According to experts, the Bundeswehr’s ammunition is only sufficient for a few days of a potential armed conflict. A recently published order for new rocket-propelled grenades shows that there is currently no change in the era of significantly more weapons to combat main battle tanks.
According to this, the Federal Ministry of Defense is now ordering 2,500 shots for the “Panzerfaust 3 IT” weapon from the manufacturer Dynamit Nobel Defense (DND) from Burbach in Siegerland. According to the ministry, it is only “a replacement measure for the ammunition handed over to Ukraine”. This is intended to bring the “ammunition stocks of the Bundeswehr back up to target”.
According to an overview from December 20, 2022, the Federal Republic has officially delivered 3,000 Panzerfaust 3 cartridges and 900 grips to the Ukrainian armed forces. That would even be 500 shots more than are now being ordered to fill the gap.
However, the Bundeswehr had already ordered bazookas in July 2022 as part of their regular replenishment of the depots. With 3500 copies, it was slightly higher by 500 than the usual repeat order. This would mean that only as many bazookas are now backordered as were handed over to Ukraine – but not more.
A spokesman for the armaments company Dynamit Nobel Defense confirmed the most recent order for the 2500 shots, the order value of which is not given. According to the spokesman, the order quantities are normal, but not a significant increase, as would be sensible given the overall security situation after Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine.
Industry experts assume that the production time for this size is around one year. The Bundeswehr does not provide any information about the exact stocks of rocket-propelled grenades.
The Panzerfausts, which are now being reordered from DND, are considered to be a very efficient weapon against main battle tanks and other armored vehicles. In the eventful history of the company, for example, a predecessor company developed the legendary German Panzerfaust. As a so-called shoulder-launched weapon, it can be fired by a soldier without recoil.
It was used in large numbers as a “tank destroyer” during World War II. The Bundeswehr is currently using the “Panzerfaust 3” – from DND. The company, which has around 400 employees, has belonged to the large state-owned Israeli armaments group Rafael since 2004.
The “Panzerfaust 3”, which has been in use by the German armed forces for around three decades, is characterized by the fact that, according to the Bundeswehr, it can penetrate more than 70 centimeters thick steel at a distance of 400 meters, even if the tank is equipped with what is known as reactive armor.
A technical trick is used for this: First, a front projectile load triggers the armor on the tank, and then the actual dangerous projectile comes. It all happens in a split second.
The order that has now been published states the following: “The explosives in the warhead are detonated by the detonator and a copper cone is deformed by the detonation wave into a jet which, due to its high kinetic energy, can penetrate armor up to >700 mm. “
In another shot of the gun, the fired cartridge functions as a “squish-head” bullet. This means that the warhead deforms when it hits the target, spreading plastic explosives and detonating with a delay. This results in a large-scale pressure effect on the target.
According to Dynamit Nobel Defense, it has already developed the next-generation bazooka, the RGW 110 model.
According to a report in the specialist publication “Soldat
“Everything on shares” is the daily stock exchange shot from the WELT business editorial team. Every morning from 7 a.m. with the financial journalists from WELT. For stock market experts and beginners. Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Amazon Music and Deezer. Or directly via RSS feed.
