Originally Posted by
Geriaviator
Looking at the shameful posturing by Germany and its chums I'm beginning to think quitting Europe wasn't such a bad thing. Perhaps they should be shown the picture of the downed Russian helicopter in Ukraine with the words NACH BERLIN painted on the boom. Poland etc could be mopped up on the way ...
May the Farce be with you... Germany and its promises.
https://www-businessinsider-de.trans..._x_tr_pto=wapp
Iris-T air defense system: After weeks of pressure, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) announced in the Bundestag last week that Ukraine should get the Iris-T air defense system. He did not give details. According to information from Business Insider, the news apparently came as a surprise not only to the Ministry of Defense, but also to Egypt. Because the Egyptian government had ordered several systems in Germany, one of which it is now supposed to do without in favor of Ukraine. But government circles say that the Iris-T system for Ukraine should not be ready for use until November or even December.
Marder infantry fighting vehicle: A week ago, Scholz also announced a so-called ring exchange with Greece: In return for Soviet BPM-type tanks that Athens is to send to Ukraine, Greece will receive Marder infantry fighting vehicles from Germany. The deal mentions almost 50 tanks.
But the Greeks are said to have been surprised by the Chancellor's announcement, so there is a lot of trouble behind the scenes. Because the BPM tanks are mainly stationed on the Greek islands. The government in Athens fears that Turkey could see an exchange with modern Marder vehicles as an affront in foreign policy - and that the next military conflict in Europe would arise.
From German government circles it is said that the Greeks therefore only want to give up their Soviet tanks when all 50 German Marders have been delivered ready for use. But that should last until autumn or winter. In addition, the manufacturer Rheinmetall itself was surprised by the ring exchange, which actually wanted to sell the Marder directly to the Ukraine. So whether the group will go along with it at all is an open question. Rheinmetall does not respond to inquiries from us.
Multiple rocket launcher Mars II: Scholz had also announced multiple rocket launchers in his Bundestag speech. They can hit targets 40 kilometers away.
It was later said that the Bundeswehr would be giving up four Mars II systems – if possible by the end of June. But that was not confirmed. The problem: According to information from Business Insider, less than half of the almost 40 German vehicles are currently operational at all. Even giving up four is said to have caused the German military to shake their heads behind the scenes. In addition, the software of the rocket launchers must first be reprogrammed because the German vehicles have not yet been able to fire ammunition from the USA or Great Britain. But precisely these types of ammunition are available in large numbers in Ukraine. In the worst case, solving the software problems should take months, it is said, since it is significantly more complicated than with the tank howitzer.
The bottom line is that insiders within the federal government do not expect concrete deliveries of Iris-T, Mars II or Marders before September or October. Only the delivery of 15 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks in mid-July and 15 more by the end of August seems to be on schedule so far. However, there are no more than 59,000 rounds of ammunition. As of now, the promised seven German tank howitzers should also be ready for delivery at the end of June. Before that, they had to be laboriously reprogrammed to meet the needs of Ukraine. In addition, the five Dutch howitzers still had to be repaired.
But it is precisely Iris-T and Mars II that are considered systems that would bring a real advantage to Ukraine. The fact that these can apparently only be delivered so late in autumn or winter is particularly problematic because many experts now see August as the decisive month in the Ukraine war. Then at the latest it could be decided whether Russia's offensive, especially in eastern Ukraine, will be successful. Then the modern weapons announced by Scholz would simply come too late.