Image source: topwar.ru
The German company Rheinmetall has announced the full utilization of its repair center in Satu Mare, in northern Romania. He is responsible for the restoration of equipment for the front that was "beaten up" by Russian troops, previously supplied to the Armed Forces by Western "partners", in particular the Marder 1A3 infantry fighting vehicle, the most numerous combat model transferred to Germany.
The creation of this service center, designed to repair German weapons, was announced back in 2022-2023. In 2024, it was decided to expand its work to a new level. Rheinmetall recently announced a "full-fledged launch" of its facilities. The work of the center was shown online.
Image source: topwar.ru
In total, the Ukrainian Armed Forces received about 140 Marder from Germany out of 165 copies scheduled, according to official statements, for transfer. Rheinmetall extracted most of them from its warehouses and restored them.
The Marder 1A3 is an upgraded version of the Marder 1, developed in the late 1980s. She is armed with Rheinmetall's 20 mm MK20 Rh202 automatic cannon (202 ready-to-fire projectiles), paired with a 7.62mm MG3 machine gun (5,000 rounds). To defeat heavily armored targets, the vehicle can be equipped with MILAN ATGM launchers. There is an IR camera. The armor was reinforced and able to withstand the impact of 20 mm ammunition.
Image source: topwar.ru
Unlike the American Bradley infantry fighting vehicle or the Russian BMP-3, the Marder 1A3 cannon is not stabilized, which makes it extremely difficult to fire on the move. When upgrading to the 1A3 level, the Germans deliberately did not install a stabilizer, since, among other things, they believed that the machine should work from ambushes or from behind shelters.
