German minister suspends buy of troubled armoured vehicles

Further purchases of an infantry fighting vehicle are to be suspended while the German Bundeswehr decides if they are "stable" or not, Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said on Monday, reported dpa.

During recent exercises, the new Puma infantry fighting vehicle was prone to breakdowns ranging from worn sprockets to problems with electronics, dpa has learned - though no official details have been given.

"Until the vehicle proves to be stable, there will be no second order - the criticism from parliament is completely justified," Lambrecht said in Berlin. "Our troops must be able to rely on weapon systems being robust and stable even in combat."

A planned signing of an agreement for the purchase of more of the infantry fighting vehicles has been put on hold. Lambrecht said that "the renewed failures of the Puma infantry fighting vehicle are a bitter setback."

Germany's Bundeswehr will now participate in NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) using the Marder combat vehicle, which was introduced decades ago, a Defence Ministry spokesperson said in Berlin on Monday.

"We were still quite confident after the previous exercises because the Puma had done well. And now comes this unusually high rate of failure," he said.

Early on Monday, Lambrecht was briefed by Bundeswehr Inspector General Eberhard Zorn, State Secretary Benedikt Zimmer and other officials, the spokesperson said. There would be further talks with the industrial sources later.