The German Armed Forces have awarded Rheinmetall a framework agreement to provide automatic cannon ammunition for its Puma infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs).
The 576-million-euro ($605 million) contract follows a bill signed by the German Parliament budget committee on November 30.
Under the agreement, the company will deliver over 600,000 rounds of DM21 30-millimeter x 173 medium-caliber automatic cannon cartridges to the service, with the initial 25,000 rounds slated for delivery by January 2023.
The procurement is part of a German effort to sustain the country’s military supplies in support of the NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, a 5,000-personnel response unit dedicated to major crises across the alliance.
The ammunition will also be supplied for mechanized infantry training and German Army exercises.
German IFV Capability
The German Puma IFV is equipped with Rheinmetall-built MK30-2 air burst munition automatic cannons.
The weapon system has a more than 2,000-meter (6,562 feet) range effective for ground, naval, and aerial targets.
Rheinmetall produces two types of 30-millimeter x 173 caliber ammunition for the IFV: KE-TF DM21 and KE DM33. Both variants have been developed according to army precision, effectiveness, and penetration standards.
The munitions are integrated with the company’s Kinetic Energy Time Fuse technology, enabling Puma vehicles to engage larger infantry threats.
Other Rheinmetall Munitions Contracts
Rheinmetall signed a $2.5-million contract to supply lighter and shorter artillery systems for the US Army earlier this year.
In September, Rheinmetall received a contract to deliver a 155-millimeter munition prototype to extend the range of the US Army’s L58 artillery cannon.
The company was also contracted to develop a HERO loitering munition for a NATO military the same month.
