In war‑torn Ukraine, German Marders prove critical of Soviet relics
Ukrainians have a unique opportunity to compare various Western Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) under wartime conditions. Here’s what a Ukrainian, previously serving on a Soviet-era BMP-2, thinks about the German Marder.
Ukraine has received about 80 Marder 1A3 IFVs from Germany. True to their Cold War-era design, these vehicles are fighting Soviet equipment. However, the battlefield terrain is not in Germany; it is in Ukraine and, in recent weeks, even Russia.
A Ukrainian serving on the Kuna (Marder in German means Kuna) is highly satisfied with the vehicle. He particularly praises its speed in detecting and attacking targets and the protection provided by the armour.
The Ukrainian notes that while the BMP-2 can fire 15-16 shots at a detected target, the Marder can fire 150-200 shots. Regarding protection, the Marder is impervious to fire from the 2A42 30 mm cannon, whereas the Rh-202 20 mm automatic cannon can easily destroy its Soviet counterpart.
The German Kuna also has excellent side protection, making it resistant to ambushes using machine guns loaded with armour-piercing ammunition and grenades (most likely PG-7VL or similar). Below is a comment from a Ukrainian serving on the Marder:
"Even during an assault, when you fall into an ambush, and they shoot at you with machine guns, you know they won't hurt you. Even if a grenade flies your way, you don't feel fear because you know the armour will protect you."
Schützenpanzer Marder 1 - the first modern NATO Infantry Fighting Vehicle
The Marder, created in Germany in the 1960s, was NATO's first next-generation Infantry Fighting Vehicle. Like the Soviet BMP-1 from the same period, it was distinguished by innovative solutions. Earlier armoured personnel carriers were open and poorly armed, and their main task was to transport infantry to the battlefield and then withdraw quickly.
Meanwhile, like the Russians, the Germans designed a very well-armoured structure with substantial firepower to support the transported troops and even fight tanks.
The Marder's crew consisted of three soldiers, with space at the back for a seven-person armoured infantry squad. A unique feature of the Marder was the unmanned turret equipped with, among other things, a Rheinmetall MK 20 Rh-202 20 mm automatic cannon, with the ability to quickly switch from fragmentation to armour-piercing ammunition, an MG3 machine gun, and Milan anti-tank guided missile launchers capable of penetrating even 700 mm of armour steel.
This meant that the entire crew was in the hull, and a hit in the turret could disable the weaponry, but the crew had a better chance of survival. On the other hand, there was limited access to the weaponry, complicating jam clearance. A crew member had to exit the vehicle and clear the jam through inspection hatches.
The main gun allows combat up to 1.5 miles, and the Milan anti-tank missiles enable tank destruction at up to 1.2 miles. These features made the Marder a very expensive vehicle used exclusively by the Bundeswehr. Only after the Cold War, due to budget cuts, were some of the approximately 2,000 produced Marders sold to other countries.
Ukraine received upgrades to the 1A3 versions from the 1990s, including reinforced armour and a thermal sight for the gunner. Despite its age, it remains an effective design, especially against Soviet-era relics that now comprise most Russian armed forces.
