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Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) in front of a Puma infantry fighting vehicle
Photo:
Philipp Schulze / picture alliance / dpa
Almost all of the Bundeswehr infantry fighting vehicles, which failed during a shooting exercise, have been repaired.
"The assessment of the vehicles was completed at the end of last week, almost all damage was minor," said a spokesman for the manufacturer Rheinmetall of the German Press Agency.
And: "Of 18 vehicles, 17 are driving again." A comprehensive repair is only necessary on one of the vehicles that had a cable fire.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense said that there was a status of the damage, but he did not provide any precise information.
From this, a plan will be drawn up with all those involved as to how the Puma “could also be used under combat conditions in the long term”.
He said: "It will certainly take a few more days."
After 18 of 18 infantry fighting vehicles deployed failed during a firing exercise, Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) pulled the emergency brake and had the Puma withdrawn from a German NATO obligation in the VJTF Rapid Reaction Force.
The German soldiers reported ready for action are now equipped with the older Marder infantry fighting vehicle.
She also put an additional purchase on hold.
So far, questions about how serious the technical problems were or whether there were operating or maintenance errors have remained unanswered.
The Puma infantry fighting vehicle was only declared combat-ready in 2021 and is being built jointly by the armaments companies Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW).
Criticism of the CSU and the Greens on Lambrecht
The Union in the Bundestag reprimanded Lambrecht for, in their view, sluggish clarification of the recent failures of the infantry fighting vehicle.
"The holder of the authority to command and command seems more important than finally clearing up and tidying up his own Christmas vacation," said the defense policy spokesman for the Union faction, Florian Hahn (CSU), the "world".
"If you're wondering about current deficiencies in the Bundeswehr, you can say: the fish stinks from the head." The minister broke her own promise to create transparency as soon as possible.
Hahn asked the ministry for the current status and the results of an announced comprehensive assessment of the situation - without an answer, as he says.
He doubts that the industry is being blamed one-sidedly: "The minister was obviously completely wrong in the initial diagnosis."
After the opposition, the Greens also called for faster clarification and more transparency towards the Bundestag.
“Having a plan is good.
Nevertheless, we would like to know very soon what the problem was – and not have to look for set pieces from the troops and the press,” said Sara Nanni, leader of the Greens parliamentary group in the defense committee, the “taz”.
atb/dpa
