Marder

West Germany's Cold-War-era infantry fighting vehicle that served as the Bundeswehr's mechanized-infantry backbone for over five decades before being replaced by the Puma. Numbers were donated to Ukraine from 2023 for frontline use.

In service since 1971 · 3 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

km/h

520

km range

20.5

hp/t

mm gun

33,500

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

German export-licensed

BAFA licensing with strict end-use review; approvals can be politically constrained.

Channel: Direct commercial / G2G

Fielded & proven

Limited · 3 operators

In service since 1971. Status: legacy · ~2,136 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Max speed Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.: 65 km/h

Stronger than 11% of IFVs
Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.: 520 km

Stronger than 42% of IFVs
Power-to-weight Engine power per tonne of vehicle weight. Higher means better acceleration and cross-country mobility.: 20.5 hp/t

Stronger than 33% of IFVs

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.: 20 mm Rheinmetall MK 20 Rh 202 autocannon
Secondary armament Additional weapons: coaxial MG, remote weapon station, gun pods.: 7.62 mm MG3 machine gun; MILAN ATGM (some variants)
Caliber Bore diameter of the main gun or rifle. Larger throws heavier projectiles; not simply better — ammunition commonality matters.: 20 mm
Ammunition Rounds carried (main gun) or standard magazine capacity.: 1250

Top 2% of IFVs

Protection

Armor, countermeasures and survivability.

Armor Armor technology: composite, modular, ERA-fitted, uranium-ceramic. Exact compositions are classified.: Welded steel armor
Reactive armor Explosive reactive armor (ERA) blocks that disrupt shaped-charge jets.: No
NBC protection Sealed crew compartment with overpressure filtration for nuclear/biological/chemical environments.: Yes

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.: 6.79 m
Width Overall width — matters for rail/road transport of vehicles.: 3.24 m
Height Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.: 2.98 m
Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.: 33,500 kg
Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.: 3
Troop capacity Number of embarked troops/passengers (IFV, APC, transport). Higher carries more.: 6

Stronger than 16% of IFVs

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Engine Powerplant model and type.: MTU MB 833 Ea-500 diesel
Engine power Engine output power. Higher moves more weight faster.: 600 hp

Stronger than 72% of IFVs
Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…: Diesel

Sensors & avionics

Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.

Thermal imaging Thermal sights for night and obscured-visibility operations.: Yes

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.: 2,136

Stronger than 71% of IFVs
Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.: 3

Stronger than 57% of IFVs

Specifications compiled from public Rheinmetall and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

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