Ukraine enhances German Marder IFVs with innovative defenses
Ukraine has received 140 Marder 1A3 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) from Germany, with at least 20 more still expected to arrive. In response to the war's specific demands, Ukrainians have modified these vehicles. Here's what they have done.
The Ukrainians highly commend the German-supplied Marder 1A3 IFVs, which offer significantly greater protection and firing precision compared to the Soviet-era BMP-1/2. However, even Marders can be vulnerable to FPV drones or Lancet-3, necessitating the creation of solutions to cause a premature detonation of shaped charges.
In the images below, you can observe the modifications made by soldiers from the 36th Marine Brigade. Visible are deployable nets, mesh screens on the sides of the hull, and peculiar rods on the upper front plate, which are likely intended to function similarly to Igelpanzerung mats. The Russians implemented a similar approach on some BTRs as a defence against basic shaped-charge weapons.
Marder 1A3: A revolutionary and costly relic from the Cold War era
The Schützenpanzer Marder 1 infantry fighting vehicle (from the German "Kuna" for infantry fighting vehicle) made its debut in the 1960s as an innovative design, alongside its Russian counterpart, the BMP-1.
The introduction of a fully enclosed and heavily armed platform, which was also well-armoured, represented a significant innovation. At that time, the standard vehicles were lightly armoured personnel carriers, mainly intended for transporting soldiers to the battlefield and facilitating quick withdrawals. The novelty in designs like the Marder 1 or BMP-1 was the ability to actively support transported infantry and, in some cases, engage enemy armoured equipment.
The Marder's crew consisted of three soldiers, and the rear compartment could accommodate seven mechanised infantry grenadiers. A distinctive feature of this vehicle was its unmanned turret, which was equipped with a Rheinmetall MK 20 Rh-202 automatic cannon, with a 20 mm calibre and an effective range of up to 2.4 kilometres. Thanks to dual feed from the ammunition belt, it was possible to swiftly switch the ammunition from explosive to armour-piercing.
The Marder's turret also featured an MG3 machine gun and an anti-tank guided missile launcher for the Milan missiles, capable of penetrating up to 70 centimetres of armoured steel at a distance of up to 1.9 kilometres.
This design, still popular today, ensures that the crew inside the vehicle's hull have an increased chance of survival if the turret is struck. On the other hand, such a construction limits access to the weaponry, complicating the clearance of any jams. In such a scenario, one of the crew members would need to exit the armoured hull and perform repairs via inspection hatches.
Due to its technological sophistication and cost, the Bundeswehr exclusively used the Marder. Only after the end of the Cold War, owing to budget cuts in Germany, were some of the 2,000 manufactured units sold. Other units were stored or scrapped in places such as a warehouse in Thuringia.
Ukraine received 140 Marders in the modified 1A3 version, which underwent upgrades in the 1990s. The modifications involved strengthening the armour and equipping the gunner's sight with a thermal imaging device. Consequently, despite its Cold War origins, this vehicle remains effective on modern battlefields and surpasses Soviet-era counterparts.
Ukrainian operators greatly appreciate the Marders for providing much greater protection, especially on the sides, so that, for instance, large-calibre machine guns like the DSzK or Kord no longer pose a threat. Furthermore, in the event of a hit, the crew have a high chance of survival and the opportunity to continue in a new machine.
