According to a media report, the majority of the Panzerhaubitzen 2000 in the Bundeswehr inventory is currently not operational. As the “Bild” newspaper reports, citing a confidential paper from the Federal Ministry of Defense, the Bundeswehr can currently only deploy about one in three.
According to the newspaper, as of December 2, 2022, the stock of Panzerhaubitzen 2000 was 105 copies. There are currently 73 of them in the “army’s inventory” and their operational readiness is “around 50 percent”. This leaves about 36 operational self-propelled howitzers.
In addition, on December 2, a total of 18 tank howitzers 2000 were in the “factory repair at the industry”, reports the “Bild” further from the document. According to the newspaper, it is unclear how many of the 36 operational weapon systems are among them. The Panzerhaubitze 2000 can shoot 30 to 40 kilometers depending on the ammunition used. Experts regard it as one of the most modern howitzers in the world and can fire up to ten shells per minute.
Serious problems with the Puma infantry fighting vehicle only became known on Sunday. During a Bundeswehr exercise, all 18 Puma infantry fighting vehicles deployed failed due to technical problems. The vehicles were supposed to be used from January for the VJTF, NATO’s fastest reaction force called the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force. There they are now to be replaced by tanks of the Marder type.
