NEWTOWN, Conn. - Despite the impressive quality of the Igel/Puma design and high-standard of work performed by the prime contractors on the project, the road to the Igel/Puma's active operational service with the German Bundeswehr has been marked by a number of significant delays and unexpected challenges.

These setbacks have predominantly been the result of domestic fiscal realities in Germany and the tenuous state of economic recovery across the Eurozone in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.

The Bundeswehr originally intended to acquire 405 Igel/Puma vehicles at a cost of $4.655 billion.

However, in 2011, with Germany's decade long involvement in the war in Afghanistan beginning to draw to a close and the implementation of domestic austerity measures necessitating significant cuts to the military budget, the German government decided to reduce the total order of Igel/Pumas to 350 vehicles and to extend the operational trials and testing period of the vehicle into 2014.

The first two production-standard Igel/Puma vehicles were delivered to the Bundeswehr in December 2010. Low-rate serial production began shortly thereafter and has continued through the time of writing.

Of the current order of 350 Igel/Puma vehicles, 342 are to serve as frontline capable IFVs, while the remaining eight will be configured for a crew training role.

According to the program's current schedule, PSM is expected to at last launch full-rate serial production of the Igel/Puma in early 2015, at which time the Bundeswehr will also begin to more fully integrate the new model into its active duty force structure.

According to open-source reporting, PSM intends to deliver approximately 50 Igel/Puma vehicles to the Bundeswehr per year at the height of production. The contract is scheduled for completion in 2020.

After the initial 350 vehicle Bundeswehr order, the Igel/Puma program will become increasingly dependent on the export market.

A number of prominent international customers have expressed interest in acquiring the Igel/Puma vehicle, with the United States standing as the most notable example.

In early 2014, the Department of Defense officially announced the cancellation of the U.S Army's long-gestating Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) program that was intended to provide the service with a long-term successor to its reliable but rapidly aging Bradley IFV.

In a report critical of the GCV program published in 2013 by the U.S Congressional Budget Office (CBO), acquisition of Igel/Puma series vehicles configured to the Army's requirements was put forward as one of several potential alternatives to the continuation of the GCV program.

However, any potential Igel/Puma procurement by the U.S Army remains strictly hypothetical at the present time. In addition, open-source reporting indicates that the Army is continuing to investigate potential domestic options that would salvage hardware and design concepts derived from the prior GCV program.

The economic climate across the Eurozone has seen a degree of stabilization in recent years. However, an atmosphere of fiscal uncertainty lingers and many European states have significantly downsized their defense budgets.

Although a renascent Russia and other international pressures may spur European states to restore some of this funding in the coming years, this lingering economic malaise is likely to prove an inhibiting factor on the scale of the Igel/Puma's sales potential in Europe through 2023, particularly given the vehicle's relatively high unit cost. Nevertheless, the sterling reputation of the project's prime contractors and Igel/Puma's modern design principles are likely to attract sustained interest on the international market.

The Igel/Puma is a highly advanced, modular design capable of being configured to serve in an array of combat roles. The base IFV model is outfitted with a fully stabilized Mauser-Werke 30x173mm Mk 30 2/ABM automatic cannon in an unmanned KMW remote turret system and is equipped with state-of-the art fire control systems. In addition, the Igel/Puma mounts a Spike ATGM module on the side of the turret.

The Igel/Puma can be outfitted with several tiers of armored protection based upon operator requirements. For protection against rocket threats, the Igel/Puma integrates a Multifunctional Self-protection System (MUSS) and can also be outfitted with an Airbus Defence and Space Defensive Aids System (DAS).

Source: Forecast International Weapons Group
Author: T. Dolzall, Military Vehicles Analyst