|
Background — Close Combat Vehicle —
Rheinmetall (RLS) Marder |
|
Marder: Sharp- or Long-in-Tooth Mustelid?
The German Marder can be viewed as the IFV equivalent to DND's Leopard 2 tank rebuilds. The
Marder is not currently in production but refurbished ex-Bundeswehr Marder 1A3s are on
offer. Some nations have purchased these vehicles 'as is ', [1] other countries have been offered major
revisions. As with the Leopard 2A4 tanks, there are substantial stocks of the surplus
Marders and good upgrade potential.
|
|
|
At its debute in 1971, the Marder set a new standard. Compared with APCs like the CF's TLAV, the
Marder has a superior suspension (derived from the Leopard 1's) and well-sloped, steel plate armour.
Basic armour protection has been improved through upgrades (the ultimate protection having been reached
in the mine-resistant Marder 1A5Ms deployed by the Germans to Masar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan ). The
'dismount' infantry is limited to six – like other CCV candidates, Marders are dedicated IFVs
(like the CF, the Bundeswehr employed US M113s in the APC 'battle taxi' role).
|
|
|
Yesterday's Advanced is Tomorrow's Passe
Armament distinguished the Marder from the outset. The Marder 'turret' is more a
two-man cupola with an integral remote weapon station above (armed with a 20mm cannon and coaxial 7.62mm machinegun).
On the extreme rear hull is a genuine RWS operated from the rear jump seat.[2] The RWS were among the first of their
kind but are now dated. Whether a 'new' 20mm round is acceptable must also be decided. [3]
|
|
|
Operations, Upgrades and Marder Family Relations
The Marders have seen little operational experience other than those 1A5Ms deployed with ISAF
(right). Upgrades have included the Begleitpanzer 57mm (or Support Tank 57mm) and Marder M12 (or Mk
30).[4] Both will be covered in more detail. The CCV is to be a family of vehicles. Marder variants in
Bundeswehr service have been sparse. However, a huge array of Marder variants were developed
later in Argentina.
|
|
|
Rheinmetall Landsysteme
Marder 1A3 CCV Candidate Specifications
| Crew: |
3 (driver, gunner, vehicle cdr.) plus 6
dismount infantry |
Armament:
|
main gun: 20mm Rheinmetal Rh202 cannon (20x139), 1
x
coaxial 7.62mm MG3, plus 1 x rear RWS 7.62mm MG3 [5] |
| Size: |
Length 6.88m, width 3.38m, height 3.015 m
(varies) |
| Weight: |
combat: 38.58 t, empty: 35 t, (Marder 1A5,
empty 37.4 t) |
| Powerplant: |
440 kW MTU MB 833 Ea-500, 4-spd Renk
HSWL 194 |
| Performance: |
Maximum speed (road): 65 km/h, range
(road): 500 km |
|
|
|
|
|
[1] Like Canada, Chile has bought surplus Leopard 2A4s. To go with those tanks, Chile has now
ordered 200 refurbished Marder 1A3s.
[2] The rear RWS is also armed with a 7.62mm MG3 machinegun (a NATO descendant of the WWII MG42). The
rear RWS is operated by the infantry commander (RWS optics also adding to his situational awareness). The
jumpseat can be seen in the photo with an open ramp.
[3] The standard CF vehicle cannon round is, of course, the 25mm (25x137) for the M242 Bushmaster
chain-gun on LAV IIIs and Coyotes. In more modern IFVs, the trend is towards larger calibres (30mm,
35mm, 40mm, and 35mm/50mm). A 20x139 Rh202 seems a retrograde step.
[4] These Marders were refurbished ex-Bundeswehr vehicles fitted with a two-man RLS E4 turret
with 30 mm cannon. As the Marder M12, this variant was unsuccessfully offered to Austria and Switzerland in
1999. In 2004, the similar Marder Mk 30 was offered to the Greeks.
[5] In Bundeswehr service, the Marders can also be fitted with the Milan missile launcher (fired
from the vehicle commander's hatch). The CF equivalent of the Franco-German Milan is the US TOW missile but it
is unlikely TOW would be fitted in the absense of armour threats.
|
|