Jakarta –
Germany has sent aid to the advanced Leopard 2 tanks Ukraine. At the same time, Germany also gave Marderthat is combat vehicle IVF infantry (infantry fighting vehicle) as a companion for the Leopard 2 against Russia.
A total of 40 units of Marder will be sent by Germany to Ukraine. There are also IVF from other countries such as M-2A2s from the United States and CV90 from Sweden. However, Marders is seen as the toughest.
“Marder is a very good example of German quality. I have tried it myself,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in a post on Twitter, quoted detikINET from Eurasiantimes.
Although quite old, this ex-German IFV is a major upgrade over the Soviet-designed BMP-1 IFV currently in service with the Ukrainian army. The Marder IFV entered service with the Bundeswehr, Germany’s federal armed forces, in May 1971.
Over the years, the unit has been upgraded and remains one of the main platforms of the German Army infantry units, with tactical mobility, high levels of firepower and troop transport capability in high-risk operating areas.
In particular, the 1A3 version of the Marder, which was delivered to Ukraine, is one of the largest and heaviest of all IFVs. Its level of protection is the same as that of the Leopard 1 Main Battle Tank (MBT).
Its former Soviet competitor, the BMP-1 IFV and used by the Ukrainian military, is significantly lighter, smaller, and doesn’t have the same level of protection. Due to this, the German Marder IFV represents a significant improvement over the Ukrainian Army’s BMP-1 IFV.
The Marder 1A3 model obtained by Ukraine had better armor than the older Marder model. While its design and protection are largely classified, the 1A3 is known to have had a two-layer armor with a small gap between it. The gap helped slow the penetration of the weapon.
The IFV Marder is armed with the Milan anti-tank guided missile, which carries a high-explosive warhead. The main armament of the vehicle is a Rheinmetall MK 20 Rh 202 20 mm automatic gun.
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