Greece Receives The First 6 Marder 1A3 Type Infantry Fighting Vehicles From Germany
Greece received the first six of the 40 tracked armored infantry fighting vehicles of the Marder 1A3 type expected from Germany. These vehicles were delivered to Greece as part of Germany’s Ringtausch (Multilateral exchange) concept. According to the Greek General Staff’s statement on the subject, “Marder 1A3 model vehicles will continue to arrive in the coming period. This is a program that aims to increase the strength of our army in war and strengthen the cooperation between armies.”
Following a meeting between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the European Union (EU) Leaders’ Summit held in Brussels on May 31, it was decided that 40 of Greece’s “BMP-1” type IFVs would be sent to Ukraine and that Greece would in turn receive 40 “Marder” IFVs from Germany. The Greek Ministry of Defense and the German Federal Ministry of Defense quickly worked out the details so that the agreement could go into effect as soon as possible. But in order to prevent its defenses from being weakened, Greece had asked that German IFVs arrive first before delivering their equipment to Ukraine.
Concerning the matter, N. Panagiotopoulos, the Greek Minister of Defense, responded to SYRIZA (a left-wing political party in Greece) member Giorgos Tsipras’ complaints at the General Assembly of the Greek Parliament about the weakening of national defense in the Aegean islands as a result of the transfer of “BMP-1” type IFVs to Ukraine. He stated that the exchange would be simultaneous, leaving no gaps in Greece’s defense. The Minister of Defense stated that the Marder 1A3s delivered by Germany are in much better condition and are newer than the BMP-1s to be sent to Ukraine, reiterating that Greece does not face a security vulnerability as a result of its support for Ukraine.
On the other hand, following his meeting with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias on October 19, 2022, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba announced that the shipments of BMP-1 IFVs from Greece to Ukraine had begun. Dmytro Kuleba said in a statement, “It is very important that the long-awaited shipment of BMP-1 armored infantry vehicles from Greece to Ukraine has already begun. Soon they will arrive in our army and will immediately strengthen the fighting capacity and defense capabilities of our country,” he said. The Foreign Minister also stated that Ukraine expects continued cooperation with Greece on military aid. Dmytro Kuleba, noting that their priority is to strengthen air defense, stated, “Greece knows our request and will process it.”
The Marder 1A3 tracked IFVs that Greece received from Germany as part of the Ringtausch (Multilateral exchange) concept are an upgraded version of the Marder (meaning “marten” in German) family of vehicles. Armor protection upgrades, hatch rearrangement for the infantry section, suspension reinforcement, a new braking system, gearbox change, and turret reconfiguration were among the modifications made to Marder IFVs as part of the A3 upgrade program, which began in 1988. A more powerful engine for the vehicle was also planned as part of the upgrade program, but it could not be implemented due to budget cuts at the time.
These vehicles are 6.88 meters long, 2.9 meters high, and 3.38 meters wide, and will be delivered to the 4th Corps in western Thrace after their integration into the Hellenic Armed Forces is completed. The vehicle, which weighs 35 tons, can transport three crew members and six soldiers in the rear troop compartment. These IFVs can travel at 65kph and have a 500-kilometer range thanks to an MTU MB Ea-500 six-cylinder liquid-cooled diesel engine that produces 600 horsepower. The Marder 1A3 IFVs are armed with a 20 mm Rheinmetall MK 20 Rh202 autocannon mounted in a defensive turret and a 7.62mm MG3 machine gun mounted coaxially to the left of the cannon. These vehicles can also be outfitted with MILAN anti-tank guided missiles as an option.