german army declares system panzer grenadier fit to fight supplied by raymatal and its
partner companies the bundeswearers system panzer grenadier has reached an important milestone on 18
march 2021 lieutenant general alfons mize the chief of the german army declared the system
fit to fight he also recommended equipping nato's spearhead formation the very high
readiness joint task force vjtf 2023 which the bundeswear will be furnishing with the new system
in essence system panzer grenadier consists of an upgraded version of the puma the infantry
fighting vehicle made by the rain metal and cross mafi weight men joint venture psm gmbh
and the vjtf 2023 version of the future soldier expanded system idz developed by rayne mctall
following extensive development and modification work system panzer grenadier underwent a
three-week long tactical evaluation at the virgin major training area on the lunnyburgh
heath in northern germany in february 2021 it passed the test with flying colors system panzer
grenadier will substantially enhance the fighting strength and combat effectiveness of the vjtf 2023
equipped with system pans are granted here this formation will for the first time in germany bring
together a digitized vehicle platform the enhanced vjtf version of the puma infantry fighting vehicle
and a soldier system equipped for digital radio communication system panzer grenadier offers two
key advantages first all soldiers whether mounted or dismounted can access the same information and
second they are able to share this information with greater precision more quickly and more
robustly the closely knit network of sensors and effectors belonging to the soldiers and their
infantry fighting vehicle minimizes the time between target detection and target engagement
this blending of capabilities into a single overarching system enables more effective
tactical interaction of the soldiers and their ifv enhancing in turn the overall combat effectiveness
of mechanized infantry units a total of 40 vjtf grade puma infantry fighting vehicles will form
part of the vjtf 2023 panoply of equipment the most advanced version of the puma to date
it includes among other things integration of standoff capable effectors
like the mel's multirole lightweight guided missile system additional sensors such as a
new driver vision system an improved c4i arc the new panoramic and driver vision system heralds the
end of the periscope era for the first time the entire crew will be able to see through the armor
both day and night the fusion mode combines daylight vision with high performance thermal
imaging enabling swift detection of concealed targets around the clock the puma is the first
significant western combat vehicle to include a system like this as a standard feature
now that the puma ife has been declared fit to fight the german army's mechanized infantry
corps finds itself on the threshold of a new era with the prospect of the remaining battalions
also being equipped with a comparable revamped version of the puma embodying a systemic approach
to re-equipping vehicle platforms and soldier systems system panzer grenadier forms a sound
foundation for conceptualizing and kitting out larger coherent systems of systems looking ahead
system panzer grenadier thus becomes the basis for digitally networked and directed formations
given the substantial increase in experience and capabilities in the field of i t system
integration this path provides a powerful impetus for future projects in the consortium co-founded
with psm gmbh rain matal electronics gmb h is responsible for the command capabilities workshare
and thus for assuring cross-platform networking of the system of systems
furthermore system panzer grenadier is stimulating further development beyond the immediate project
the next generation of the idc es is already in the starting blocks while the new puma v
jtf infantry fighting vehicle offers an excellent point of departure for expanded capabilities
eg in the sensor to shooter category system panzer grenadier is a technological trailblazer
whose continued development is poised to deliver new capabilities for the german army's division
2027 and digitized land-based operations system the dlbo