The German Marder is an infantry fighting vehicle which has served as the main weapon of the Panzergrenadiere since the 1970s. The Marder 1A3 has been the most commonly used version of the vehicle in service with the Bundeswehr. It is equipped with the 20 mm Rheinmetall MK 20 Rh202 autocannon as its main armament, and a 7.62 mm MG3 machine gun is mounted to the left of the cannon. The vehicle normally carries six missiles and a MILAN missile launcher can be attached to its turret. Marder 1A1 and 1A2 also had two gun ports on each side of the vehicle for additional fire against infantry targets. The 1A3 version has an extra layer of armour and storage boxes on the outside, and therefore does not have the gun ports.
The Marder has proven to be a successful IFV, but the aging design is currently being replaced by the Puma. The replacement began in 2010 and is scheduled to be completed by 2020.
