Luchs (German lynx) is a modern German wheeled reconnaissance vehicle. The first prototypes of the vehicle were made in 1968, and serial production continued in 1975-1977, ending with the production of 408 units. Luchs is powered by a Mercedes-Benz engine OM403A 300 HP (when using petrol) and 390 HP (when using diesel). The vehicle is armed with a single 20mm Rheinmetall Mk.20 Rh 202 autocannon and one 7.62mm MG3 machine gun.
In the 1960s and 1970s, new and highly mobile tanks (Leopard 1) and infantry fighting vehicles (Marder 1) of German production were introduced into service in the Bundeswehr, which forced the development of a new wheeled reconnaissance vehicle. As a result of these works, Luchs was created. This vehicle is characterized by high maximum speed and very high mobility - it has the ability to overcome water obstacles without special preparation and is operated by two drivers - one at the front of the vehicle and the other at the rear. Thanks to this Luchs can very quickly retreat from the battlefield in the event of an emergency. However, like other Bundeswehr vehicles - Fuchs - it does a complex structure, requiring high technical culture and good logistics facilities from the user. It was used only by the German armed forces and at present (2018) it has been partially replaced by the Fenek car.
The Leopard 2 is a modern 3rd generation German Main Battle Tank. The first prototypes of the vehicle were made in 1973, and serial production started in 1979 continues to this day. To date (2018), 3,480 tanks of this type have been produced. The Leopard 2 is powered by the 1500 HP MTU MB 873 Ka 501 engine. The vehicle is armed with a single 120mm Rheinmetall Rh-M-120 gun and two 7.62mm MG3 machine guns.
The Leopard 2 was developed in response to the demand for a new Main Battle Tank announced by Bundeswehr already in the early 1960s. The new vehicle was to replace the Leopard 1 tanks in the West German army. Initially, cooperation with American companies (e.g. Chrysler) was undertaken in a project designated as MBT-70. However, after a few years, the cooperation was terminated and further work was focused only on German companies. Despite a very long process of analytical, study and experimental works lasting almost 15 years, the Leopard 2 introduced to the line in 1979 turned out to be revolutionary and outclassing the then Soviet designs. Many analysts consider it to be the first tank of the third generation in history, including the M1 Abrams, the French Leclerc or the much later Russian T-90 tank. The Leopard 2 is primarily characterized by unprecedented - before 1979 - mobility and maneuverability in tanks of this class, thanks to the use of a powerful 1500 HP engine. It also has very good armor, using composites and SKO (fire control system). It was also armed with the great Rh-M-120 gun, which in the 1980s and 1990s became a standard for many NATO countries. Several versions of the tank were created in the course of serial production Leopard 2, two of which deserve special attention: A 4 and A 6. The A 4, which appeared for the first time in 1985, has a highly advanced and improved over the previous SKO versions, as well as improved turret and front armor hull. It is also the most widely exported version. At the beginning of the 21st century, the A 6 version was created, which mainly received the Rh-M-120 gun with a significantly longer barrel (L / 55), which significantly improved its penetration capacity. The latest development version of the Leopard 2 tank is the A 7 version, which entered the Bundeswehr's equipment in 2014. Due to its very high combat value, the Leopard 2 was exported to many countries, including: Austria, Chile, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway or Poland, which has 247 tanks of this type in versions A 4 and A 5.
Bundeswehr (German Bundeswehr ) was formed in 1955 and during the Cold War it was the armed force of West Germany (FRG). However, after the fall of communism in the GDR and the demolition of the Berlin Wall, it became the armed force of a reunified Germany. Its land component is, of course, land forces (German Heer). In the course of the Cold War, it was seen as the first army to interact with an anticipated Soviet attack and to bear a heavy burden of counteracting the Soviet invasion. For this reason, it placed great emphasis on the development of armored and mechanized troops. In the early 1970s, the West German Mechanized Infantry Division had three brigades: two mechanized and one armored brigade. In stock, it had, among others, 252 tanks, 190 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), 124 armored personnel carriers and 63 self-propelled howitzers. In total, it numbered about 26,600 people. It is worth adding that at the height of the Cold War, the Bundeswehr numbered approx. 495 thousand. soldiers and 170 thousand. civilian workers. It consisted of 12 divisions divided into 3 general military corps - most of them were mechanized divisions. After 1989, the Bundeswehr underwent numerous reforms aimed at its reduction and the introduction of new equipment into the equipment. For example, in 2011, conscription was abandoned, and in the same year a reform was implemented, which was to reduce the Bundeswehr to 185,000. active service soldiers and 40 thousand. reservists. The formation of mechanized infantry divisions was withdrawn, and the German infantry (excluding parachute and special forces) now serves in motorized infantry battalions (Multinational Brigade) and in armored grenadier brigades (mechanized infantry) in the 1st and 10th Panzer Divisions. It is worth adding that the infantry uses modern Boxer armored personnel carriers (APCs) and Puma IFVs, which replace the Marder IFVs. The basic shooting weapon of the German infantry is the 5.56 mm Heckler und Koch G36 carbine, and the basic manual machine gun - the Heckler und Koch MG4 also the 5.56 mm caliber.
Transportpanzer 1 Fuchs (German: fox) is a modern German armored wheeled transport on a three-axle chassis. The first prototypes of the vehicle were created in the 1960s, and serial production began in 1979, which has been continued intermittently to the present (2017). The Fuchs is powered by a Mercedes-Benz engine OM402A with 320 hp.
The Fuchs was created in response to the Bundeswehr's demand for a new wheeled APC from 1963. After many years of competitions and detailed analyzes, it was decided to accept the vehicle into service, developed by the Daimler-Benz company. Fuchs is characterized by a high maximum speed (over 100 km / h), good maneuverability, mobility and a relatively low failure rate. However, it is a highly complex structure that requires a high technical culture and good logistics facilities from the user. A certain disadvantage is also the lack of permanent weapons, for example in the form of a machine gun. Several versions of the Fuchs vehicle were created, such as the commander version (FuFu), the sanitary variant and the airport security variant. In 2001, the tests of the Fuchs 2 vehicle, undertaken by Rheinmetall Landsysteme, also began. One of its versions is the contamination recognition truck (NBC). Fuchs 2 vehicles were delivered to the United Arab Emirates in 2007, and Kuwait also ordered vehicles of this type in 2015.