December 2005
 

Germany's biggest procurement project

The Puma IFV is ready to pounce

 
Right on schedule, the German Army's first Puma infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) is set to roll off the assembly lines of Rheinmetall Landsysteme and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann just before Christmas 2005. Representing an entirely new departure in armoured vehicle design, the Puma once again places Germany's army technology industry on the global cutting edge, bolstering its leading position in this domain.

The Puma vehicle concept is unlike any other, with numerous characteristics that make it the world's safest, most secure IFV. The new system is thus a clear investment in the security and future effectiveness of the German Army, which will be the first to field it.
 

 
The Puma IFV is the German military's largest, most important procurement project at present.

 
Close cooperation between Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH (RLS), Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG (KMW) and their subcontractors made for a quick development phase. The company Projekt System & Management GmbH (PSM) of Kassel, a joint venture of RLS and KMW, is in charge of the project, which brings together the expertise of two of Europe's leading makers of light and heavyweight armoured vehicles.

The first roadworthy Puma will be presented to the Bundeswehr on December 20, 2005 in Kassel. RLS's plants in Kiel, Kassel and Gersthofen (near Augsburg) are all involved in the project, as are KMW's Kassel and Munich plants.

The teamwork has been impressive: based on the PSM concept Rheinmetall Landsysteme engineered the Puma's chassis in Kiel. The same is true of initial work on the hull, ultimately supplied by B+V Industrietechnik, a Hamburg company that specializes in welding steel armour. "Our expertise is what makes it possible to turn all this into an advanced IFV. The complete system integration of the GSD chassis is in the hands of RLS", declares Helge Möller, 44, in charge of developing and engineering the Puma. The power pack, electronics, heating and climate control technology are all integrated in Kiel.

KMW manufactures the turret in Kassel, as well as the individual crew stations, which in the Puma are integrated into the hull. Its main armament comes from RLS's Gersthofen plant, consisting of the MK 30-2/ABM automatic cannon made by Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH in Oberndorf. In order to commission the complete system, in mid November 2005 the demonstrator version will be taken over from RLS in Kassel.
 

 
"The Puma is equipped with an advanced high-power density (HPD) diesel power pack featuring high integration density, specially developed by MTU. The engine has an 800 kW output; there is also a starter generator between the engine and the transmission, which can crank out up to 170 kW in power", states Helge Möller, a trained mechanical engineer. According to Möller, there's never a dull moment these days: "Being part of the country's biggest army technology programme is an exciting challenge" – all the more so since the project has progressed at a record pace.

As Möller recounts, "all of the main companies (for example, RLS, KMW, MTU and Renk) involved in developing and engineering the Puma use 3D CAD systems. This means that the participating companies generate all the components and subassemblies as 3D models, which they can then exchange." As a result, interfaces can be studied and identified at an early stage, and steadily refined during the development process – right up until the final binding specification.

In organizing this process, PSM GmbH has had to take into account the stringent, highly heterogeneous requirements the new IFV will have to meet. "In order to combine the utmost in crew protection with complete airportability, we had to develop a totally new armour concept", recalls Dr. Peter Hellmeister, 53, one of PSM GmbH's two managing directors.

The Puma features two levels of protection: in Protection Level A (Airportable), the vehicle is light enough to be airlifted yet still offers the world's best protection against landmines; to achieve Protection Level C (Combat), separately airportable add-on armour elements can be fitted to the vehicle as soon as it reaches the area of operations, reliably protecting it from rocket propelled grenades. The lateral protection elements can be folded down after mounting, meaning that the Puma can be transported by rail even when configured for combat. "When it comes to ballistic and landmine protection, we're the best worldwide", affirms Hellmeister, who began his career at Rheinmetall in Düsseldorf and has overseen the Puma project for the past three years.

The objective was to create a vehicle capable not only of keeping up with the Leopard 2 main battle tank at home, but of being airlifted to remote areas of operation – ideally in all climate zones. The bulk of development work took place at PSM's parent companies – RLS and KMW – who assigned some 200 developers to the project. Equipping the Puma with an entirely new protection concept was a prime objective. "We aimed to create space for a nine-man crew, with maximum protection from landmines and rocket propelled grenades", stresses Peter Hellmeister.
 

 
Talking shop: Michael Krack (left), Electrical/Electronic Systems Engineer at Rheinmetall Landsysteme in Kiel and Test Engineer Kay Görlitz prepare to commission the electronics of the Puma demonstrator vehicle. This highly advanced infantry fighting vehicle will be presented to the Bundeswehr on December 20, 2005.

 
This led to the novel idea of placing the crew in the chassis. "Because the turret has to be remotely controlled", explains Hellmeister, "the infantry squad isn't separated from the turret crew." As a result, only the one compact compartment requires maximum protection.

Moreover, this eliminates the dead space that naturally occurs when a round turret is placed on a rectangular vehicle. Importantly, nobody sits in the turret, the most exposed and vulnerable part of an armoured vehicle. These fundamental concepts ensure a high degree of passive protection, especially since the entire crew in the fighting compartment can maintain visual contact at all times, fostering clear communication – a crucial factor in combat.

"We're also setting new standards when it comes to the power pack", states Hellmeister, a nuclear physicist by training. The problem is simple: the bigger the engine, the greater the space requirement and the heavier the vehicle, inevitably leading to a decline in the power-to-weight ratio – something of a vicious circle. Compared with analogous engines, however, the Puma's power pack is significantly smaller and lighter. The power pack fills up 92 percent of the forward area of the vehicle, a triumph of space economy.

The Puma's pioneering anti-landmine protection also merits special attention. The double-layered floor of the vehicle is specifically designed to absorb the shockwave from an explosive blast. As Hellmeister explains, "The shockwave doesn't reach the crew, because the inner floor is designed to give the lower floor sufficient room to move in the event of a detonation." This effectively thwarts the physics of an explosive blast. A glance at the interior of the demonstrator vehicle reveals an added force protection feature: the crew sit on nylon slings rather than floor-mounted seats.

This kind of passive force protection thinking extends to every component in the IFV. The automatic turret naturally contains the ammunition supply, which reaches the Puma's twin guns via an ammunition feeding system. "If the turret takes a hit and its armour is penetrated, the ammunition stored there burns off, damaging the turret but not the fighting compartment. The crew remains unharmed, because the two parts of the vehicle are completely separate", explains Peter Hellmeister, highlighting one of the Puma's key safety features.

The new IFV's running gear goes a long way in reducing physical strain on the crew during operation: it is effectively decoupled from the hull, to which it is linked by elastic connectors. Just as in standard automotive applications, hydropneumatic suspension elements serve as shock absorbers – a novel development in armoured vehicle engineering.

This lowers the noise level in the Puma to 95 decibels, significantly less than the 120 decibels typical in such vehicles today. "Since the decibel scale is logarithmic, for the troops this means a 90% reduction in audible noise and vibration in the vehicle," declares Hellmeister, noting that this translates into less stress during operations. "It's important to remember that we're talking about the soldiers' workplace here", points out the PSM managing director.

The running gear also fits nicely into the underlying concept of passive safety. Because the torsion bar suspension typical in tanks is dispensed with in the Puma, the empty space above the lower floor (which a mine blast explosively deforms and pushes toward the fighting compartment) can be reduced.

A further special feature: the running gear supports are hollow. Not only does this save weight, it creates space for fuel tanks, which are located in various compartments in the two running gear supports. Here, too, "safety first" is the watchword: if one of the storage tanks is damaged and the fuel catches fire, it burns outside of the fighting compartment, posing no danger to the crew. If worse comes to worse, the IFV's fuel supply system can switch to emergency operating mode, providing the Puma with an adequate degree of mobility.

The vehicle's lightweight steel tracks, supplied by Diehl, also reduce its total weight. Newly developed and measuring some 26 metres, they weigh over 500 kg less than conventional tank tracks.

The Puma's innovative passive protection is matched by its state-of-the-art armament and reconnaissance technology. "Early on in the project we decided that we couldn't due without a glass optic", recalls Hellmeister. The commander's newly developed 360° periscope is made by Zeiss. It operates independently of the turret, transmitting images via a vertical glass channel to the interior of the vehicle, just as in a submarine.

A glass fibre bundle transmits the image to the operator's ocular; by means of a built-in camera, it also appears on a monitor. The commander and gunner can both use this image. In addition, images from the daylight camera and thermal imaging device can be called up on the monitor as required. The six infantrymen on board can also view the images on two monitors in the fighting compartment, enabling them to keep track of the situation as it unfolds. Furthermore, these images can also be transmitted to higher echelon elements and/or other vehicles, a crucial capability in Network-Centric Warfare.

Many minds have collaborated in making the Puma the world's most advanced IFV. "During the course of the project, the spirit of cooperation at PSM has been terrific", exclaims Helmeister. "What's more", he says, "PSM's two parent companies have developed numerous interfaces that can directly communicate with each other. This has been instrumental in helping us keep to our ambitious timetable, which is unrivalled in the industry."

The turret armament proved to be a tricky engineering task and is certainly the most eye-catching feature of the new German IFV. The central positioning of the fibre optic channel means that the vehicle's main armament, a 30 mm automatic cannon made by RWM Oberndorf, is integrated off centre in the turret.

Traditionally, the main armament is always placed in the centre of a tank turret. "If we'd put the gun in the middle of the turret, there wouldn't have been enough room left on the hull for the hatches for the commander and the infantry section", explains Hellmeister. In the end, the engineering team decided to place the turret off centre as well, so that the main armament is aligned with the vehicle's central axis, giving the Puma its characteristic appearance.

The gunner's weapon sight is mounted next to the main armament, and rotates with it. This configuration gives the Puma a hunter-killer capability more typical of main battle tanks: if the commander detects an enemy target with the periscope, he transmits the image to the gunner; the turret automatically swings toward the target, which can be engaged while the commander looks for the next target with the independently operating periscope.

When the Puma goes into serial production in 2009, it will be accompanied by completely new training systems. "Until now, IFV training has taken place using simulators in containers. With the Puma, the crew will be trained in the actual vehicle. The necessary interfaces are already available. This means that troops can be trained in the area of operation to contend with special situations", declares Hellmeister.

"All in all", he states, "the Puma is more than just an exceptionally future-proof IFV. It can serve as a platform for other systems such as air defence artillery, or as a lightweight armoured recovery vehicle or light tank – there's plenty of scope for expansion."
 

 
"Our mission is to build the world's best infantry fighting vehicle" – Peter Hellmeister, Managing Director of PSM.

 
If Peter Hellmeister has his way, the Puma will be as successful as the Leopard 2 – and sell well abroad too. The Bundeswehr will take delivery of the first serially produced Pumas in 2009. In all, the German Army plans to buy 410 units; the order is worth over €3 billion.
 

State-of-the-art firepower

 
The Puma's remote-control turret is equipped with a 30 mm MK 30-2/ABM automatic cannon made by RWM Oberndorf. Based on the company's tried-and-tested MK 30-2 weapon, it has been modified to fire Ahead ammunition (Ahead stands for "Advanced Hit Efficiency and Destruction").

This is how it works: as the ammunition leaves the barrel it is programmed to eject a defined number of sub-projectiles at the optimum point in time prior to reaching the target. This increases the impact on the target even at longer ranges of engagement, as well as enhancing its ability to deal with smaller targets. Thanks to this principle, various types of target can be engaged with only one kind of round. The Puma also carries KE ammunition, enabling to effectively engage armoured targets. The turret's secondary armament, an MG 4 machinegun, comes from RLS in Gersthofen, as does the ammunition flow and storage technology.
 

A wide-ranging performance spectrum

 
The new Puma infantry fighting vehicle demonstrates once again Germany's paramount position in the domain of army technology. It sets the standard worldwide, as the following technical details make clear:

• airportable in the future A400M transport plane;
• rapid availability in the area of operations;
• modular armour elements;
• a single compartment for all occupants;
• a compact, newly developed, extremely powerful engine;
• highly effective mine protection;
• a remote-controlled turret;
• efficient armament for engaging all types of targets;
• suitable as a platform for future applications;
• interfaces for future systems (friend/foe identification, etc.)

Technical data

• maximum design weight: 43 tons
• weight (Protection Level A): 31.45 tons
• weight (Protection Level C): 40.7 tons
• crew: 9 (6+3);
• maximum road speed: 70 kilometres per hour
• power to weight ratio: 20 kW/t;
• length: 7,330 mm
• width: 3,430 mm
• total height: 3,050 mm