The combat capabilities of the armies of different countries differ, and very often they are hiding, and the media talks about the nonexistent state of affairs. The most significant force is possessed by Germany, whose army inspires fear. However, experts say that in fact, everything is not as rosy as it seems. Is it really? Let's try to figure it out.
Ground troops
We note that the Bundeswehr consists of a three-branch structure, that is, of the ground forces, air forces and naval forces. As separate components, in 2000 a combined support force and health service were established.
Let's start with the ground forces. In Germany, they include four staff bases of the NATO multinational corps of the so-called "quick deployment", five task forces at the headquarters of other army corps (Greek, Spanish, Turkish, Italian and French), five divisions and auxiliary units and units in the form of:
- two tank divisions;
- motorized infantry division;
- airmobile division;
- divisions of special operations forces.
The German army seems very impressive. Moreover, if we take into account firepower, compared with previous years, it turns out that with the current brigade of 5, 000 people, the army is much more powerful and armed than before. In modern conditions of combat, an important role is played by contact infantry combat; therefore, a lot depends on the number of divisions.
Focus on peacekeeping
The German army, according to the fundamental document of German military construction, is aimed primarily at conducting peacekeeping operations as part of a coalition of forces and regulating local conflicts of a low degree of intensity. That is, in the event of martial law, the country is ready to fight only with an obviously weak rival in the degree of combat, technical and rear capabilities.
The size of the German army has recently decreased significantly - we are talking about the ground forces: now it is 84, 450 people (taking into account those who study at military schools). In addition, from 2011 in Germany canceled compulsory military service, which has now become fully contracted and lasts from a year to 23 months.
Current operations of a country abroad
According to the beginning of 2015, the German army conducts ongoing military operations in such regions as:
- Afghanistan (900 people).
- Uzbekistan (100 people).
- Kosovo (763 people).
- Mediterranean Sea (800 people).
- Somalia (241 people).
- Mali (144 people).
- Lebanon (128 people).
- Bosnia and Herzegovina (120 people).
- Sudan (10 people).
Germany is involved in all these operations, the army of which is involved mainly in the person of full-time workers or personnel of the rear support units. It is noteworthy that the combat component of the army does not exceed 10% of the size, and in general the country does not knowingly participate in new operations abroad, especially if it is necessary to operate in contact infantry combat, in which German soldiers are obviously weaker.
Armament of the ground forces
The ground forces of the country have the following weapons:
- 1095 main battle tanks;
- 644 field artillery, mortar and MLRS guns;
- 2563 armored fighting vehicles (of which 736 armored personnel carriers);
- 146 combat helicopters.
This is the ground equipment of the German army on paper, but in reality the situation is somewhat different. Experts note that the general tendency of the state of the German army on paper is actually different, and not in a good direction for the country. It turns out that in the event of martial law, Germany is unlikely to be able to oppose the more powerful powers with modern and advanced equipment and weapons.
Leopard - the main tank
The main battle tank of the Bundeswehr is the Leopard. At the beginning of 2015, the armored units of the country were based on the use of the Leopard-2 model - there were 685 of them in service. The remaining tanks ("Leopard-1") are gradually used to produce metal, and at the training ground - for training purposes. And the very first models, according to the country's statistics, there are only 173 left, they will be written off by 2017.
As for the modifications of the Leopard-2 machine, only the Leopard-2A3 (their production was still in 1984-1985) and the Leopard-2A4 (produced from 1985 to 1987) meet the requirements of modern combat. True, recent field trials have shown that this technique of the German army is characterized by a low level of survivability, and therefore in 1991 a program for modernizing tanks called KWS II was adopted.
Modernized tanks
Since 1995, all tanks that have been modernized have become known as the Leopard 2A5. There are about 470 pieces for 2015. And those tanks that did not pass the program are sold to third world countries. Since 2001, 225 more machines have been modernized, which have become the most modern and equipped and have received the name "Leopard-2A6". New models began to be equipped with reinforced turret armor and additional mine protection.
The German tank army, in particular, the modified tank, attracts attention with the new Rhl 120 / L55 gun - with a longer barrel, which increases the firepower of the machine and expands the range of ammunition used. The on-board electronics has become more perfect and modern, in which a new information management system has appeared. The tank began to weigh 62 tons, and in general its technical characteristics became much better.
The seventh modification of the "Leopard"
In 2010, the Leopard was again improved - to the seventh modification, which was called the Leopard-2A7 +. She became a heavy assault platform for fighting in urban environments. According to the changes, the mine protection will be improved, removable protection modules of different projections will appear in the hull and turret, trellised screens against RPGs will be installed, small arms will be equipped with a module that can be controlled remotely. Germany, whose army was based on old technology for a long time, planned to transfer about 150 tanks to the seventh modification, however, this goal has not yet been achieved. There is no exact data on how many modified vehicles are in the arsenal of the country, but in open sources you can find information about 70-96 tanks. And the seventh modification is only planned for development so far …
Light armored vehicles
As part of the country's light armored vehicles, the Marder BMP has always stood out, which began to enter service in 1961. Over the years of operation, the machines practically did not change, and only in 1979 the model was modernized, as a result of which they began to equip the anti-tank launcher "Milan" on the right side of the tower, then modifications A2 and A3 appeared. It is believed that the Marder-1A3 model is not inferior to the popular and powerful Leopard-1 tank in the degree of protection of personnel. There were no further modifications of the model, and since 1985, the Marder-2 BMP development program was launched in Germany. But the development took a lot of time, and the prototype of the first new machine was presented only in September 1991, and testing at the test site was completed only in 1998.
The German army in 2014 included 1581 Marder-1s of all modifications, and in recent years there has been talk that the Puma BMP will replace this vehicle, the work on which has already been completed. According to estimates, by the beginning of 2016, it should replenish the country's armament. But in fact it turns out that so far not a single modification of the “Puma” is in service with Germany. It turns out that the main means of ensuring infantry mobility and its fire cover are cars and wheeled armored personnel carriers. The figures show that of the light armored vehicles in the country's army, only German armored combat vehicles in the amount of 1135 armored personnel carriers are really suitable for use, of which only 779 are suitable for use in battle, while Wiesels are more appropriate to use not for transporting personnel, but for intelligence.
Modern artillery
The once formidable German artillery underwent many changes, and in the first place they were expressed in large-scale reductions. Like the United States, Germany, whose army needs modern and sophisticated weapons, began to create the latest and technologically advanced weapons systems that would allow the army to possess great firepower even with a reduction in the number of pieces of equipment. The Germans invented a unique gun PzH2000, which provided sighting cover with a standard projectile shell at a distance of 30 km. The rate of fire was three shots in just 9.2 s with a standard of 10 s, 8 shots in 51.4 s with a standard of 60 s. The distinctive features of this gun include the following:
- Record for rate of fire.
- High and reliable protection of the crew and combat equipment thanks to the steel armor of the turret and the self-propelled gun body.
- The optimal thickness of the armor is the guarantee that the crew will be reliably protected from small arms with a caliber of up to 14.5 mm, large fragments from shells.
- Using a gun is advisable directly on the battlefield.
This is the best self-propelled gun in the world, so we found the answer to the question of which army in Germany is the most reliable and powerful. True, there are a little less than 200 such weapons in the country.
Another available German army gun is self-propelled mortars: M113A1G PZM (120 mm) and 100 MLRS MLRS. These guns have the following technical features:
- firing range - from 2 km to 40 km;
- the area of damage in one gulp is up to 25, 000 square meters. m;
- equipping with numerous types of ammunition, including cluster munitions.
Bundeswehr Army Aviation
The German army in terms of aviation consists of 38 Tiger attack helicopters, 118 Va-105 attack helicopters, 93 heavy transport helicopters CH-53G, 93 multi-purpose UH-1D, 39 EU-135 and 77 NH-90. The Air Force is controlled by the Central Office and the Operations Command in Cologne. The operational command includes three aviation divisions, but there are no training units in the country. Cadets study in the USA on their own technical bases.
The main strike force of German aviation is based on Typhoon fighter-bombers - currently there are about 100 of them in the arsenal of the country. As drums, Tornado bombers (144 of them on the basis of Germany) of the latest modification can be used. According to experts, these machines are able to stand in service in the next 8-10 years. The size of the German army is gradually declining, and the same trend is noted in terms of its equipment. So, the Luftwaffe is still armed with the old Phantom-2, Tornado fighter-bombers, although they should have been written off a long time ago.
There are several A-319, A-340 in the country's transport aviation, but experts say that these capabilities are not enough to solve the problems that face it. That is, this amount of equipment is not enough even to land one airborne brigade and provide it with supplies for at least a month, subject to active hostilities. There are 18 Patriot batteries in ground-based air defense.
German Navy
The army of Russia (and Germany, too) has long been considered very powerful, but the Germans are gradually losing ground, holding leadership only in some sectors. Thus, the German navy is the most advanced in terms of equipment and balance. True, he does not face serious tasks, and the available weapons are enough to defend the coasts and help the Allies. At the moment, the Bundesmarine is helping with reconnaissance and control of the Baltic Sea.
In this situation, it is surprising, but in Germany there is a powerful and advanced shipbuilding industry that produces almost the best marine weapons in the world - diesel-powered submarines in the first place. These models are actively purchased by India, Greece, Turkey, South Korea, Venezuela. At the same time, Germany’s own fleet is very small. The number of German army from the point of view of flotillas is only 4 Type 212 submarines, 13 frigates of various types - from old to modern, two boats are being built.
Modern frigate Sachsen
As we have already said, the shipbuilding industry in the country is quite powerful. And this is evidenced, for example, by the construction of a new frigate of the Sachsen type. This project involves the construction of a destroyer, which externally and by design is a platform for naval weapons. By the way, it will appear in Germany in the near future. The distinctive features of this technique include the following:
- The ship will be equipped with a 127 mm universal gun, two helicopters, a pair of RIM-116 and 27 mm blocks.
- The technique will be supplemented by regular Harpoon anti-ship missiles.
- The frigate’s weapons will be controlled by a special automated combat control system, which consists of 17 computerized workstations, 11 modules with an interface, two large information displays, a satellite communications console and two workstations.
The main weapons are still not exactly known, but I want to believe that the equipment will be serious and worthy of attention. In the Bundesmarin, corvettes, missile boats, and minesweepers attract attention, while in naval aviation there are 8 anti-submarine aircraft. According to experts, if the planned technologies are implemented in reality, this frigate will be equipped with systems that can immediately track up to 1000 goals.
The most powerful weapon of the German army
It is believed that the most optimal, from the point of view of combat readiness, units of the German army are part of the Joint NATO Very Rapid Response Force. In 2014, a meeting of the Bundeswehr command was held at which the current state of the material and technical base of the army was discussed. The register of the most powerful weapons was based on military equipment. Particularly noted were armored personnel carriers, helicopters, infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers. At the same time, it was noted at the meeting that almost all old-style weapons need serious repair, and sometimes decommissioning. As a result of the meeting, it became clear that the Bundeswehr at the moment cannot solve large-scale tasks in the military field. The state of the army is such that certain brigades of the German army can be sent to help other countries, and then to the place where the military conflict is not of the highest intensity.
Rifles, including sniper rifles, machine guns, pistols, antitank missile systems, and grenade launchers, stand out from the German army’s hand weapons.
