, corps, chassis, weapons, engines, various components and assemblies).
An important place among these enterprises is occupied by machine-building and automobile factories where final assembly of armored vehicles is carried out. Located, as a rule, in large industrial centers or in close proximity to them, they are equipped with modern machine tools and other technological equipment. On their territory, there are up to 30 production buildings, up to 90 technical, office, warehouse and office buildings, a platform for open storage of finished products, components and blanks coming from other factories. Characteristic of most of these enterprises is the presence in their territory or in the immediate vicinity of landfills for field trials of equipment and cargo railway stations.
The most important and constantly engaged in the production of armored vehicles are the machine-building plants of the companies Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (Munich), Mak Systems (Kiel) and Thyssen Henschel Werke (Kassel), as well as Eisenwerke Kaiserslautern ”(Kaiserslautern).
The plant of the company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann is the head enterprise for the production of Leopard tanks of various modifications. On its territory there are 12 buildings of the main production workshops, as well as more 20 production-testing, laboratory and production buildings and technical buildings. In addition, there are equipped sites for the storage of finished products (some of them have sheds) and there is a testing ground for running trials of manufactured equipment. In addition to the armored vehicles, the plant launched the production of tractor units, special vehicles and other transport equipment for the Bundeswehr. From civilian products locomotives, automobiles, tractors, buses and various equipment for the metalworking, mining, chemical, pulp and paper, glass and food industries are produced here.
At the present time, on the order of the ground forces of the Federal Republic of Germany, this enterprise is working on the complex modernization of Leopard-2А4 tanks to the level of Leopard-2А6, as well as on the improvement of the Zepus Gepard.
Tank "Leopard-2А4"
Tank "Leopard-2А6"
At its own expense, the company developed and launched into mass production the ATF-2 Dingo BTR based on the Unimog tactical vehicle. It is designed to equip the peacekeeping contingents of the Bundeswehr in Afghanistan. Deliveries of ground forces of Germany are conducted from 2000 year. Also, a demonstration sample of a light armored personnel carrier, the Terrier, was developed and presented on its own initiative.
The plant of the company "Mak Systems" is the second company in the country, specializing in the production of Leopard tanks and armored vehicles based on them. In addition, the production of engineering vehicles and artillery weapons (howitzers, torpedo tubes, 40-mm ZSU) has been adjusted here. Civilian products are manufactured from locomotives, diesel engines and cast iron. 17 buildings of the main and auxiliary workshops, up to ten technical and laboratory buildings, an open area for storing finished products and a testing ground are located on the territory of the plant.
The Thyssen Henschel Verke plant (the oldest enterprise in the industry) specializes in the manufacture of infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers and armored reconnaissance vehicles. Civil products - diesel electric locomotives, electric locomotives, diesel engines, parts of various machines and mechanisms. Currently, the plant is overhauling and upgrading equipment. On the basis of the TN 495 multipurpose platform, demos of BMPs and BTRs have been created. 22 buildings of main and auxiliary workshops, up to 20 technical, laboratory and office buildings, storage buildings for warehousing finished products and a testing ground are located on the territory of the enterprise.
Until the middle of the 90-s, the Thyssen Industri-Rheinshtal plant was engaged in assembling an armored personnel carrier (mainly for border guard troops) and a BRM for export. In addition, the production of turrets for Leopard tanks, SAU hulls and armored personnel carriers was launched here. Now the plant is fully transferred to the release of hydraulic equipment. Production equipment and technical documentation for the BTR TM-170 and UR-416 were transferred to the KUKA Henschel association. From civilian products there are equipment for mines, tanks, welded structures, iron castings, as well as repair of railway cars. 11 housings of main and auxiliary workshops, up to 15 technical, laboratory and administrative buildings, an open area for storing finished products and a testing ground are located on the territory of the plant.
In 1999, the concern “Rhinmetall” acquired a controlling stake in the company KUKA and formed the production department “Ground Combat Machines”. It also included the Mac Systems company, all of whose shares have been owned by him since 1992. The question of moving the production of the Wiesel-2 BRM from Kiel to the Reinmetall De Tech company (Unterlus, Lower Saxony) was considered.
BRM "Wiesel-2"
The companies Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall have been developing the BTK Boxer BTR, designed to replace Fuchs and М1999З armored personnel carriers, since 11. In addition, the Netherlands participates in the program (local name PWV). The first prototype of the BTR was demonstrated in July of the 2002 year, and its serial production was launched in 2007 immediately after the development was completed. The first series will include 200 armored personnel carriers for each country.
BTR STK "Boxer"
For financial reasons, the development of the NGP combat vehicle was postponed, which was supposed to be used as a base for the creation of a new main battle tank, BMP and ZSU.
An important role in meeting the needs of the ground forces of Germany in engineering technology and amphibious vehicles is played by the company Eisenwerke Kaiserslautern. Its products are exported to the USA, UK, Australia, Canada and other countries.
Among the plants that can also be involved in the production of armored vehicles, should be attributed those that have experience of its production in previous years. These are primarily enterprises of the firms Arnold Jung Locomotive of Factories (Kirchen) and Luther Werke (Braunschweig - pre-production samples of Leopard-1), Keller and Knappich (Augsburg - prototypes of MVT- 70), “Eisenwerke Kaiserslautern” (BRM ARE), “Daimler-Benz” (BTR and BMP) (Gaggenau), “Reinstal, Hannoug Baumachinen” (Hannover), as well as “Machinen Augsburg-Nürnberg, Werk Nuremberg (MAN) ”(Nuremberg - tanks). The capabilities of the listed armored vehicles factories are also provided by the requirements for standardization of units and units of armored vehicles and their unification with samples of civilian products introduced in 80 (use of traditional units and units used in civilian production in armored vehicles). This was also facilitated by the reconstruction of the industry, aimed at installing the latest equipment (including microcomputers and machine tools with numerical software), and the introduction of automated production management systems.
A special place in the industry is occupied by plants for the repair and modernization of armored vehicles. These include six special repair and repair enterprises owned by private firms (in the cities of Bad Bergzabern, Bergheim, Wetter, Darmstadt, Frankfurt am Main, Freisen), the engineering plant of the Luther-Werke company and the shipbuilding plant - Flensburger Schifsbaugelselft "(Flensburg). The factory of the company "Wegmann und Co" (Kassel) may be involved in the repair and modernization of armored vehicles.
In Germany there are five state repair and restoration plants (RVZ), which are part of the ground forces support command. Four of them are engaged in repair of armored vehicles. These are 800 RVZ (Jülich, North Rhine-Westphalia) and 850 RVZ (Darmstadt). 870 RVZ is located in Bad Bergzabern, which specializes in the repair of electronic equipment, including built-in equipment. After the unification of Germany in the interests of the Bundeswehr, the 890 RVZ (Doberlug-Kirchhain, Brandenburg) is used.
Repair and modernization of armored vehicles are carried out by private companies: “Industry-Werke Saar” (Freizen) and “FFG Flensburger Farzoygbau” (Flensburg), and also “NFV Neubrandenburger Fartsoygwerke” (Neubrandenburg, Mecklenburg-Pomepomerania). In 2000, the company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann founded in Kölleda, Land of Thuringia, a subsidiary company Sistemshinschandsettsunts Ost, specializing in the repair of armored vehicles on tracked and wheeled vehicles (up to 150 people).
The main areas of modernization are: increasing the mine protection and anti-cumulative protection of MBT by installing an additional titanium alloy plate on the bottom and new side hull screens as well as composite tower with steel cladding; Strengthening the structural strength of the emergency hatch under the driver; the use of cushioning design of his seat, which will significantly reduce the impact of the shock wave during a mine blast. In addition, the machine is supposed to be equipped with a remotely controlled weapon module with a GMG automatic grenade launcher and an MUSS optical-electronic countermeasures complex, and the attached bulldozer equipment is included in the tank’s personnel property to overcome the debris on the deployment routes and equipment of firing positions in the defense.
During the development of weapons and military equipment in the interests of the Federal Republic of Germany, German specialists have created a new generation of medium-capacity armored vehicles designed to perform the tasks of command, communications and transport support of ground forces. In this case, special attention was paid to the possibility of their subsequent modernization.
Thus, the company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann was given an order for the implementation of the project for the creation of the BBM Grizzly. The development program provides for its release in the variants of the control machine, transport and ambulance.
BBM "Grizzly"
At the end of 2007, the German parliament approved the request of the Bundeswehr for the allocation of 3 billion euros in the purchase of new BMP "Puma", designed to replace the outdated "Marder". It is assumed that 405 of such vehicles will go into service with the ground forces of Germany, after which the Marder 634 will be removed from service.
BPM "Puma"
"Marder-1А3"
It is planned that from 2010, the Puma BMP will be presented on the IWT market for sale to other countries.
As part of the program to equip the ground forces of the Federal Republic of Germany with new types of weapons and military equipment in the second half of 2007, the experimental model BBM "Gefas" was developed. During its creation, the developers were based on the following principles: modularity, high security of the crew, mobility and survivability.
The Gefas machine was created from 2003 to 2007 for the year in the design office of Rheinmetall Landsystem in collaboration with companies that designed and manufactured its individual systems and units:
IBD Deisenroth Engineering - development of passive and active armor;
ESW - design of electrical generating system;
MTU Friedrichshafen - production of a four-cylinder diesel engine 890 series with a capacity of 560 l. with. (MTU 4R890);
Sensor-Technik Wiedemann - development of the electric drive system;
Timoney Technology - development of suspension elements.
Analysis of the foreign press shows that over the past ten years there have been no significant changes in the production base of the German armored industry. However, she notes the increasing pace of R & D on the development of modern MBT and modernization of the tank "Leopard-2", as well as on the creation of BBM.
In general, the armored industry of Germany has a powerful production and scientific-technical base, allowing to develop and produce modern armored vehicles in such quantities that not only meet the needs of their own armed forces, but also allow for export deliveries.
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