TPz 1 Fuchs: Ukraine will receive German armored personnel carriers
2 June, 2023 TPz 1 Fuchs APC. Photo from open sources Ukraine will receive modernized German TPz 1 Fuchs wheeled armored personnel carriers from industrial stocks.
The ESUT reports about this. Armored vehicles will be modernized in Ukraine at a joint venture being currently created by Rheinmetall together with the Ukrainian Ukroboronprom State Concern, after which they will be supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The enterprise is planned to open in mid-July.
Subsequently, Rheinmetall plans to establish serial production of armored personnel carriers as part of strategic cooperation.
Fuchs armored personnel carrier of the German military.
2020. Photo credits: Combat-Camera-Europe
Such plans were previously announced by the CEO of Rheinmetall, Armin Papperger.
The most important element of upgrading the basic Fuchs APC is to improve its protection. Technically, the armored personnel carriers must reach or exceed the level of the latest version of the TPz Fuchs 1A8. The publication also notes that new versions of the Fuchs armored personnel carrier should be developed within the framework of technology transfer.
Fuchs armored personnel carrier as a wheeled infantry fighting vehicle.
Photo credits: Rheinmetall
In particular, the idea of creating a variant of a wheeled infantry fighting vehicle is presented. For this purpose, in the rear part of the vehicle, it is planned to install a turret from the Marder infantry fighting vehicle, which is armed with a 20-mm RH 202 autocannon and a 7.62-mm MG3 machine gun paired with it. The production and transfer of technologies for Ukraine can follow the following scheme:
- Ukrainian personnel are trained at Rheinmetall enterprises.
- Deliveries of almost finished vehicles to joint ventures in recipient countries are made, where the equipment is finally assembled and handed over to the customer.
- Complete kits are delivered for on-site assembly.
Also, due to the participation of local industry in this process, the production of components is being gradually mastered.
Although Rheinmetall continues to supply the joint venture with the most important components, especially high-quality ones. Further development of the basic variant of the armored vehicle in accordance with the needs of the recipient country begins as early as possible so that new variants adapted to the requirements of new users can be created. In the medium and long term, this cooperation should help to create or expand the current Ukrainian potential and production capacity for the production of armored vehicles.
Screenshot of a Twitter post by journalist Julian Ropke, June 2, 2023
Meanwhile, Bild journalist Julian Ropke wrote on Twitter on Friday that Germany will NOT supply TPz 1 Fuchs armored personnel carriers to Ukraine yet.
He bases his claim on the alleged "astronomical prices" offered by Rheinmetall for refurbished and/or new armored personnel carriers.
Fuchs
TPz 1 Fuchs APC is a German wheeled armored personnel carrier developed by Daimler-Benz. It was adopted by the Bundeswehr in 1979.
TPz 1 Fuchs APC. Photo from open sources
The armored personnel carrier has a layout with the location of the control compartment in the bow, the motor-transmission compartment in the middle and the landing compartment in the stern of the vehicle.
The landing compartment can accommodate 10 soldiers inside the combat vehicle on the seats along the sides of the hull - with their backs to the hull. The main method of embarking/disembarking from an armored personnel carrier is the two-leaf aft door. An armored personnel carrier with a combat mass of more than 17 tons (in the basic configuration) develops a speed of up to 105 km/h on the highway.
Its range is 800 km.
Also, with the help of two propellers, the TPz 1 Fuchs can move on water at a speed of up to 10 km/h.