Photo Album - Schützenpanzer Marder IFV

The Marder is an infantry fighting vehicle of the West German army and is the main armament of the Panzergrenadier (designation for mechanized infantry in Germany, Switzerland and Austria). Developed in the 1970s, the Marder is a Cold War vehicle that is still in operation in the Bundeswehr after German reunification.

The vehicle was in production between 1970 and 1975. Since then, the Marder has been tested as a platform for various types of vehicles, but only one has entered production, the radar version.

The known series of this vehicle are as follows:

• Marder-1 A1(+): Dual-feed cannon, image intensification system and thermal aiming.
• Marder 1 A1(-): Same as above but without thermal aiming system.
• Marder 1 A1A: Upgraded in several areas (armor, weapons system, but no change in the night vision system)
• Marder 1 A2: New chassis and suspension.
• Marder 1 A3: Upgrade for older versions, including new modular armor and a new arrangement of the upper hatches.

Marder IFVO is a logical evolution of German tactics, which had already begun studying the collaboration between infantry and armored vehicles during World War II. It was the first modern infantry fighting vehicle to enter service with a Western army and was the first response to the appearance of the Soviet Army's BMP-1.

Designed to transport troops, the Marder gave infantry much better armored protection than vehicles like the M113, and was equipped with a turret armed with a 25mm cannon, as well as night vision systems.

As of 2010, the 'Marder' began to be replaced by the Puma. 410 units were approved by the Bundestag in 2007.

In 2023, some units of the Marder were sent to Ukraine in a military aid package to support them against the Russian invasion.