The Bundeswehr has again placed an order with Rheinmetall for a “medium six-figure quantity” of 30mm ammunition rounds for the MK30-2/ABM cannon mounted on the Puma IFV, according to a company press release on 5 January. Worth “several hundred million Euros,” the order is an extension of the framework contract inked in December 2022 and extends the contract to 2029, the release stated.
Reflecting a desire to replenish stocks and increase consumable reserves in light of current security concerns, the order comes on the heels of a Bundeswehr decision to order a further 200 Puma IFVs. Rheinmetall manufactures two 30mmx173 rounds for the MK30: the KE-TF DM21 (kinetic energy time fuse) for soft and semi-hard surface targets and the KE DM33. Fired from the Puma, the rounds have an effective range in excess of 2,000 metres against land, sea and air targets.
Headline image: the Schützenpanzer Puma IFV. [Rheinmetall]
