The Marder (German for "marten") is a German Infantry Fighting Vehicle / IFV operated by the German Army as the main weapon of the Panzergrenadiere (mechanized infantry) from the 1970s through to the present day. Developed as part of the rebuilding of Germany's armoured fighting vehicle industry, the Marder has proven to be a successful and solid infantry fighting vehicle design. While it used to include a few unique features, such as a fully remote machine gun on the rear deck and gun ports on the sides for infantry to fire through, these features have been deleted or streamlined in later upgrade packages to bring it more in line with modern IFV design (the MG has been moved to be a coaxial, the gun ports entirely welded shut and uparmored). It is overall a simple and conventional machine with one large rear exit hatch and three top hatches for mounted infantry to fire from. The Marder is currently being replaced by its successor, the Puma.
Around 2,100 were taken into service by the German Army in the early 1970s, but the vehicle in its German variant was not sold to any foreign militaries. As the German Army began to retire older vehicles, the Chilean government agreed to acquire 200 Marders; the government of Greece has considered the purchase of 450 retired vehicles in the past.
Development of the Marder ran from January 1960, when the first development contracts were issued, to 7 May 1971, when the first production vehicles were given to the German army.The vehicle was intended to be an improvement over the Schützenpanzer Lang HS.30. The main requirements were:
- A capacity of 12 infantrymen.
- A more reliable 20 mm cannon.
- The infantry must be able to fight from within the vehicle or dismounted.
- Protection from nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.
Initially, development contracts were awarded to two groups of companies: the Rheinstahl group (Rheinstahl-Hanomag, Ruhrstahl, Witten-Annen, Büro Warnecke) and the second group comprising Henschel Werke and the Swiss MOWAG company. This resulted in the production of seven prototype vehicles. A second set of eight prototype vehicles were built between 1961 and 1963. Development priority was then switched for a while to the development of the Jagdpanzer 90 mm Kanone.
In 1967, after military requirements were finalized, a third and final set of ten prototypes were built. Final development work was completed by the Rheinstahl group, and 10 pre-production vehicles were built and completed troop trials with the German army between October 1968 and March 1969. In May 1969, the vehicle was officially named the "Marder" and in October Rheinstahl was chosen as the prime contractor.
Maschinenbau Kiel AG (MaK) hands over the first Marder to the Bundeswehr on 7 May 1971.
The first production Marder was handed to the German army on 7 May 1971. Production of the vehicle continued until 1975, with 2,136 vehicles being completed.
In 1975, the Milan missile was first adapted to be fired by commander from his open hatch, and between 1977 and 1979 Milan missiles were fitted to army vehicles.
A number of upgrade programs were carried out, that included fitting night vision equipment and a thermal imager, as well as an upgraded ammunition feed to the 20 mm cannon.
Around 1985, the designation was changed to Marder 1 (until then it was simply Marder) since a follow-up IFV was under construction. The new vehicle was supposed to be the partner of the Leopard 2, just like Marder was the companion to the Standardpanzer/Leopard 1, it was named Marder 2 and the older vehicles re-designated.
The A3 upgrade program began in 1988, with Thyssen-Henschel being awarded a contact to upgrade 2,100 Marder 1 A1/A2 series vehicles to A3 standard at a rate of 220 a year. The first upgraded vehicles reached the German army on 17 November 1989. The modification package included:
Improved armour weighing 1,600 kg intended to protect against the 30 mm 2A42 cannon on the Russian BMP-2. The armour also provided additional protection against cluster bomblets.
Specifications (Marder 1)
Mass :
- 28.5 t (31.4 short tons) Marder 1A1/A2
- 33.5 t (36.9 short tons) Marder 1A3
- 37.4 t (41.2 short tons) Marder 1A5
Length : 6.79 m (22 ft 3 in)
Width : 3.24 m (10 ft 8 in)
Height : 2.98 m (9 ft 9 in)
Crew 3+6 (prior to Milan: 3+7)
Armor :
Welded steel, protection up to 20 mm APDS DM43 from 0 m and 25 mm APDS from 200 m (220 yd)
Main armament :
- 20 mm Rheinmetall MK 20 Rh 202 automatic cannon 1,250 rounds
- MILAN ATGM launcher
Secondary armament :
- 7.62 mm MG3 machine gun 5,000 rounds
Engine :
- MTU MB 833 Ea-500 diesel engine 441 kW (591 hp)
Power/weight : 15.7 kW/t (21.1 hp/t)
Transmission : RENK HSWL 194
Suspension : Torsion bar
Ground clearance : 0.45 m (18 in)
Fuel capacity : - 652 L (143 imp gal; 172 US gal)
Operational range :
- 520 km
Maximum speed :
- 75 km/h (47 mph)Marder 1A2
- 65 km/h (40 mph) Marder 1A3
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