Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) handed over on December 6th in time the first two PUMA infantry fighting vehicles to the Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement (BWB) in Kassel (Germany) for verification tests. This marks the start for the contractual delivery of 405 ordered vehicles to the German Armed Forces. The contract with a volume of roughly € 3.1 billion was signed in July 2009.
“This is a crucial day on the way of introducing the PUMA to the German Armed Forces. We have undergone a challenging period of research and development, pushing the limits of this technology” stated Klaus Eberhardt, CEO of Rheinmetall, and Frank Haun, CEO of KMW.

The development of the new infantry fighting vehicle is marked by technological extremes. It will not only be the new transport platform for the German Army but also a cutting-edge technology system. With its unique balance of tactical and strategic mobility, survivability and fighting power, the PUMA gives the German Armed Forces a state-of-the-art infantry fighting vehicle systematically tailored to the current and future operational requirements of the German military both at home and abroad. The development achievement was guided by the demand to induce latest mission experience from current operations and to consequently deliver effective mission performance. To that extent this has not been realized in any other infantry fighting vehicle.

The PUMA is scheduled to undergo an intense round of testing and verification. This includes extreme summer and winter trials abroad. The complex preparations are deemed to ensure the smooth introduction of the system to the German Army.