A similar situation has developed with the ring exchange with Greece, in which the country should receive 50 Marder infantry fighting vehicles from Germany.
Initially, Greece was supposed to supply Soviet models to Ukraine. However, they are mainly deployed on the Greek islands and will probably not be withdrawn until all Marder units are delivered ready to deploy. Deliveries are also expected no earlier than autumn or winter.
Moreover, the announcement of the exchange came as a surprise to the manufacturer, Rheinmetall, which wanted to sell the Marder directly to Ukraine.
Apparently, there are difficulties with the Mars II multiple launch rocket system. Four systems were to be delivered – but of the 40 German installations, less than half are operational.
At the same time, they cannot currently fire ammunition from the US or UK, and the necessary software update can also take several months.
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