Marder 1a3 shines in Ukrainian battlefield, outguns soviet BMP‑2

Ukrainians have a unique opportunity to compare many Western infantry fighting vehicles in wartime conditions. Here's what a Ukrainian, previously serving on the Soviet-era BMP-2, thinks about the German Marder.

Ukraine received about 80 Marder 1A3 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) from Germany. These vehicles, designed during the Cold War to combat Soviet equipment, are now being tested in the different terrains of Ukraine and, recently, Russia.

A Ukrainian serving on the Marder (Marder means "Marten" in German) is very pleased, especially appreciating the vehicle's target detection and attack speed, as well as the protection offered by its armor.

The Ukrainian notes that while the BMP-2 can fire 15-16 shots at a detected target, the Marder can fire 150-200 shots. In terms of protection, the Marder is impervious to fire from a 2A42 1.18-inch cannon, while its Rh-202 0.79-inch automatic cannon can easily pierce its Soviet counterpart.

The Marder also boasts excellent side protection, making it resilient against ambushes with machine guns, even those loaded with armor-piercing ammunition, and grenades (most likely PG-7VL or similar). Below is a comment from a Ukrainian serving on the Marder:

"Even during an assault when you fall into an ambush and they shoot at you with machine guns, you know they won't harm you. Even if a grenade flies in your direction, you don't feel fear because you know the armor will protect you."

Created in Germany in the 1960s, the Marder was the first new-generation infantry fighting vehicle in NATO. Similar to the Soviet BMP-1 from the same period, the vehicle featured innovative solutions. Previous armored personnel carriers were open, poorly armed, and their main task was to transport infantry to the battlefield and then quickly retreat.

In contrast, the Germans designed a well-armored structure with high firepower that could support the transported landing force and even engage tanks.

The Marder's crew consisted of three soldiers, and in the rear, there was space for a seven-member armored infantry squad. A unique feature of the Marder was its remote-controlled turret equipped with a 0.79-inch Rheinmetall MK 20 Rh-202 autocannon, capable of quickly switching between fragmentation and armor-piercing ammunition, an MG3 machine gun, and a Milan-guided anti-tank missile launcher capable of penetrating even 27.5 inches of steel armor.

This design meant that the entire crew was housed in the hull. A hit to the turret could damage the armament, but the crew had a better chance of survival. However, accessing the armament for maintenance was difficult, requiring a crew member to go outside and fix malfunctions through inspection hatches.

The main cannon can engage targets at distances up to 1.6 miles, and the Milan anti-tank missiles can destroy tanks from up to 1.2 miles away. All these features made the Marder a very costly vehicle used exclusively by the Bundeswehr. Only after the end of the Cold War, due to budget cuts and resulting sales, did some of the approximately 2,000 produced Marders end up in other countries.

Ukraine received the 1A3 version, modernized in the 1990s to include reinforced armor and a thermal imaging sight for the gunner. Despite its age, it remains an effective design, particularly against Soviet-era relics that now make up the majority of the Russian armed forces.