Defense News
May 10, 2023

German lawmakers grant $1.6 billion for 50 Puma fighting vehicles

German lawmakers have approved a Defence Ministry request to order 50 Puma infantry fighting vehicles for more than $1 billion, buying into the government’s proposition that the purchase bears risks but is necessary to fulfill NATO obligations by 2027.

Parliamentarian appropriators voted in favor of the request during a May 10 meeting, two days before an offer by manufacturers Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann was set to expire, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters following the panel’s session.

The total financial commitment is €1.5 billion (U.S. $1.6 billion), according to German media. That amount includes spares and $140 million for an anticipated price increase…

The Bundestag’s approval also entails an option for another tranche of 179 vehicles to the tune of €4.8 billion….

The Bundeswehr already has about 350 Pumas, designed as the centerpiece vehicle for the service’s mechanized forces as the 50-year-old Marder fleet ages out.

…Germany is on the hook to contribute five battalions’ worth of forces available for NATO’s force pool by 2027….

“We have a requirement for the Puma, especially given the new security situation,” Pistorius said….