Austrian Pandur projects progression

The Austrian company GDELS Steyr, part of the General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) division and formerly known as Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeug GmbH (SSF), is responsible for developing a new vehicle of the Pandur family of wheeled vehicles (FoV). A few photos of an unspecified Pandur 6x6 variant, which apparently is a long wheelbase version of the Pandur II, were taken at a recent event in April. The fact that the vehicle was presented in a modern digital camouflage pattern has caused some funny commencts regarding the lack of style; however here these photos were the inspiration to take a very short look at the Pandur 1 projects in Austria and other countries. The fact that a Pandur II 6x6 is located at the Steyr plant might be a hint regarding the development of the Pandur EVO - it could be used as reference or as base model for the next iteration of the Pandur vehicle. The Pandur 1 is operated in different versions by the Austrian Army (the so called Bundesheer), the Belgian Army (as scout and ambulance vehicles), the Kuwaiti National Guard (some armed with 25 mm autocannons or 90 mm Cockerill medium calibre guns), the Slovenian Army (known as locally as "Valuk") and the US Army's Special Forces (fitted with applique armor, operated by the Delta Force and 75th Rangers in very small numbers).

The Pandur EVO has a long wheelbase and flat side walls. The rendering shows also a WS4 Panther RWS

The start of the Pandur EVO project was officially announced on the 21st of April 2017, after initial news reports appeared in December 2016 and January of 2017. It has been confirmed that 34 vehicles were ordered by the Bundesheer (Austrian Army) from GDELS Steyr and ESL Advanced Information Technology GmbH for a speculated price of €105 million. The Pandur EVO is a modernized version of the Pandur 1 armored personnel carrier (APC), but is a new development rather than an upgrade of the older vehicle version. Why the Pandur II, which is known to be superior to the existing Pandur 1 models and is available as a 6x6 and a 8x8 version, hasn't been chosen instead is currently not known, but the decision has been claimed to be related to logistics: the Pandur II is currently only operated by the Czech Army and the Protoguese Army - the Pandur EVO supposedly shares more components with the Pandur 1. It has been said that using the Pandur 1 as base of the EVO model will enable the Austria Army to reduce the costs for spare parts and maintenance. The delivery of the first prototype of the Pandur EVO is expected for 2018, so photos taken at a recent event at the GDELS Steyr factory might showcase the current state of development - although this is most definetly not the final Pandur EVO, due to lacking the rear ramp.

The two rear doors and the flat side walls with bolt-on armor can be used as reference for identifying the Pandur II

Another factor for choosing the Pandur EVO over the Pandur II might be the combat weight: the Pandur II 6x6 is only capable of supporting a maximum combat weight of 16.5 metric tons in case of the long wheelbase variant, while the short wheelbase model supports only 15.5 metric tons. The weight of the Pandur EVO, utilizing a new hull with a long wheelbase, has not been released yet. However the Pandur 1 chassis, in the process of being upgraded as part of the Pandur A2 improvment project, is meant to be boosted to support up to 16.8 metric tons - 3.3 tons more than the original Pandur 1. This requires modifications to the brakes, steering system and the suspension. The Pandur II 8x8 has a maximum combat weight of 24 metric tons in the standard configuration. 

The Pandur EVO is expected to be heavier than the upgraded Pandur A2. The additional weight is utilized for better protection - the demanded level of protection couldn't be achieved with modifying the original Pandur 1 design - and to increase transport capacity from 9 (crew of three + six dismounts) to eleven (crew of three + eight dismounts). This is why the Pandur EVO will feature a long wheelbase. In order to deal wtih the heavier vehicle, the engine has been replaced by a more powerful one, delivering about 27 hp per ton (implying at least a 450 hp engine) - rumors suggest a MTU engine (i.e. a version of the MTU 6V 199), although it might be fitted with a Cummins engine instead (as used on the Pandur 1 vehicles for Kuwait and the Pandur II production versions); the adoption of a new transmission (from Allison, Renk or ZF) is also expected. The Pandur EVO will feature a large rear ramp, rather than two separate rear doors. The seats will be mine-proof and thus not connected to the vehicle's floor plate. A NBC protection system and an anti-lock braking system will also be installed in the Pandur EVO.

 In US service the vehicle is known as Armored Ground Mobility System

There is also a politcal component to the decision to purchase the Pandur EVO: in the past the GDELS Steyr plant located in Vienna-Simmering had been manufacutring Pandur 1s for Kuwait;  apparently twenty out of seventy from the original order aswell as forty vehicles from the second order were manufactured in Austria, the others were assembled by AV Technology in the United States of America. The plant has finished its task, but no other follow-up order for Pandur 1s existed (the Pandur 2 is not being manufactured in Austria, it's only licence made in the Czech Republic and in Portugal), which meant that ordering the Pandur EVO is essentially for keeping 147 jobs working on the Pandur production - in fact the decision to order the Pandur EVO created jobs, because GDELS Steyr announced to increase it's workforce by about 10%. Previously the plant was downsized, at some time in the past it was even suggested to turn it into a pure repair and maintenance plant. Overall 179 Austrian companies take part in the development of the next evolution of the Austrian APC, leading to 70% of the contract value ending up in Austrian pockets.

Some of the Pandur 1 vehicles for the Kuwaiti National Guard are IFVs

The basic protection of the Pandur 1 is provided by it's all-welded steel hull, which features no proper provisions made for mine protection. The well-sloped frontal aspect is protected against 12.7 mm ammunition from distances greater than 100 metres and against 14.5 mm rounds fired from distances greater than a 1,000 metres. All-round protection is provided against 5.56 mm ammunition only. An initial upgrade to the Pandur A1 included new seats, that together with the relatively high ground clearance common in wheeled vehicles lead to a STANAG 4569 level 1 mine resistance (hand grenade or anti-personnel mine detonating below the vehicle).

The Pandur EVO's higher protection level is a result of bolt-on applique armor and a new mine protection kit; the relatively high level of required mine protection made it necessary to modify the hull. The exact supplier for the armor has not been disclosed, but the EVO variant might feature an armor kit consisting of RUAG's SidePRO-KE/IED armor for ballistic protection and a MinePRO system for the hull belly in order to resist mines. Both armor types, enabling the vehicle to survive different types of IEDs aswell, have been integrated in the next Pandur A2 upgrade. RUAG has been ordered by Austria and Belgium to develop an applique armor package based on it's existing protection technology in 2015. The total costs for this contract on the side of Austria were €13.57 million. The upgrade unfortunately requires completely stripping down the vehicle, integrating the armor and then adding all previously removed components again - this is the reason why only one prototype of the improved Pandur A2 has yet been finished, two further vehicles are scheduled for 2017. At the time of making the contract, the final delivery of the last uparmored Pandur A2 was expected in 2020; in the same timeframe the Pandur EVO production should be introduced in Austrian service.

In theory Austria might have chosen another contractor for the armor systems of the Pandur EVO - the Ulan for example is protected by MEXAS armor from RUAG's German competitor IBD Deisenroth, this however would nullify some of the logistic advantages gained by choosing the Pandur EVO rather than the Pandur II. The Pandur II of the Czech Army is fitted with ceramic armor from the Israeli manfacturer Rafael in order to reach STANAG 4569 level 4 ballistic protection (all round protection agianst 14.5 mm AP ammo). The mine protection plating of the EVO version is scheduled for testing in this month, i.e. June 2017.

If the weight of the Pandur EVO is somewhat close to the Pandur A2 after RUAG's armor upgrade, it shouldn't be able to reach a very high level of protection. Other 6x6 armored fighting vehicles (AFVs) such as the German Fuchs 1A8 reach a combat weight of up to 27 metric tons, which allows a high level of ballistic and mine protection, meeting the full NATO STANAG 4569 level 4 - this includes aside of all-around resistance to 14.5 mm AP rounds, also blast protection against 10 kilograms of TNT and roof armor to withstand artillery fragments from a distance of 30 metres. 

Pandur A2 firring it's M2 Browning heavy machine gun

The Pandur EVO is to be armed with a remotely controlled weapon station (RWS) of unknown type. The current Pandur A2 APCs are armed with a WS4 Panther weapon station from ESL Advanced Information Technology GmbH, a subsidairy of the Israeli manufacturer Elbit Systems. This RWS can be fitted with either a single 7.62 mm machine gun (MG), a single 12.7 mm heavy MG or a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher (AGL); due to not having an AGL in the inventory, the Austrian Army utilizes only the M2 Browning MG. Alternatively the WS4 Panther Duo, capable of holding a 7.62 mm machine gun and a 40 mm grenade launcher at the same time, might be fitted to the Pandur EVO, if an AGL is purchased at the same time. Both types of the Panther RWS feature an advanced set of optronics with a thermal imager, a laser rangefinder and a daylight camera.

This camouflage pattern might be useful for aval infantry, but it is not suited for Austria

The Austrian Army also bought seven used Pandurs (six APCs and a medical treatment vehicle) for an extremely low price of only half a million Euros from Belgium in 2016. Steyr GDELS is currently also working on an upgrade of the Ulan infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), which is focused around the adoption of an air-conditioning unit. This would enable the Ulan - internationally known as ASCOD (Austro-Spanish co-development) to be used for peace-keeping missions in the hot regions of Asia and Africa.

Boxer prototype for Lithuania being tested

In December 2015 the Lithuanian Ministry of Defence announced, that they were favouring the Dutch-German Boxer multi-role armored vehicle (MRAV) over numerous other offers from international armored vehicle manufacturers such as General Dynamics (offering a version of the ex-MOWAG Piranha/Stryker), Patria (which offered a version of the AMV), Nexter (offering the VBCI), Iveco, Otokar, and FNSS. Subsequently they ordered the Boxer in an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) configuration.

However the Lithuanian Army did not go for the original offered Boxer variant, which mounted the unmanned turret of the German Puma IFV on a special Boxer mission module. Instead the Lithuanian Army prefered to fit a Samson Mk II remote weapon station (RWS) from the Israeli company Rafael. A number of photographs from the trials of a Boxer with the Samson Mk II RWS have been released by the Lithuanian MoD.

Compared to the Puma's turret, the Samson Mk II RWS is in many aspects a downgrade. It is understood that the choice to opt for the Israeli weapon station is related to the high costs of the German offer. The Boxer with Puma turret was criticized by the Lithuanian government for being considerable more expensive than all other offers.

The Puma turret however offers a much higher level of protection to begin with: The Samson Mk II RWS is not protected at all, but can be fitted with additional armor modules for protection in accordance to the STANAG 4569 levels 1 to 4, which essentially means protection from assault rifles to 14.5 mm armor-piercing (AP) ammunition from heavy machine guns (HMGs) depending on armor package. The Puma´s turret offers the same STANAG 4569 level 4 protection in it's basic configuration, but can be fitted with additional armor for an even higher level of protection (protection against 30 mm ammunition). This armor package also includes hedgehog armor against anti-tank bomblets from artillery and mortar shells aswell as an armored flap to protect the gunner's main optics.

Furthermore the Puma's turret has the option to fit the German MUSS softkill active protection system (APS), which has already been fully integrated into the turret for the German Army. This system offers protection against anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), by using jammers and multi-spectral countermeasures.

The Puma's turret offers better optics and for the commander's sight, there is a fibre-optical channel to directly guide the image to the commander's oculars, instead of only providing a digitized (and thus pixelated) image at the display.

While in theory able to accept other guns, the Samson Mk 2 RWS on the Boxer module for the Lithuanian Army has apparently been fitted with the very common Mk 44 Bushmaster II gun from ATK (chambered in the same 30 x 173 mm calibre as the Puma's MK 30-2/ABM). This gun has two drawbacks compared to the MK 30-2/ABM originally offered on the Boxer with Puma turret: the dispersion of the Bushmaster gun is higher (at least when firing APFSDS ammunition from NAMMO) and it has no or only limited air-burst capabilities. The MK 30-2/ABM is fitted with a magnetic coil to measure the ammunition's velocity at the muzzle and to then program the fuze of airburst ammunition accordingly. The Mk 44 Bushmaster II lacks such a coil, instead airburst capability is only optional (and this has not been chosen by a customer to this day) with programming being done at the chamber - this system is less accurate, as it has to rely on estimated (or pre-programmed) data for the muzzle velocity.

The Samson Mk 2 RWS has a weight of about 1.5 metric tons. It includes two MINIPOP optics (one each for commander and gunner) from IAI with daylight camera, laser rangefinder, and thermal imager; it thus can be used in a hunter/killer mode of operation. Ammunition storage is provided for 200 rounds of 30 x 173 mm ammunition and 230 rounds of 7.62 mm machine gun ammo. The RWS also includes a retractable dual-launcher for the Spike ATGM. Gun depression up to 20° and elevation up to 70° are possible with the Samson Mk 2 RWS.

A benefit of the Samson Mk 2 RWS is the ability to reload the turret from inside of the vehicle. This can be beneficial when the gun runs out of ammo during combat - under other circumstances reloading form the exterior is better, because one does not have to move through the rather cramped exterior of the vehicle, which enables faster restocking of ammunition.

The Boxer's modular design allows a faster and easier integration of new systems and mission modules compared to other vehicles. By separating the mission module (which here includes the RWS and seats for the gunner, commander, and dismounts) from the chassis, engine and driver's place, only a new mission module has to be developed. The mission module just needs to have the same interfaces as required by the chassis. This allowed testing the new module for the Lithuanian Boxers on an already existing German Boxer.

PMMC G5 - the ultimate M113?

The protected mission module carrier (PMMC) G5 from the German company FFG Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft mbH seems to be an ideal replacement for the M113 and similar APCs adopted for multiple specialized roles . At least in their video the G5 seems to be an impressive vehicle, even if you try to filter out all the marketing talk.

General characteristics

The PMMC G5 essentially seems to be the answer to the question "How would a company create a modern version of the M113 from the sketch?". This is not really a surprise, considering that FFG's history in the AFV market is mostly limited to maintenance and upgrading the M113, with delivering (or maintaining) more than 1500 vehicles to Germany, Denmark, Australia, Lithuania and Norway.

The G5 is designed to fit into the exact role currently occupied by the M113 in many armies around the globe. It can be used to transport troops, as mortar carrier, as command post, and for many more tasks. It is one of the multi-purpose designs, which aren't directly intended to take hits, but do all the
other tasks at the frontline. The usage of many (military and civilian) "off the shelf" components reduces costs.
The G5 is larger than the M113, with a total of 14.5 m³ armored interior volume and a maximum payload of 8.5 metric tons. The gross vehicle weight is 26.5 metric tons.

According to FFG, one of the main features of the PMMC G5 is the high level of protection, which includes integrated protection against (I suppose smaller) mines and IEDs. Armor protection with applique armor is offered against RPGs and heavy machine gun calibres.

The G5's powerpack

The vehicle utilizes a 410 kW (550 hp) MTU high-density power engine coupled with a ZF Friedrichshafen transmission. The G5 is fitted with rubber band tracks, supposedly it has a lower noise level than comparable AFVs.

The rubber band tracks of the PMMC G5

A further area of improvments over the M113 and many other older light/medium AFVs is the improved vision concept. The driver is located in a dome extruding from the vehicle front. He has a large field of view thanks to several windows of armored glass, which seem to cover approximately an arc of 180°.
Different versions of close area surveillance systems/cameras can be mounted on the G5. The commander is provided with a cupola.

Modular design

One outstanding feature of the FFG is a modular design. While not being as modular as the Boxer from Artec GmbH or the (canceled) Splitterskyddad enhetsplattform, it is still a serious advantage for multi-purpose vehicles to be (semi-)modular.

The modular concept of the G5 - module being taken out of the vehicle (CGI)

The idea: The vehicle uses mission modules (hence the name PMMC), which consist of a floor and roof panel and everything inbetween. The mission module does not contain anything relevant to the normal characteristics of the vehicle like the suspension, the driver's place or the engine.
It should be possible to develop another chassis (e.g. a wheeled chassis or a better protected one), which could support the same modules as the PMMC G5.
When not in use, the mission modules can be stored in standard ISO containers.

One vehicle can be fitted with various different mission modules

FFG has proposed a number of different modules, which can be seen as CGI in their videos and brochures. These include an armored personnel carrier, a command post vehicle, an armored recovery vehicle, a mortar carrier, and an ambulance vehicle.

Armament

The original G5 prototype was either demonstrated unarmed - it appears likely that this version was able to install a pintle-mounted machine gun - or later with a FLW 200 remote weapon station from KMW. The FLW 200 can be fitted with 7.62 mm or 12.7 mm machine guns or alternatively with a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher.

PMMC G5 with FLW 200 (mounting a 40 mm AGL)

Later a prototype with the improved FLW 200+ remote weapon station was demonstrated. The FLW 200+ RWS is able to accept larger weapons including the RH202 20 mm autocannon of the Marder IFV.
The FLW 200 was fitted on the left side of the hull, directly behind the driver's dome. The FLW 200+ however was mounted in the center of the vehicle (or even a bit to the right side of the hull). It is located on a extension to allow further gun depression.

The PMMC G5 with FLW 200+ RWS

Armor protection

It seems that different armor sets have already been adapted for the G5. The basic G5 vehicle is an all-welded construction of metal - most likely aluminium or steel. In the FFG promo video for the G5, a version fitted with spaced applique armor can be seen.

A screencap from FFG's promo video shows a spaced armor configuration

A further version applique armor fitted to the G5 was presented during Eurosatory 2014. This applique armor is mounted with a different type of bolts, which seems to be identical to the bolts used on the M1117 or the LAV III, when fitted with MEXAS ceramic composite armor. Hence I would assume, that this version of the G5 is fitted with MEXAS or AMAP ceramic armor.

Tests of the mine protection kit of the G5

The vehicle is fitted with protective plating against mines and IEDs. Additional "lightweight" protection against rocket-propelled grenades can be adapted on the G5. It seems that this is a type of slat or net armor.

G5 presented with Barracuda camouflage

The G5 has also been fitted with the Barracuda MCS from SAAB.

However the vehicle still seems to have a number of drawbacks worth mentioning:

• the weight increase over the M113
• the higher roof makes the vehicle taller than the M113 and some other tracked APCs
• the seats inside the vehicle seem to not be decoupled from the interior, which results in less protection against mines and IEDs

The seats don't seem to be shock-proof

Unfortunately the only known evaluation in which the G5 participated, was the Danish evaluation for a M113 replacement. While FFG had strong ties with the Danish government (i.e. by delivering several upgrades for the M113), the Danish army decided to go for a wheeled APC with the 8 x 8 Piranha 5.

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Author's opinion: As previously mentioned, the G5 is not perfect. It lacks mine protected seats as used on the German Puma IFV or the Boxer. The vehicle is also not amphibious, which limits the market to which it can be sold.
Recently a lot of companies have offered multi-role vehicles based refurbished or new production Infantry Fighting Vehicles in the medium weight role. This includes BAE, which offers the CV90 Armadillo and the Bradley AMPV (as selected by the US Army), Rheinmetall (offering the Marder APC) and General Dynamics European Land Systems offering the ASCOD 2 APC.
With Denmark having chosen the Piranha 5, while Germany and the Netherlands are using the Boxer to replace most of their M113s, the market situation for the PMMC G5 is not ideal.
However there are still numerous versions of the Fuchs, M113, VAB, FV432 and the AIFV that should be replaced in the next decade - that is the chance for the PMMC G5 to shine.

There still seem to be hopes of selling the G5 to Germany, at least during a recent presentation in mid-May, a mobile command post version was demonstrated.

On the other hand, the G5's ancestors, the M113 G3 and M113 G4 upgrades would probably do the same job just a tiny bit worse, but for lower costs. The defence spendings in Europe have risen following the Ukraine conflict, but this money is focused on tanks and IFVs.

References

1. http://www.ffg-flensburg.de/leichte-fahrzeugsysteme/pmmc-g5/ 
2. http://www.army-technology.com/projects/protected-mission-module-carrier-g5/