# Marder (infantry fighting vehicle)
The **Marder** (Schützenpanzer Marder 1) is a West German infantry fighting vehicle developed for the Panzergrenadiere, introduced into the [Bundeswehr](https://www.edgepedia.org/bundeswehr) in May 1971 and still in German and export service, though it is being phased out in favor of the Puma.[1](https://www.vffwts.de/en/articles/40-years-of-ifv-marder.html) • [2](https://www.army-technology.com/projects/marder-infantry-fighting-vehicles-ifvs-germany/) • [3](https://www.defencetoday.com/land/land-platforms/rheinmetall-to-supply-20-more-marder-ifvs-to-ukraine/) It was conceived for national territorial defense in [Central Europe](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-europe) by Thyssen-Henschel and Krupp MaK, both part of [Rheinmetall](https://www.edgepedia.org/rheinmetall) since 1999 and 2001 respectively.[4](https://www.rheinmetall.com/en/media/stories/2022/50-years-marder)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Entry into service | First production vehicles handed to the Bundeswehr on 7 May 1971, at a unit price of approximately 1.05 million Deutschmark[1](https://www.vffwts.de/en/articles/40-years-of-ifv-marder.html) |
| Production | Vehicles built 1971–1975: 1,261 by Rheinstahl and 975 by MaK[1](https://www.vffwts.de/en/articles/40-years-of-ifv-marder.html) |
| Main armament | 20 mm MK 20 Rh 202 autocannon with dual feed, coaxial 7.62 mm MG3, MILAN anti-tank missile launcher[5](https://www.joint-forces.com/features/12136-evolution-of-the-schutzenpanzer-marder-1-part-one) • [6](https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/europe/marder1a3.htm) • [7](https://www.technology.org/2025/01/27/defenders-of-ukraine-call-the-german-marder-a-comfortable-ifv/) |
| Dimensions and weight | 6.79 m long, 3.24 m wide, 2.98 m high; base combat weight 28.5 t, rising to 33.5 t (1A3), 37.4 t (1A5) and 38.1 t (1A5A1)[2](https://www.army-technology.com/projects/marder-infantry-fighting-vehicles-ifvs-germany/) |
| Protection | Steel hull stops 14.5 mm rounds at point-blank range; 1A3 add-on armor was designed to protect against the BMP-2's 30 mm cannon over the frontal arc; 1A5 adds mine protection[8](https://weaponsystems.net/system/753-Marder) • [9](https://warhistory.org/de/article/spz-marder) |
| Speed | 65 km/h on roads, about 45 km/h off-road[7](https://www.technology.org/2025/01/27/defenders-of-ukraine-call-the-german-marder-a-comfortable-ifv/) |
| Current status | 382 in the Bundeswehr inventory as of 2021, just under 300 to be retained; 140 delivered to Ukraine by April 2025[4](https://www.rheinmetall.com/en/media/stories/2022/50-years-marder) • [10](https://deaidua.org/news/2025/11/10/germany-marder-1a3-ifvs-ukraine/) |
## Development history
The Marder's direct predecessor was the Schützenpanzer (lang) HS 30, which entered service from 1959 onwards armed with a 20 mm HS 820 L/85 automatic cannon and built by Leyland, Rheinstahl-Hanomag, and [Henschel-Werke](https://www.edgepedia.org/henschel-and-son).[5](https://www.joint-forces.com/features/12136-evolution-of-the-schutzenpanzer-marder-1-part-one) By autumn 1959 it was clear the HS 30 was at best a stopgap for the Panzergrenadiere's immediate needs.[11](https://esut.de/2021/05/fachbeitraege/27304/50-jahre-schuetzenpanzer-marder-1971-2021/)
The autumn 1959 requirements called for a one-man turret with a 20 mm autocannon of maximum 1,500 kg weight, partial protection against 20 mm munitions, full NBC protection for the crew, submerging capability to 5 m water depth, overall height no more than 1,890 mm with turret, and capacity for 12 dismounted infantrymen instead of the HS 30's 6.[1](https://www.vffwts.de/en/articles/40-years-of-ifv-marder.html) • [11](https://esut.de/2021/05/fachbeitraege/27304/50-jahre-schuetzenpanzer-marder-1971-2021/)
Development contracts were issued in January 1960, and three generations of prototypes were built up to 1967.[5](https://www.joint-forces.com/features/12136-evolution-of-the-schutzenpanzer-marder-1-part-one) Early competitor prototypes included the RU 111, RU 112, and RU 122 from Rheinstahl, the 1HK 2/1 and 1HK 2/2 from Henschel, and the HM 1/2 from MOWAG, all respecting a 16-ton combat limit.[12](https://tank-afv.com/coldwar/West_Germany/Marder.php) After 11 years of development, 28 prototypes, and 10 pre-production vehicles, the first production vehicles were handed over on 7 May 1971; in October 1969 a procurement contract had been concluded with Rheinstahl AG Sondertechnik as main contractor and MaK as subcontractor.[1](https://www.vffwts.de/en/articles/40-years-of-ifv-marder.html)
## Design and armament
The Marder carries its main armament, a 20 mm automatic cannon and an anti-tank guided missile launcher, plus a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun, in a turret, allowing infantrymen to fight from within the vehicle.[6](https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/europe/marder1a3.htm) The 20 mm MK 20 Rh 202 DM 6 autocannon uses a dual-feed system that lets the crew quickly change between high explosive fragmentation and armor-piercing ammunition; the gun is non-stabilized and fires at 800 to 1,000 rounds per minute.[5](https://www.joint-forces.com/features/12136-evolution-of-the-schutzenpanzer-marder-1-part-one) • [13](https://en.defence-ua.com/weapon_and_tech/german_marder_vs_american_bradley_comparing_the_really_important_details_that_matter-5360.html) Its 20 mm ammunition can penetrate the front armor of Soviet BMP-1/2, BTR, and BMD vehicles.[13](https://en.defence-ua.com/weapon_and_tech/german_marder_vs_american_bradley_comparing_the_really_important_details_that_matter-5360.html)
In 1977/78 the MILAN missile system was integrated with 4 missiles aboard, which reduced dismounted infantry capacity to 7.[1](https://www.vffwts.de/en/articles/40-years-of-ifv-marder.html) Ukrainian-operated Marders carry a two-man turret with the 20 mm cannon, the 7.62 mm MG3, and a MILAN 2T anti-tank missile system.[7](https://www.technology.org/2025/01/27/defenders-of-ukraine-call-the-german-marder-a-comfortable-ifv/)
## Protection
The all-welded steel hull protects against small arms fire and shell splinters, with the front giving complete protection from 20 mm [APDS](https://www.edgepedia.org/armour-piercing-discarding-sabot) projectiles; the steel armor stops rounds up to and including 14.5 mm fired from point-blank range.[9](https://warhistory.org/de/article/spz-marder) • [8](https://weaponsystems.net/system/753-Marder) First models boasted sloped frontal armor offering protection equivalent to between 53 and 70 millimeters of steel.[14](https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2023/03/30/ukraines-ex-german-marders-are-some-of-the-toughest-fighting-vehicles-on-the-battlefield/)
The 1A3's passive armor package weighed 1,600 kg and was designed to protect against penetration by the BMP-2's 30 mm cannon, comprising frontal hull armor, glacis add-on armor, conformal turret side armor, box-type hull side components that blocked the firing ports, and spaced roof armor plates to cause premature detonation of top-attack rounds.[9](https://warhistory.org/de/article/spz-marder) The 1A5 added protection against blast and projectile-forming mines, an anti-spall liner, GPS, wider 500 mm tracks, and hydraulic buffers.[4](https://www.rheinmetall.com/en/media/stories/2022/50-years-marder)
## Variants and upgrades
The upgrade lineage runs as follows:[4](https://www.rheinmetall.com/en/media/stories/2022/50-years-marder) • [1](https://www.vffwts.de/en/articles/40-years-of-ifv-marder.html)
- **1A1 (1979–1982)**: passive night vision, double belt feeder for the automatic cannon, strengthened lateral traversing gearing.
- **1A2 (1984–1989)**: 1,462 vehicles retrofitted with thermal imaging devices (WBG-X) for the gunner, MILAN infrared adapter MIRA, removal of the rear weapon mount, SEM 80/90 radios, and spotted camouflage.
- **1A3 (1989–1998)**: 2,097 vehicles retrofitted with additional turret and hull armor against 30 mm automatic cannon fire, roof hatches reduced from four to three, reinforced torsion bars, weight increased to 33.5 t.
- **1A5 (2002–2005)**: 74 vehicles retrofitted with mine protection, anti-spall liner, GPS (PLGR), 500 mm tracks, weight 37.4 t.
- **1A5A1 (2011)**: 35 vehicles retrofitted with air conditioning, multispectral camouflage (MMT), a CG-12 electronic protection system, and reinforced fighting-compartment roof protection, combat weight approximately 38.1 t.
Sub-variants include the 1A1A4 with SEM 80/90 cryptographic radios, the 1A1A2 (an A1 turret on an A2 chassis), and the 1A1A5 (an A1A2 with SEM 80/90 radios).[15](https://www.armyrecognition.com/?id=14493&view=article) The 1A5A1's weight is given as approximately 38.1 t by Rheinmetall and about 40 t by the German armored vehicle society's history; the manufacturer's figure is used here.[4](https://www.rheinmetall.com/en/media/stories/2022/50-years-marder) • [1](https://www.vffwts.de/en/articles/40-years-of-ifv-marder.html)
The design was also exported as a family: in 1977 Thyssen-Henschel sold the Tanque Argentino Mediano (TAM) light tank to Argentina, spawning the VCTP IFV plus mortar carrier, command tank, self-propelled howitzer, ambulance, armored recovery vehicle, and rocket launcher variants.[4](https://www.rheinmetall.com/en/media/stories/2022/50-years-marder) • [1](https://www.vffwts.de/en/articles/40-years-of-ifv-marder.html)
## How it compares with its contemporaries
Against the American **Bradley**, the Marder's 20 mm gun is non-stabilized while the Bradley's 25 mm M242 is stabilized in two planes and fires M919 APFSDS-T rounds with a depleted uranium core, giving greater penetration than the Marder's DM63 APDS-T.[13](https://en.defence-ua.com/weapon_and_tech/german_marder_vs_american_bradley_comparing_the_really_important_details_that_matter-5360.html) The Bradley's TOW missile has almost twice the firing range of the Marder's MILAN and can be launched from inside the armored turret.[13](https://en.defence-ua.com/weapon_and_tech/german_marder_vs_american_bradley_comparing_the_really_important_details_that_matter-5360.html) In protection the two are conditionally equal, both able to stop a 30 mm round; in mobility both weigh approximately 35 tonnes, have 600 hp engines and [torsion bar suspension](https://www.edgepedia.org/torsion-bar-suspension), and both lost their amphibious capabilities.[13](https://en.defence-ua.com/weapon_and_tech/german_marder_vs_american_bradley_comparing_the_really_important_details_that_matter-5360.html) The ten-year gap between the two vehicles' adoption meant the Bradley's final design reflected conceptual ideas of the Marder.[13](https://en.defence-ua.com/weapon_and_tech/german_marder_vs_american_bradley_comparing_the_really_important_details_that_matter-5360.html)
Against the Soviet **BMP-2**, the relationship runs in both directions: the Marder's 20 mm ammunition penetrates the BMP-2's front armor, while the BMP-2's 30 mm cannon was the threat that drove the 1A3 armor package.[13](https://en.defence-ua.com/weapon_and_tech/german_marder_vs_american_bradley_comparing_the_really_important_details_that_matter-5360.html) • [9](https://warhistory.org/de/article/spz-marder)
The successor **Puma** mounts a 30 mm MK 30-2/ABM autocannon and an [HK MG5](https://www.edgepedia.org/heckler-and-koch-mg5) 7.62×51 mm machine gun, and its MTU MT 892 Ka-501 engine produces 1,088 PS (800 kW), compared with the Marder's MTU MB 833 diesel and 20 mm gun.[16](https://www.globalmilitary.net/compare/vehicles/marder-vs-puma-ifv/)
## Operational history
The Marder was conceived for national territorial defense in Central Europe.[4](https://www.rheinmetall.com/en/media/stories/2022/50-years-marder) Marder 1A3 vehicles advanced with [Leopard 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/leopard-2) tanks when KFOR moved into the former [Yugoslavia](https://www.edgepedia.org/yugoslavia) starting 12 June 1999, serving in checkpoint guarding, area surveillance, and convoy escort; the landmine threat led to replacement with the 1A5 from early 2003.[4](https://www.rheinmetall.com/en/media/stories/2022/50-years-marder)
Up to 35 Marders were deployed in Afghanistan, in Mazar-e Sharif and, starting in 2009, Kunduz, with the first 1A5A1 vehicles reaching the German contingent at the end of 2007.[4](https://www.rheinmetall.com/en/media/stories/2022/50-years-marder) Export operators followed: in 2008 Chile purchased 200 surplus Marder 1A3 IFVs and seven driver training vehicles from the Bundeswehr plus thirty cannibalized vehicles, operating them at elevations up to 4,300 m and temperatures over 40 °C; starting in 2015 Rheinmetall sold Indonesia 42 Marder 1A3s from company stocks; and between 2017 and 2020 Germany transferred 75 Marder 1A3s including two driver training vehicles to Jordan.[4](https://www.rheinmetall.com/en/media/stories/2022/50-years-marder) In 2009 Greece sought to buy 422 Marders, but the project foundered due to financial constraints.[4](https://www.rheinmetall.com/en/media/stories/2022/50-years-marder)
## Recent developments
Germany pledged an initial 40 Marders to Ukraine in January 2023, with the surplus IFVs arriving in late March 2023.[14](https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2023/03/30/ukraines-ex-german-marders-are-some-of-the-toughest-fighting-vehicles-on-the-battlefield/) Officially, Germany had delivered 140 Marder 1A3 IFVs to Ukraine by April 2025, with Denmark providing partial financial support; a count across 2023 and 2024 gives the same total of 140.[10](https://deaidua.org/news/2025/11/10/germany-marder-1a3-ifvs-ukraine/) • [7](https://www.technology.org/2025/01/27/defenders-of-ukraine-call-the-german-marder-a-comfortable-ifv/) Ukrainian crews praised the vehicle's protection, off-road ability, and comfort relative to the BMP-1 and BMP-2, reporting better cross-country ability than either.[7](https://www.technology.org/2025/01/27/defenders-of-ukraine-call-the-german-marder-a-comfortable-ifv/)
In German service, of the 382 Marders in the 2021 inventory, just under 300 were to be kept with the mechanized infantry under a 2016 service-life extension program, and the German military's strategy extends the vehicle's service life until at least 2030; a three-digit number remains in Bundeswehr service.[4](https://www.rheinmetall.com/en/media/stories/2022/50-years-marder) • [17](https://www.armyrecognition.com/focus-analysis-conflicts/army/defence-security-industry-technology/analysis-strategic-modernization-of-german-marder-ifv-to-marder-1a5-and-1a5a1-standards) • [10](https://deaidua.org/news/2025/11/10/germany-marder-1a3-ifvs-ukraine/) The replacement path was long: a Marder 2 successor project was canceled in the 1990s, after which the Puma was developed in the 2010s, and the Marder is currently being phased out in its favor.[3](https://www.defencetoday.com/land/land-platforms/rheinmetall-to-supply-20-more-marder-ifvs-to-ukraine/) The Puma was declared combat-ready on 18 March 2021, 37 years after the drafting of a tactical requirement for replacing the Marder.[4](https://www.rheinmetall.com/en/media/stories/2022/50-years-marder)
Rheinmetall offers upgrade packages to extend the fleet's life: a Renk/Liebherr drive system, an ATGM launcher interface such as MELLS or Spike LR1, a SAPHIR II thermal imager, laser rangefinder, mine protection plate, MUSS softkill and Iron Fist hardkill systems, and optionally a 30 mm LUWA unmanned turret from EVPU offering increased firepower and penetration over the 20 mm cannon.[18](https://www.rheinmetall.com/en/products/tracked-armoured-vehicles/infantry-fighting-vehicle-marder)
## References
1. [40 years of IFV Marder, VFFWTS](https://www.vffwts.de/en/articles/40-years-of-ifv-marder.html)
2. [Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs), Germany, Army Technology](https://www.army-technology.com/projects/marder-infantry-fighting-vehicles-ifvs-germany/)
3. [Rheinmetall to supply 20 more Marder IFVs to Ukraine, Defence Today](https://www.defencetoday.com/land/land-platforms/rheinmetall-to-supply-20-more-marder-ifvs-to-ukraine/)
4. [Der Marder feiert in 2021 sein 50-jähriges, Rheinmetall](https://www.rheinmetall.com/en/media/stories/2022/50-years-marder)
5. [Evolution of the Schutzenpanzer MARDER 1, Part One, Joint Forces News](https://www.joint-forces.com/features/12136-evolution-of-the-schutzenpanzer-marder-1-part-one)
6. [Armored infantry vehicle Marder, GlobalSecurity.org](https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/europe/marder1a3.htm)
7. [Defenders of Ukraine Call the German Marder a 'Comfortable' IFV, Technology.org](https://www.technology.org/2025/01/27/defenders-of-ukraine-call-the-german-marder-a-comfortable-ifv/)
8. [Marder, Weaponsystems.net](https://weaponsystems.net/system/753-Marder)
9. [SPz Marder, WarHistory.org](https://warhistory.org/de/article/spz-marder)
10. [Did Germany recently deliver additional Marder 1A3 IFVs to Ukraine?, D&A](https://deaidua.org/news/2025/11/10/germany-marder-1a3-ifvs-ukraine/)
11. [50 Jahre Schützenpanzer Marder 1971–2021, ESUT](https://esut.de/2021/05/fachbeitraege/27304/50-jahre-schuetzenpanzer-marder-1971-2021/)
12. [Schützenpanzer Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicle of the Bundeswehr, tank-afv.com](https://tank-afv.com/coldwar/West_Germany/Marder.php)
13. [German Marder vs. American Bradley, Defense Express](https://en.defence-ua.com/weapon_and_tech/german_marder_vs_american_bradley_comparing_the_really_important_details_that_matter-5360.html)
14. [Ukraine's Ex-German Marders Are Some Of The Toughest Fighting Vehicles On The Battlefield, Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2023/03/30/ukraines-ex-german-marders-are-some-of-the-toughest-fighting-vehicles-on-the-battlefield/)
15. [Marder 1A3 IFV, Army Recognition](https://www.armyrecognition.com/?id=14493&view=article)
16. [Marder vs Puma IFV comparison, GlobalMilitary.net](https://www.globalmilitary.net/compare/vehicles/marder-vs-puma-ifv/)
17. [Analysis: German Marder 1A5 and 1A5A1, Army Recognition](https://www.armyrecognition.com/focus-analysis-conflicts/army/defence-security-industry-technology/analysis-strategic-modernization-of-german-marder-ifv-to-marder-1a5-and-1a5a1-standards)
18. [Marder – Infantry fighting vehicle, Rheinmetall](https://www.rheinmetall.com/en/products/tracked-armoured-vehicles/infantry-fighting-vehicle-marder)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Engineering and manufacturing › Tanks and armored fighting vehicles › Armored personnel and infantry vehicles*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
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